This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Sure, there are a few NHL games Saturday afternoon, but it's a very busy evening. There are nine NHL games taking place starting at 7 p.m. EDT or later. Sure, you'll miss out on Tampa facing Detroit at 12:30 p.m., but there are plenty of DFS options available in the evening. Here are some recommendations for your lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
The Capitals were in Buffalo on Friday and are at home facing the Devils on Saturday. Once New Jersey got healthy offensively and Jack Hughes started picking it up, that offense became a legitimate threat to opposing goalies. The porous Columbus defense will be facing the high-flying Wild after being in Winnipeg on Friday. Stay tuned for the line stacks on that one. Lastly, the Flames are at home for the second day in a row, hosting the Oilers in an all-Alberta battle.
GOALIE
Spencer Knight, FLA at OTT ($8,500): For whatever reason, Knight has gotten the last five starts for the Panthers. It's been going well, as he has a 2.17 GAA and .923 save percentage in that time. The Senators are bottom five in goals per game, while the Panthers are tops in the league in that category. Expect Knight to get plenty of goal support in this one, which lifts his chances of getting a win.
Jonathan Quick, LOS vs. SEA ($8,200): The trick here is figuring out who will be starting for the Kings, as Quick and Cal Petersen have been rotating pretty regularly. You'll want to keep an eye on the news here, but I want either goalie in my lineup. The Kings allow a league-low 28.5 shots on net per contest. Seattle only managed 28.9 shots on goal per game. Whoever is in net for the Kings might not even face 20 shots in this one.
James Reimer, SAN vs. ANA ($7,900): Reimer has been putting up respectable numbers recently. Over his last 10 games he has a 2.54 GAA and .924 save percentage. The Ducks have averaged 2.79 goals and 29.6 shots on net per contest, but they dealt away a few players at the deadline and are banged up right now. Anaheim's offense isn't likely to be as good as it has been thus far.
VALUE PLAYS
Jason Robertson, DAL vs. VAN ($6,700): Robertson has 60 points in 55 games, but there's even more to like about him. He's started a whopping 65.9 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, highest on the Stars. On top of that, he's averaged 2:51 per game with the extra man and has 17 power-play points. That's key here, as the Canucks have the league's worst penalty kill.
Michael Bunting, TOR at MON ($4,500): After scoring his 20th goal of the season Bunting goal scoring has slowed down, but he does have an assist in each of his last two games. He's also still playing on Toronto's top line with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, which is a good place to be. The Canadiens have a 3.77 GAA, which is highest in the NHL. Bunting could get back in the goal column.
Alexander Barabanov, SAN vs. ANA ($2,500): Barabanov is in the same boat as Bunting in that he's the "other guy" on a line with two stars. In this case, Barabanov is playing on San Jose's top line with Tomas Hertl and Timo Meier. The Russian has four points in his last four games, and John Gibson has been absolutely brutal for a while now. Over his last 14 games he has a 4.73 GAA and .857 save percentage.
LINE STACKS TO CONSIDER
Wild vs. Blue Jackets: Frederick Gaudreau (C - $3,800), Kevin Fiala (W - $5,600), Matthew Boldy (W - $4,600)
The Blue Jackets are bottom three in GAA and shots on net allowed per contest. They are also on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back. Joonas Korpisalo is also now out for the year. That means Jean-Francois Berube – technically the fourth-string goalie for the Jackets – is backing up Elvis Merzlikins again. The Wild are in a great spot here, and I'm going with their second line.
Gaudreau has picked up four goals and four assists over his last 14 games. Fiala has been decidedly hotter than that. He has 19 points in his last 16 games, and he's tallied at least one point in 13 of those contests. Fiala has also been quite active, having notched 60 shots on net in that time. The rookie Boldy has slowed down a bit, but he still has 24 points in 31 games. Boldy has also started 57.5 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, fourth most among Minnesota forwards.
Kings vs. Kraken: Phillip Danault (C - $5,100), Viktor Arvidsson (W - $6,900), Trevor Moore (W - $4,100)
When your two primary goalies both have a sub-.900 save percentage, it tends to not bode well for a team. Indeed, the Kraken have a 3.55 GAA, bottom six in the NHL. With Mark Giordano now dealt, I don't see the defense in front of those troublesome netminders getting any better. Arvidsson recently returned from injury, putting together this second line that has performed better than you might realize.
Danault has four goals in his last four games, giving him 21 on the season. He's notched seven goals in his last 14 contests on 42 shots on net. Danault has been more active, and his 16.7 shooting percentage over that time isn't unsustainably high. Arvidsson picked up an assist and three shots on goal in his return to action. He shoots the puck a lot, having put 186 shots on net in 51 outings. Moore is perhaps the hottest of this trio. He has a four-game point streak, and he has 41 points on the season. That's with an 8.4 shooting percentage that is a little low and could regress toward the mean.
DEFENSE
MacKenzie Weegar, FLA at OTT ($5,800): With Aaron Ekblad out, Weegar is likely to take on an even bigger role. He's tallied 35 points in 63 games, and he's also put 155 shots on net. The Senators have allowed 33.0 shots on goal per contest, so Weegar should have plenty of opportunities to put pucks on goal.
John Klingberg, DAL vs. VAN ($5,000): Going back to the well of Vancouver's porous penalty kill here. The Canucks have the league's worst penalty kill. Klingberg has averaged 3:01 with the extra man and tallied 17 power-play points. This matchup is right up his alley.
Jared Spurgeon, MIN vs. CLM ($4,400): Spurgeon has started 59.3 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, highest among Minnesota defensemen. He's also tallied seven points in his last 10 contests. The Blue Jackets have a 3.70 GAA, and they are also on the road for the second night of a back-to-back.
