DraftKings NHL: Saturday Picks

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Published on April 20, 2019

We've got some pivotal tilts taking place in the NHL on Saturday. There are two Game 5s in series that are currently all tied up, and the Jets are on the road facing elimination in a Game 6. With all that drama going on, don't forget about daily fantasy hockey. Here are my recommendations for your lineup.

GOALIE

Pekka Rinne, NAS vs. DAL ($7,900): Rinne's last start was a disaster, but I'm willing to call it a fluke. Over his last 11 home games he has an 8-2-1 record with a 1.95 GAA and .931 save percentage. The Stars aren't exactly a tough offense to combat either. They only averaged 22.4 goals per game on the road.

CENTER

Nicklas Backstrom, WAS vs. CAR ($5,800): Could there be a home versus road thing going on in this series? It's a small sample size, but I'm willing to consider it. Backstrom had two point in each of the two games that took place in Washington. Meanwhile, Petr Mrazek was great in the last two contests at home, but he had an .860 save percentage in the first two games. Hey, it's the playoffs. Sometimes you have to try and find slim edges.

Jordan Staal, CAR at WAS ($5,000): Staal has notched 13 points in his last 14 games. Additionally, after only having two power-play points this season, he has two with the extra man in this series. Braden Holtby has a .915 save percentage in his last 12 games. That's not bad, but it's not super imposing here in the playoffs.

WING

Kyle Connor, WPG at STL ($5,900): Connor started 60.7 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, second highest on the Jets behind trade-deadline acquisition Kevin Hayes. After tallying 31 goals as a rookie, he upped the ante by notching 34 goals on 227 shots in his sophomore campaign. Jordan Binnington had a surprising rookie season, but he's still a goalie with only 38 games to his name. There's still some mystery around him.

David Perron, STL vs. WPG ($4,700): Perron has tallied a point in four of the five games of this series. He also has two power-play points after having 14 power-play points in 57 regular-season contests. As for the Jets, they had the 22nd-ranked penalty kill this year.

Warren Foegele, CAR at WAS ($3,600): Thanks to injuries, Foegele finds himself on Carolina's second line at the moment. He may get a chance to stay there, as he has seven points in his last six contests. In the postseason, taking a flyer on a cheap option like Foegele can pay off big time, and it's not like you are eschewing a bunch of proven options to grab him.

DEFENSE

Miro Heiskanen, DAL at NAS ($4,700): Heiskanen's scoring has slowed down since he had two point in the series opener, but he's stayed active. He's notched eight shots in four games, and has averaged a whopping 3:56 per game with the extra man. Even if I like Rinne in net, I like the potential and upside of the young Finnish defenseman.

Vince Dunn, STL vs. WPG ($4,000): Dunn has started 61.1 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, highest on the Blues. He also averaged 2:07 per game with the extra man. That all combined with the fact he skates on St. Louis' top pair alongside Alex Pietrangelo gives the young defenseman a lot of potential.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Chris Morgan plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: cmorgan3, DraftKings: cmorgan3.