This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
On Saturday night, when a few NBA players are hoping to make some memorable dunks (unlike last year), there will be five NHL games taking place. The first game starts at 7 p.m. EST, as if often the case. It's time to dig a little deeper into Saturday's NHL slate for DFS purposes.
SLATE PREVIEW
Only one team is on a back-to-back, and that's the Kings. They were be in Arizona after being in Vegas on Friday. That's a tricky one. The Coyotes are one of the two worst teams in the NHL, battling the Canadiens for that "honor." What Kings players will you take a shot on in a situation like that, given they will be the only ones on the second leg of a back-to-back?
GOALIES
Jacob Markstrom, CGY vs. SEA ($8,500): This is the high-end goaltending option. Markstrom has a 2.12 GAA and .927 save percentage. The Kraken have only averaged 2.62 goals and 28.3 shots on net per contest. Markstrom has won five games in a row. Let's make it six.
Jeremy Swayman, BOS at OTT ($8,100): Now that Tuukka Rask has skated into retirement, Swayman is back where he belongs: As the top goalie for the Bruins. His 2.15 GAA and .923 save percentage in 20 games this year has earned him that spot. Ottawa's goaltending has been better recently, but it's still averaged 2.69 goals per game, 24th in the NHL.
VALUE PLAYS
Sonny Milano, ANA at VAN ($3,000): Milano is back from injury, and he has three points over his last two games. More importantly to me, he's tallied nine points with the extra man. Milano is on the top unit of a top-six power play in the NHL. Meanwhile, the Canucks have the league's worst penalty kill.
Nick Schmaltz, ARI vs. LOS ($2,700): Usually, when you think of the Coyotes and fantasy hockey you're thought is "Clayton Keller." Let's look beyond Keller, though. Schmaltz is playing on Keller's line right now, and perhaps some of Keller's magic is rubbing off on him. Over his last 12 games, Schmaltz has 12 points. As I mentioned, the Kings are the lone team on a back-to-back Saturday night.
LINE STACK TO CONSIDER
Flames vs. Kraken: Mikael Backlund (C - $4,200), Andrew Mangiapane (W - $4,400), Blake Coleman (W - $4,200)
The Flames have a great first line. That line has a lot of salary, though. To try and save you a little bit of your roster-building cash, I am turning to the second line. One player on this line has a certain skill I think is perfect for this matchup. The Kraken's 3.54 GAA is bottom five in the NHL, even though they've only allowed 28.2 shots on net per contest. It's not hard for me to come to a conclusion there: Seattle has gotten terrible goaltending.
Backlund has never been a real sniper-type scorer, but his 5.7 shooting percentage is rough even for him. He's put 48 shots on goal in his last 11 games, and to be fair he has three goals in that time to go with six assists. Mangiapane is the guy I think is perfect for a matchup like this. He has 25 goals on 113 shots on net in 47 games. The winger has a career 18.0 shooting percentage. That's enough for me to believe he has a knack for picking a corner, and against bad goaltending he doesn't need a lot of shots to get things done. Coleman has picked things up in the new year, with 11 points in his last 15 games.
DEFENSE
Rasmus Andersson, CGY vs. SEA ($5,600): Andersson is one of my favorite players to recommend, and I see no reason t stray from that. He has 27 points in 47 games, including 10 on the power play. Over his last 13 games he has 11 points, including his two goals. The Swede is playing the best hockey of his career, and now he's facing a team with a 3.54 GAA.
Jamie Drysdale, ANA at VAN ($4,500): The 19-year-old defenseman has 21 points in 51 games. That include eight power-play points, and over his last nine games he has three points with the extra man. I mentioned earlier that the Canucks have the league's worst penalty kill, so that's right up Drysdale's alley.
