This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
It's going to be an action-packed Saturday in the NHL with 28 of 31 teams hitting the ice and 12 games included in DraftKings featured contests. Expect a lot of backup goalies to start, and the schedule is also filled with teams playing for the second straight night. Here's a quick-hit primer to help your lineup assembly.
Notable Favorites from DraftKings Sportsbook:
Boston
Carolina
Florida
Vegas
Teams playing for the second consecutive night:
Stars
Islanders
Sabres
Red Wings
Flyers
Devils
Hurricanes
Blue Jackets
Blues
Avalanche
Jets
Canucks
Sharks
Potential High-Scoring Contests:
Red Wings-Panthers
Maple Leafs-Flyers
Jets-Golden Knights
Canucks-Sharks
Blackhawks-Kings
GOALIES
You know what you're getting with Tuukka Rask ($8,400) these days. He's 6-0-1 with a .951 save percentage, 1.42 GAA and two shutouts. The price is obviously steep, but Ottawa is also the worst team in the league.
Similarly, Darcy Kuemper ($7,700) has won five of eight starts with a .933 save percentage and 1.87 GAA, and the Avs only scored once in their loss to Dallas last night. The Coyotes have also been excellent defensively with just 1.85 goals against per 60 minutes at five-on-five.
After an awful start to the campaign, the Stars have now won five of six and allowed just 0.83 goals per hour at five-on-five. While Ben Bishop ($7,800) faces a potentially tall task against Montreal with Dallas playing its second game in consecutive nights, he's also showed signs of turning things around. Just note, the American was pulled from his last start against basement-dwelling Minnesota.
Marc-Andre Fleury ($8,300) and James Reimer ($8,000) represent other high-priced options from the deep goalie pool. Both are projected as significant favorites and have been solid to start the year.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
With 11 tallies through 14 games and a eye-popping 2.4 goals per 60 minutes, Auston Matthews ($7,700) is a standalone option. His life also just got a lot easier with John Tavares ($7,100) returning and take some weight off his shoulders. Toronto should face Brian Elliott ($7,400), and he surrendered seven goals to Pittsburgh last time out.
Even with four tallies, four helpers, 15 shots and two power-play points through his past six contests, Eric Staal's price tag ($3,900) is way down. It took overtime for St. Louis to top Columbus 4-3 on Friday, so the matchup might be softer on ice than it appears on paper.
Interestingly, Jordan Staal ($3,400) is also a screaming value. Carolina continues to surge despite their captain's offensive dry spell. The younger Staal is no longer a go-to scorer, but he's averaging 18:14 of ice time per contest with 2:01 on the power play, and was on the ice for two goals and nine high-danger scoring chances skating primarily between Nino Niederreiter ($4,000) and Teuvo Teravainen ($5,000) Friday.
It's been a long time coming for Danton Heinen ($3,000) to climb into a top-six role, but he's projected to skate with David Krejci ($5,000) and Jake DeBrusk ($4,500) Saturday. It's been a slow start for the 24-year-old forward, but Heinen has sprinkled in a goal and two assists through his past five games and is finally receiving a legit opportunity. And don't forget he recorded a solid 2.44 points per 60 minutes just two years ago.
Eventually, Patrick Kane ($7,400) is going to break out of his early-season lull. He only has posted two multi-point showings all year, and the veteran has been held to a single assist through his past five contests. After recording an elite 3.15 points per hour over the previous three seasons, banking on statistical correction to his current 2.34 mark should begin to reward.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Look for Sebastian Aho ($5,800) and Andrei Svechnikov ($6,200) to have another big game Saturday. The duo combined for 50.7 DraftKings points in Friday's win and have now scored an elite 5.82 goals per 60 minutes dating back to last season. It also doesn't hurt that New Jersey is playing its third game in four nights and have allowed the second most goals per 60 minutes in the league at 3.9, including 16 through its past three contests. The third member of their line, Warren Foegele ($2,600), collected also collected an assist Friday and he drives down the overall cap hit.
Until Boston's top line shows signs of slowing down, they're in play night in, night out. Facing off against the league's worst team only boosts their upside. Ottawa's allowed a league-high 3.6 goals per hour dating back to last year, and Patrice Bergeron ($7,900), David Pastrnak ($8,200) and Brad Marchand ($7,800) have clicked for 23 goals and 55 points over the past 10 games. Amazingly, there are enough values throughout the player pool that you don't even need to be overly creative to slide them under the salary cap.
Paul Stastny ($4,800), Mark Stone ($7,300) and Max Pacioretty ($6,700) are positioned to have a nice showing after Winnipeg allowed 81 shot attempts to San Jose on Friday. The trio has clicked for a respectable 4.6 goals per 60 minutes while driving possession with a 59.0 Corsi For percentage dating back to last season. It's worth noting those numbers climb to 6.0 and 60.7 through 14 games this year.
DEFENSEMEN
It's becoming more and more difficult to fade Dougie Hamilton ($6,600). And in the noted soft matchup against the Devils, he's all the more appealing. His 3.19 points per 60 minutes rank second among all regular defensemen, and he's currently sporting a six-game point streak consisting of two goals, six assists, 14 shots and nine blocks.
There's significant positive regression ahead of Esa Lindell's ($3,500) current 0.34 points per 60 minutes considering he posted a 0.93 mark last season. He's far from a go-to offensive contributor, but the Finn is projected to skate with the top pairing and No. 1 power-play unit Saturday. Additionally, Lindell provides sneaky fantasy value through his willingness to block shots with 30 through 15 games.
Game-to-game consistency isn't Oliver Ekman-Larsson's ($5,300) strongest asset, but it also makes him a candidate to soar over value. He's recorded a respectable two tallies, five helpers, 18 shots and 10 blocks through his past nine outings while logging 25:54 - with 3:38 on the power play. It should also be a softer matchup with Colorado travelling after losing to Dallas at home on Friday.
The Red Wings have won one of their past 10 contests and surrendered seven goals to Carolina on Friday, and Keith Yandle ($4,300) is egregiously priced. He's collected an assist in three of the past four games and continues to quarterback the No. 1 power-play unit. Yandle is also just a season removed from recording 63 points, including 39 with the man-advantage.
Brent Burns ($6,700) was held off the scoresheet Friday, which is a rarity, so he's definitely a high-priced option. In the mid-salary range, Shea Theodore ($5,200) and Rasmus Dahlin ($5,000) are power-play quarterbacks worth considering. Cheap lineup candidates include veteran Duncan Keith ($3,900) and his teammate, 19-year-old Adam Boqvist ($2,900).
