This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
Saturday's NHL main slate begins at 7:00 PM Eastern time and features six games. Below, you'll find an overview of the matchups and suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
The Lightning-Bruins showdown should draw plenty of headlines, but there are better sources of value to be found in this slate than this battle of big-name scorers trying to solve stingy defenses. Both the Rangers (vs. New Jersey) and Flyers (vs. Buffalo) will be heavy home favorites, while Montreal-Florida and Ottawa-San Jose should feature spotty defense and Edmonton's star power will try to overcome Columbus' tight defensive structure.
GOALIES
Carter Hart ($8,600) has won six starts in a row and nine of 10, allowing just 23 goals in this dominant 10-game stretch. Considering the Flyers are 24-5-4 at home and the Sabres are just 10-19-4 on the road, Hart will be the chalk goalie option in this slate.
Mikko Koskinen ($7,600) has been the better Oilers netminder recently, setting aside 52 of 53 shots in his last two appearances. If he gets the nod over the struggling Mike Smith, Koskinen will be an appealing option against a Columbus team that's averaging only 2.60 goals per game.
Chris Driedger ($7,000) has been by far Florida's best goaltender when available, with a 5-2-1 record, 2.29 GAA and .932 save percentage. He's a nice value option at home against a Montreal team that averages the second-most shots per game (34.1) but only the 17th-most goals (2.97).
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Mike Hoffman ($6,900) has disappeared along with the rest of the Panthers' offense in the last two games, as the team has managed just one goal total. He was on fire before that, however, putting together a seven-game point streak that included six goals and four assists. Look for the Panthers to bounce back against a Canadiens team that's starting backup goalie Charlie Lindgren (3.37 GAA, .884 save percentage), with Hoffman leading the way.
Phillip Danault ($5,700) has been much more effective on the road than at home, with an 8-18-26 line in 33 road contests compared to a 5-16-21 line in 36 games at The Bell Center. If Driedger starts to show any cracks in Florida's net, Montreal's top-line pivot should take advantage.
Noah Gregor ($3,100) is getting a great opportunity to strut his stuff in San Jose's top line, sharing the ice with Logan Couture and Evander Kane while also seeing time on the power play. The affordable winger has a goal and two assists in his last three games and makes for a nice cheap lineup filler with upside against a visiting Senators team that's surrendering 3.37 goals per game — second-most in the league.
Speaking of affordable options in prominent roles in the Senators-Sharks matchups, Connor Brown ($4,900) is enjoying a strong stretch in a top-line deployment for the visitors. He has a 5-1-6 line in his past six games and four-plus shots on goal in three of those contests, so Brown should cause trouble for San Jose's 26th-ranked defense (3.18 goals allowed per game).
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Rangers vs. Devils
Mika Zibanejad (C - $8,400), Pavel Buchnevich (W - $5,300), Phil Di Giuseppe (W - $3,300)
The Rangers need every point they can get as they try to work their way into the playoff picture, so expect them to shown no mercy to a lottery-bound Devils team that's playing its second game in as many nights. Zibanejad has been the man fueling New York's playoff push, as his five-goal outburst in Thursday's win over Washington gives him a remarkable 14 goals in his last 10 games. Buchnevich has picked up some of the slack since Chris Kreider (foot) went down, putting together a four-game point streak in the ensuing games, while Di Giuseppe is filling Kreider's spot on the top line and helps balance out the heavy monetary commitment necessary to lock in Zibanejad.
Flyers vs. Sabres
Kevin Hayes (C - $5,900), Travis Konecny (W - $6,800), Joel Farabee (W - $3,000)
Philadelphia is perhaps the hottest team in the league, having pulled into a tie for the Metropolitan Division lead with eight consecutive wins. This line has led the way during that winning streak, as Hayes has a 6-3-9 line in these past eight games and Konecny has added a 5-8-13 line in that same stretch. Those two were previously flanked by James van Riemsdyk, but a broken finger will sideline the power forward for the next 4-6 weeks, creating an opportunity for the affordable Farabee. The 20-year-old Farabee is starting to look more comfortable in the NHL, with a 4-4-8 line in his last 13 games.
Oilers vs. Blue Jackets
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (C - $7,200), Leon Draisaitl (W - $8,700), Kailer Yamamoto (W - $4,600)
This line has been nearly unstoppable since Yamamoto was called up Dec. 31, and it carries substantial upside at home, even with the stingy Blue Jackets in town. Nugent-Hopkins has a 3-5-8 line in his last four games and now owns a 21-38-59 line on the season. Draisaitl leads the league with 110 points, including a 6-5-11 line in his last four games. Yamamoto hasn't been quite at the level of his elite linemates lately, but he's at a point-per-game pace with an 11-13-24 line in 24 appearances this season.
DEFENSEMEN
Anthony DeAngelo ($5,200) is remarkably cheaper than six other defensemen in this slate, even though he ranks fifth league-wide among blueliners in goals (14) and fourth in points (52). He has a nice opportunity to build on that excellent output against a Devils team that's surrendering 3.21 goals per game.
Ivan Provorov ($4,600) is one of Philadelphia's most dangerous weapons on the power play, so this matchup against Buffalo's league-worst, 74.0 percent penalty kill is ideal for him. The Russian defenseman's seven power-play goals have him tied with Claude Giroux for the team lead, and only Konecny (23), Giroux (20) and Jakub Voracek (17) have more points with the extra man than Provorov's 16.
With some nice value forwards to be found throughout this slate, clearing the cap space for Brent Burns ($6,600) on the blue line can pay off in a big way. While he's passing on the mantle of best offensive defenseman in the league, Burns can still dominate games, especially against defensively challenged teams like the Senators. Burns has a 2-9-11 line in his last 14 games and could be much more productive with better puck luck given his 53 shots over that span.
