Are you ready for the first Saturday of December? You will be shortly thanks to the following NHL DFS lineup recommendations with 10 games on the FanDuel slate and the first ones starting at 7 p.m. EST.
SLATE PREVIEW
Four teams are on the second leg of a back-to-back. The Devils, Jets, and Mammoth are all on the road and will be facing the Bruins, Oilers, and Flames. The Canucks will be at home against the Wild, but are also perhaps the league's worst team.
GOALIES
Frederik Andersen, CAR vs. NAS ($8,000): The Hurricanes are on the first leg of a back-to-back and Pyotr Kochetkov seems to be nearing his return from injury, so keep an eye on who actually gets the start on Saturday. This is less about the specific goalie and more about Carolina settling in defensively and limiting opponents to 24.5 shots per game. The Preds have picked it up a bit offensively, but have still only managed an average of 2.59 goals.
Jesper Wallstedt, MIN at VAN ($7,600): Based on Minnesota's goalie rotation, Wallstedt should get the nod Saturday. He's been a great story by posting a 1.74 GAA and .944 save percentage across 10 outings, including four shutouts. The Canucks are hanging around the bottom-10 in offense and will be playing for a second straight day.
John Gibson, DET at SEA ($7,500): There are a few teams that you could argue have the NHL's worst offense, and Seattle is one of them at 31st in goals per game with 2.52 while Calgary is last at 2.34. However, the Flames have averaged 29.2 shots and the Kraken are much worse at 24.7. The Red Wings don't really have a solution in net, but hopefully Gibson can handle his business on Saturday given the matchup.
VALUE PLAYS
Cole Caufield, MON at TOR ($7,100): Caufield is riding a nine-game scoring streak and has directed 70 shots on net through 26 games. Dennis Hildeby has been tapped to start for the Leafs with a .919 save percentage in seven appearances, yet struggled to an .872 last year from six outings. Toronto has also allowed an averaged of 31.3 shots, so Caufield should have plenty of opportunities.
Tim Stutzle, OTT vs. STL ($6,500): Brady Tkachuk has been back for four games and has been productive, so it's surprising Stutzle has only managed one point over that span even with the duo regularly teaming up. After all, Stutzle is at 24 points and has been a point-per-game player the last few years. Facing the Blues should also help as they're bottom-8 in GAA and penalty-kill percentage.
Matt Savoie, EDM vs. WPG ($4,000): The Oilers were hoping for Savoie to contribute some secondary scoring. It wasn't initially happening, though he's notched seven points from his last 11 matchups. The Jets, as noted earlier, are on the second day of a back-to-back. They also don't have Connor Hellebuyck. Thomas Milic has only received two NHL starts, where he's allowed a combined six goals.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Wild at Canucks
Joel Eriksson Ek (C - $5,800), Matt Boldy (W - $7,500), Marcus Johansson (W - $5,400)
The Canucks are bottom-8 in GAA, penalty-kill percentage, and shots allowed, though they're last in the first category. Saturday sees them playing for a second consecutive night. Minnesota's top two lines each offer two players on the first power play, but I've opted for the second one for this stack.
Could Eriksson Ek's puck luck do us a favor and turn around already? That 4.9 shooting percentage can't continue while he's still managed 16 points overall. Boldy hasn't experienced any issues with production having already potted 15 goals with five of those coming on the man-advantage alongside seven PPAs. It's surprising Johansson has 20 points, so perhaps it isn't shocking he hasn't found the scoresheet during his last four appearances. But this matchup could get him back on track.
Red Wings at Kraken
Dylan Larkin (C - $7,500), Lucas Raymond (W - $6,900), Emmitt Finnie (W - $4,700)
This is Detroit's lead line that also features two top PP participants who will be facing a Kraken team on Saturday that ranks last in penalty-kill percentage.
Larkin is well on his way to his fifth straight 30-goal campaign. Detroit's captain is also on a six-game scoring streak. Raymond has recorded a point in seven straight where he's also posted four with the extra man. Finnie is a great story as a seventh-round pick and 20-year-old who's proven his early returns weren't a fluke having produced five points from his last nine outings.
DEFENSEMEN
Moritz Seider, DET at SEA ($6,300): When a defenseman who logs plenty of minutes also just put up multiple points in two consecutive games, that gets my attention. And in each of those matchups, Seider contributed on the power play to give him 10 points there overall. As previously noted, the Kraken maintain the league's worst penalty kill.
Morgan Rielly, TOR vs. MON ($5,900): Rielly has consistently produced as of late by posting 15 points in his last 16 games while never going longer than one without getting on the scoresheet. Meanwhile, both Montreal goalies have struggled with the team listing a 3.54 GAA while being average in terms of allowing shots.
Zeev Buium, MIN at VAN ($4,800): Buium is living up to the expectations for him as an NHLer, which is to say he's averaged 3:13 with the extra man and produced eight PPPs. The rookie gets easy minutes, but he's a 19-year-old defenseman who's shown he can run the point on a power play. On the other side, the Canucks have a bottom-5 penalty kill and will be on the second day of a back-to-back.
