It's another Saturday packed with NHL action. Even without the afternoon action, there are still 10 games on the DraftKings slate with the first pucks dropping at 7 p.m. EST. Here are my lineup recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
Three teams (Blackhawks, Kings, Blues) will be playing the second leg of a back-to-back Saturday, with all of them on the road. And in terms of goaltending decisions, all the matchups look particularly favorable for the home sides.
GOALIES
Brandon Bussi, CAR vs. SEA ($8,500): Bussi is a rookie, but he's already a classic Carolina goalie. That is to say he's posted a 2.29 GAA alongside an unremarkable .904 save percentage as the club continue to be elite at preventing shots. The Kraken have been on a nice run of late, though they're still bottom-eight in both goals and shots.
Akira Schmid, VGK vs. STL ($8,400): Vegas is on the first leg of a back-to-back and Carter Hart is day-to-day with an injury, so I'm assuming Schmid gets the call on Saturday. And he would be facing the team with the NHL's worst offense which will be away for a second straight day.
Joseph Woll, TOR vs. VAN ($8,000): Woll has recorded a couple off nights since returning to the lineup, yet still list a .903 save percentage across eight appearances. That's not great, but decent enough by current goaltending standards. Vancouver is far from home and has also averaged 2.72 goals and 26.9 shots. And of course, part of that is based on when Quinn Hughes was still on the squad.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, EDM vs. LOS ($5,400): The Kings have the best goalie in line to start Saturday of the three teams on the second leg of a back-to-back, and the Oilers can be tricky for stacks trying to work around the salary of either Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl. I definitely want an Edmonton player and have opted for Nugent-Hopkins. He's on a three-game scoring streak to give him 35 points overall with 19 of those on the power play where he joins the dynamic duo. As noted, LA was in action on Friday while maintaining a below-average penalty kill.
Sam Bennett, FLA at OTT ($6,400): Over his last 11 games, Bennett has 12 points and 38 shots while averaging 4:34 with the extra man. Those minutes are definitely a plus as the Senators enter with the 31st-ranked penalty kill.
Josh Doan, BUF vs. ANA ($5,200): Doan is riding a four-game goal run and could easily make it five on Saturday. Once Lukas Dostal started to struggle, the Ducks collapsed defensively. Anaheim has posted a 3.70 GAA, which is comfortably the NHL's highest mark.
FORWARD LINE STACKS TO CONSIDER
Golden Knights vs. Blues
Jack Eichel (C - $8,400), Mark Stone (W - $6,400), Ivan Barbashev (W - $3,600)
I'm down to stack a Vegas line, even one with a couple high-salaried players as the goalie the Blues saved for Saturday is the one who's going to the Olympics. Jordan Binnington has been subpar this season with an .871 save percentage while ceding starts to Joel Hofer. I'd look to target St. Louis with Binnington in net during any situation, but things look more promising on the second day of a back-to-back.
Eichel was stellar before getting hurt and has been just as good since returning. Acknowledging a seven-game absence in the middle of this run, Eichel has racked up 13 points in his last nine. Stone is also a great forward who you can pencil in for at least 20 absences a season, yet he's managed to log 20 straight with 24 points during that span. Barbashev sometimes has to deal with not getting to team up with Eichel, Stone, or both, but right now he is while accumulating 31 points overall.
Predators vs. Blackhawks
Erik Haula (C - $3,000), Luke Evangelista (W - $4,100), Michael Bunting (W - $3,700)
Here's a trio to save some salary that also lets you target a favorable matchup. The Blackhawks are bottom-eight for shots allowed. And when Spencer Knight isn't in net, the call goes out to Arvid Soderblom. But right now, both Knight and Soderblom are dealing with an illness. Neither were able to play Friday, so it's entirely possible both will also be out on Saturday.
The journeyman Haula has 23 points in his first season with the Preds. And like a lot of his teammates, he's recently picked up the pace with seven points from his last 12 outings. Evangelista has registered eight points alongside 24 shots through 10 matchups with a 6.5 shooting percentage that's probably a product of some bad luck. Bunting compiled two 20-goal campaigns with Toronto and then fell short by one in each of the last two years. He's currently at 11, so he should at least approach 20 again. Bunting also recently produced a four-point effort against the Flames.
DEFENSEMEN
Shayne Gostisbehere, CAR vs. SEA ($5,300): Gostisbehere has held one job wherever he goes, and that's to run the point on the power play. And he's averaged 3:24 with the extra man with nine PPPs. Meanwhile, the Kraken are the worst penalty kill by a few percentage points.
Bowen Byram, BUF vs. ANA ($3,600): The battle to be the Sabres' No. 2 defenseman behind Rasmus Dahlin is now between Byram and Mattias Samuelsson, which is to say the "bust" label is now officially looming over Owen Power. Byram has been on fire with 10 points in his last eight games. As noted earlier, the Ducks will be on the road with the league's highest GAA.
Nick Blankenburg, NAS vs. CHI ($2,700): It looks like I'm turning to Nashville for DFS salary-saving options on Saturday. After all, it's a matchup that makes sense as the Preds may face Arvid Soderblom, who's made 100 NHL appearances and has struggled to an .887 save percentage. Blankenburg has recorded 18 points this season, including four from his last eight outings. So even a single point from him would exceed DFS value.
