This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
We're heading toward the NHL postseason. Some teams are out of it, while others are jockeying for positioning. There are eight games on the Saturday night slate starting at 7 p.m. EDT or later. And now, onto the NHL DFS recommendations!
SLATE PREVIEW
We have two teams on the second leg of a back-to-back, both on the road. The Predators are doing the Ducks-and-Kings double, with the latter Saturday. And the Hurricanes are taking a trip to face the Flyers.
GOALIES
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TAM at BOS ($8,300): Once upon a time - which is to say the several seasons before this one - the Lightning and Bruins could be envisioned as battling for divisional supremacy and Cup favorites. Tampa is still in that realm, and it stocked up at the trade deadline. Boston? It dealt away Brad Marchand and took a step back. This is a team that's averaged 2.72 goals per game, and now no longer features two of its top-three centers. Vasilevskiy has rebounded strongly this season with an overall 2.29 GAA and .919 save percentage.
Darcy Kuemper, LOS vs. NAS ($8,100): I'm jumping right into this one as the Preds played Friday and are bottom-five in offense. Kuemper has been in fine form with a .962 save percentage over his last four starts. Throw in the fact the Kings rank second in shots allowed, and it's been exceedingly tough to score on Kuemper as of late.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Travis Konecny, PHI vs. CAR ($5,900): The Hurricanes boast an elite defense, so I wouldn't stack against them. However, they're away for the second straight night. Konecny is enjoying another excellent season with 22 goals and a career-high 43 assists.
Anze Kopitar, LOS vs. NAS ($4,600): From the "age is just a number" files, the 37-year-old Kopitar has registered at least one point in six of his last seven outings. That includes three with the extra man with 17 PPPs on the campaign. Nashville maintains an above-average penalty kill, though they're still bottom-10 in GAA. And as noted a couple times, they'll be on the second day of a back-to-back.
FORWARD LINE STACKS TO CONSIDER
Canucks vs. Blackhawks
Elias Pettersson (C- $6,600), Jake DeBrusk (W - $4,900), Nils Hoglander (W - $4,500)
The Blackhawks have given up 31.8 shots on net per game, second highest in the NHL. Spencer Knight is better than anybody the team has had in net for a couple years, but he's still produced a career .908 save percentage. Behind a better team and head coach, Knight managed a .907 with the Panthers. I think the Blackhawks will face some issues Saturday in Vancouver, so stacking the host's top trio makes sense.
Pettersson has endured a tough year, though he didn't get dealt and it's almost like a burden has been lifted off his shoulders with four points over his last four and at least three shots from three of five. DeBrusk has potted six goals across 15 games with a 17.1 shooting percentage that seems a bit high. Nils Hoglander is a fun name. I wish I had more reasons to say and/or write Nils Hoglander. He's also notched four points during his last eight matchups and just directed six shots on net last time out.
Rangers at Blue Jackets
J.T. Miller (C - $6,400), Mika Zibanejad (W - $7,000), Alexis Lafreniere (W - $5,200)
I'm also recommending a stack featuring Elias Pettersson's best friend J.T. Miller. It'd be nice if the Blue Jackets made the playoffs this year (even if it would probably come at the expense of my beloved Red Wings). But if that happens, it'll be because their offense has been strong. On the other end, Columbus maintains a 3.32 GAA and a bottom-10 penalty kill. And once again, Elvis Merzlikins is primed to finish with a sub-.900 save percentage. They may score a few times on Saturday, but are just as likely to give up a few.
Miller has enjoyed his time with the Rangers with 17 points in 16 games, including six with the extra man. In a shocking coincidence, Zibanejad's offensive struggles stopped 16 games ago as he's racked up 19 points during that stretch alongside 40 shots. Lafreniere hasn't been shooting much recently and hasn't added to his 14 goals for a little while, yet he's recorded four assists over the last seven.
DEFENSEMEN
Drew Doughty, LOS vs. NAS ($5,300): Doughty has posted eight points from 16 outings since returning from injury with four in seven, including two on the power play. Nashville's down in the bottom eight in GAA, and of course just played on Friday.
Cam Fowler, STL at MIN ($3,600): Fowler has 21 points through 35 games since joining the Blues. While only four of those have come on the man-advantage, he holds down a spot on the top unit with Torey Krug and Colton Parayko both out. It's a good time for that as the Wild list the 30th-ranked penalty kill.
