This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Saturday is packed with NHL action. However, much of it is happening in the afternoon. That leaves us with six games starting at 7 p.m. EDT or later. Hey, that's still more than you get in terms of selections for your NHL DFS lineups. Here are my recommendations. Good luck!
SLATE PREVIEW
To pave the way for 14 games, there was only a single game on Friday - though neither Columbus nor Pittsburgh are playing Saturday. But there are several sides on the first leg of a back-to-back, which could potentially impact goaltending decisions.
GOALIES
Adin Hill, VGK vs. DET ($8,400): It's a good time for a netminder to be the best version of themselves, and to that end Hill has an 1.75 GAA and .937 save percentage over his last eight outings. The Red Wings have averaged 2.82 goals and 27.6 shots per game. Both of those marks sit just outside the bottom-10, yet neither is imposing.
Anthony Stolarz, TOR at NAS ($7,500): As the Leafs vie for the top spot in the Atlantic Division with the two Floridian squads, they could really use some big performances from Stolarz. He's been more hit-or-miss of late, but still carries a 2.42 GAA and .918 save percentage overall. What a tough season for the Preds as they went all-out to reshape the roster and currently sit last in average goals at 2.53.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Matthew Knies, TOR at NAS ($5,900): Toronto gave Knies more of a buy-in than during his rookie campaign, and have in turn received the type of production they hoped for potting 25 goals while even securing a role on the top power play. And it's not only Nashville's offense that's struggled this year as they also hold a 3.26 GAA.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, EDM vs. SEA ($5,400): Nugent-Hopkins has what Homer Simpson would call a "crisitunity" at hand Saturday. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are out, leaving RNH to operate as the top-line center while continuing his significant man-advantage minutes. Fortunately for the Oilers, Nugent-Hopkins is in form with three points in two of his last three outings. Joey Daccord, meanwhile, has struggled to a 3.19 GAA and .892 save percentage from his last 15 starts.
FORWARD LINE STACKS TO CONSIDER
Bruins at Sharks
Pavel Zacha (C - $5,500), David Pastrnak (W - $9,000), Morgan Geekie (W - $6,000)
The Bruins have effectively waved the white flag on the season, and the current makeup of their roster speaks to that. But their first trio is still worth stacking. Even with Pastrnak's sizable salary, this matchup is well worth it. The Sharks come in with a 3.68 GAA and are virtually locked into finishing last in that category. They've also given up an average of 31.6 shots, making them one of five teams with over 30 this season.
With 14 goals and 42 points, Zacha will be hard-pressed to reach 20 and 50 for the third straight season, though he's picked up the pace of late with nine points across 12 matchups. With 34 goals, Pastrnak has a decent chance of getting 40 for the fifth season in a row (I'm not counting 2020-21). It helps that he fires a lot of pucks on net with 286 shots overall. Geekie has registered a goal in each of his last two, putting him up to 24 after breaking through last year with 17.
Golden Knights vs. Red Wings
Tomas Hertl (C - $5,600), Pavel Dorofeyev (W - $6,100), Brandon Saad (W - $3,900)
With the Red Wings, it's simple. They're last in penalty-kill percentage and likely to finish there when the season is done. Only Hertl is definitively on Vegas's lead PP, but Dorofeyev has been there most of the time.
Hertl has seven goals and seven assists over his last 13 games, four of those coming with the extra man. He's also notched 21 of his 55 points during that situation. Those who aren't in the know are going to look at the stats and be surprised at Dorofeyev as his hat-trick last time out has him at 30 goals. He's also posted 51 shots through his last 15 appearances. Saad moved from St. Louis to Vegas and has found a spark with more surrounding talent as he's already produced five goals and five assists with a 15.6 shooting percentage that isn't remarkably high.
DEFENSEMEN
Noah Hanifin, VGK vs. DET ($5,000): You can't look at Hanifin's overall numbers related to the power play because things changed once Shea Theodore got hurt. He's averaged 2:33 there the last 12 games with six PPPs. His current role combined with a matchup against the league's worst penalty kill sounds like a favorable combination.
Devon Toews, COL at MON ($4,600): Toews isn't likely to get to 50 points for the fourth consecutive campaign season, but 33 across 66 games is fine for a defenseman in a secondary role behind Cale Makar. His salary is much easier to work around your DFS lineups, and this matchup is enticing as the Canadiens have a 3.25 GAA while Sam Montembeault holds a .900 save percentage on the year.
