This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
Saturdays can be for the NHL the next little while. This week does all hockey fans a favor by giving us 10 games starting at 7 p.m. EST or later. Of course, that also means you have a lot of players to sort through for your DFS lineups. With that in mind, here are my recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
There are three teams playing the second leg of a back-to-back. The Islanders are at home for both, but draw tough competition in the Hurricanes. Dallas and Tampa Bay are on the road and visiting St. Louis and Detroit, respectively.
GOALIES
Filip Gustavsson MIN vs. CGY ($8,500): This is a bet on Gustavsson righting the ship as he's been going through a rough patch of play, though he's still posted a 2.63 GAA and .913 save percentage on the year. And I believe he'll turn in a strong home performance against a Flames side averaging 2.65 goals.
Pyotr Kochetkov, CAR at NYI ($8,100): Facing a team on the second straight not that's bottom-five offensively is a good starting point for any starting goalie. Kochetkov also benefits from playing behind the league's best defense that's top-two in shots allowed and penalty-kill percentage. Though he's struggled with a .904 save percentage, he lists a 2.47 GAA thanks to that strong D.
Sergei Bobrovsky, FLA at SAN ($8,100): Bobrovsky has been erratic this season as his numbers are poor. This matchup is conducive to picking up a win and registering decent numbers as the Sharks have averaged 2.65 goals and 26.8 shots while recording a 3.61 GAA.
VALUE PLAYS
Seth Jarvis, CAR at NYI ($7,400): Jarvis is coming off a game with two goals and two assists, but that's not why I'm looking to roster him. He's averaged 3:29 on the power play, where he's scored 12 points. That's what stands out to me as the Isles have the league's worst penalty kill and just played Friday.
Alex DeBrincat, DET vs. TAM ($6,900): In Detroit's last outing, DeBrincat lit the lamp with one of his five shots as he reached the 20-goal plateau. He's also produced 13 points from his last 13 games, a streak that's taken place since Todd McLellan took over as head coach. The Lightning are on the road for the second game of a back-to-back. And even though Andrei Vasilevskiy is in line to start, I'm inclined to go with DeBrincat.
Thomas Novak, NAS at ANA ($4,600): Novak is riding a three-game scoring streak, including two with multiple points. I grant you both of those outings were against the Sharks, though the Ducks are on a similar defensive level having allowed over 32.0 shots with a subpar penalty kill. And likely starter Lukas Dostal enters with an .881 save percentage across his last 10 appearances.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Panthers at Sharks
Anton Lundell (C - $5,900), Carter Verhaeghe (W - $6,600), Jesper Boqvist (W - $4,600)
The Sharks have given up a league-high 32.5 shots per game with a 3.61 GAA that's only 0.01 behind the Pens for the worst mark. You might think promising rookie netminder Yaroslav Askarov has changed the landscape, and it seemed like he had for a little bit, though he's allowed at least three goals in each of his last three starts and his save percentage is down to .903. The Panthers' third line has been surprisingly good of late, and that makes for a stack that won't break the bank.
Lundell has tallied eight points in his last 12 matchups with at least three shots five times during the last 17. Verhaeghe has notched seven points from 10 while directing 33 pucks on net over that stretch. On the year, he's posted 14 PPPs, and the Sharks are near the bottom-10 in penalty-kill percentage. Boqvist is the biggest surprise of this bunch with six goals and two assists over 12 games. He won't sustain that, though this trio is hot and the matchup is favorable.
Kings at Blue Jackets
Anze Kopitar (C - $6,300), Adrian Kempe (W - $7,700), Alex Turcotte (W - $4,500)
I'm intrigued to see if the Blue Jackets' offense can solve Darcy Kuemper, but I don't have much hope for their defense with a 3.37 GAA and 26th in penalty-kill percentage. Two of these three Kings participate on the top power play, which makes them worth combining.
Kopitar has managed 43 points overall, including 13 with the extra man. Kempe has nine while up a man and has potted a goal in eight of his last 10 games. In the two he didn't, he totaled 11 shots. Turcotte has five goals and five assists from his last 16. He's also logged over a minute on the power play during seven of his last nine outings, which is at least a slight positive in this matchup.
DEFENSEMEN
Dougie Hamilton, NJD at MON ($6,100): The Devils have to figure out what to do without Jacob Markstrom, though they should be fine offensively. Hamilton just picked up a goal and assist to give him 31 points on the season. He's also put 141 shots on net. Montreal comes in with a 3.31 GAA while conceding 29.3 shots per game, both bottom-10 in the NHL.
Colton Parayko, STL vs. DAL ($6,100): Parayko has put himself on track to hit 30 points for the first time since 2021-22 with 27 so far. His recent play has helped with five goals and six assists in his last 14 appearances. The Stars are solid defensively, but they're on the road for the second game of a back-to-back. Parayko and company are also catching backup goalie Casey DeSmith and his .901 save percentage across the last three seasons.
Justin Barron, NAS at SAN ($4,000): Though Barron doesn't work on the man-advantage, the Preds have recently paired him with Roman Josi. Since moving from Montreal, the 23-year-old has averaged 18:28 during his last five outings with three points and at least two shots in each. As noted, the Sharks rank bottom-two in GAA and shots allowed.
