Christmas is around the corner, which is already impacting the NHL schedule. Saturday is as busy as ever with seven evening games starting at 7 p.m. EST or later. Take advantage of your DFS opportunities before the holiday break! Here are my lineup recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
Three teams are on the second leg of a back-to-back. Anaheim is at home against Columbus while the Canucks are on the road against the Bruins and the Hurricanes visit the Lightning. As it's Saturday, there are also a few clubs on the first of consecutive night, so goaltending choices will be key.
GOALIES
Jeremy Swayman, BOS vs. VAN ($8,400): The Bruins are one of the teams on the first leg of a back-to-back and could easily start Joonas Korpisalo Saturday to save Swayman for a divisional matchup with Ottawa on Sunday. Even if that is the case, I'd start Korpisalo. This recommendation is less about Swayman - though he has been good - than it is about the matchup. The Canucks, especially post-Quinn Hughes, look like the league's worst team as they're bottom-eight in goals and GAA while on the road for a second straight day.
Akira Schmid, VGK at CGY ($8,300): Vegas is also going again on Sunday, but unlike Boston they're a team with two evenly-matched netminder in Schmid and Carter Hart and already announced the former will be starting Saturday. Schmid has posted a .903 save percentage, which is also his career mark. But thanks to the Golden Knights' defense, he's impressed with a 2.33 GAA. The Flames have been a bit unlucky given that they've averaged 30.0 shots while only recording 2.54 goals per game, which comfortably puts them bottom-five.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
William Eklund, SAN vs. SEA ($5,100): Eklund has tallied eight points in his last 11 games. He's also averaged 3:47 with the extra man on the year with 10 power-play points. It's Eklund's role while up a man that is enticing as the Kraken list the league's worst penalty kill.
Elias Lindholm, BOS vs. VAN ($4,200): There are good places to be in the NHL and centering a line with David Pastrnak and Morgan Geekie is one of them. To that end, Lindholm has 13 points in his last 10 outings with 12 of those assists. Thatcher Demko is back, so maybe the Canucks aren't as favorable of a matchup. He did start on Friday, leaving Kevin Lankinen and his .878 save percentage for Saturday.
FORWARD LINE STACKS TO CONSIDER
Blue Jackets at Ducks
Adam Fantilli (C - $5,900), Kirill Marchenko (W - $6,000), Dmitri Voronkov (W - $4,400)
The Blue Jackets' first unit has cooled off of late, but this matchup could get them back on the scoresheet. Anaheim sits bottom-10 in shots allowed and penalty-kill percentage. They also played on Friday with Lukas Dostal starting. Petr Mrazek is projected for his first start since coming back from injury with an .897 save percentage the last five campaigns. Dostal was also pulled Friday, so Mrazek had to come in.
After a slow start, Fantilli is at 22 points. He's also quite active with 44 shots from his last 14 games. Marchenko is at 26 points, including 10 with the extra man. He's also directed 26 pucks on net through eight outings since returning. Voronkov hasn't been shooting as much as his linemates, but has potted three goals during his last seven with two of those coming on the power play.
Canadiens vs. Penguins
Nick Suzuki (C - $6,800), Cole Caufield (W - $7,300), Zachary Bolduc (W - $3,400)
It turns out the Penguins are, in fact, an aging team with questionable goaltending and they've subsequently lost seven straight. Arturs Silovs hasn't allowed fewer than three goals in any appearance the last month while Stuart Skinner has continued to falter. The Canadiens recently diversified their talent for its first two lines, with this stack including Suzuki and Caufield.
Suzuki has reached 30 goals in each of the last two seasons and is coming off an 89-point campaign. He's currently at 10 and 39 for those categories and should once again get at least 30 of the former while probably producing 90 of the latter. And Suzuki hasn't slowed down having notched 19 points from his last 17 games. Caufield also got to 30 goals last year and sits at 17 on 97 shots to go with 17 assists. Bolduc is no slouch having potted 19 goals with the Blues a year ago and produced another two last time out.
DEFENSEMEN
John Klingberg, SAN vs. SEA ($4,500): Klingberg is the veteran trying to help out the San Jose defense as their young talent solidifies. He's got a role running point on the power play where he's notched four goals and three assists. And as previously noted, the Kraken enter with the NHL's worst penalty kill.
Morgan Rielly, TOR at NAS ($4,400): Rielly has posted 23 points and 63 shots this year. Nashville's offense has been subpar - though still better than last season - yet their defense and goaltending have struggled by listing a 3.48 GAA.
