This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
The NHL regular season is nearing its conclusion. Soon, the playoffs will be in high gear, and that's awesome. Don't skip Saturday, though, because DFS opportunities abound! There are six games starting at 7 p.m. ET or later. Here are my lineup recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
Two teams are on the second leg of a back-to-back on the road. Philadelphia visits Columbus, which isn't tough competition, but it was in Buffalo on Friday. Then, the Oilers go from a tough home game against the Avalanche to paying a visit to Calgary for the Battle of Alberta.
GOALIES
Ilya Samsonov, TOR at MON ($8,400): There's a chance Joseph Woll is in net, so be prepared. The Toronto goaltending situation is a bit tricky to nail down currently. Samsonov's overall season has been an adventure, but he has a 2.52 GAA and .920 save percentage over his last nine games. I'd take Samsonov or Woll here. The Canadiens have averaged 2.73 goals and 27.9 shots on net per contest.
Juuse Saros, NAS at NYI ($7,600): Part of Nashville's second-half surge has been the play of Saros. Over his last 17 outings he has a 2.28 GAA and .924 save percentage. The Islanders have scored 2.96 goals per game on average, which has them 23rd in the league, atop the bottom 10.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Gustav Nyquist, NAS at NYI ($5,200): Filip Forsberg, the best forward in Predators history, got two new linemates this season in Ryan O'Reilly and Nyquist. It turns out to be quite nice to play with a 40-goal scorer, and also to see power-play time with the best overall player in Predators history, Roman Josi. Nyquist has tallied 22 points with the extra man, and the Islanders have the league's worst penalty kill.
Cole Sillinger, CLM vs. PHI ($3,700): With a banged-up lineup and nothing of note to play for, a guy like Sillinger is getting a chance to play first-line center. He's managed to put together a four-game point streak, which could perhaps become five. The Flyers, as noted, are on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back. Samuel Ersson will likely be in goal, and he has an .891 save percentage.
FORWARD LINE STACK TO CONSIDER
Devils at Senators
Nico Hischier (C - $6,200), Timo Meier (W - $5,800), Dawson Mercer (W - $3,100)
Barring major change down the stretch, the Senators will finish in the bottom five in GAA, and the absolute ceiling is 27th i.e. still in the bottom six. They have a 3.49 GAA and the 30th-ranked penalty kill. The Devils have two lines with two highly-productive, high-salaried forwards and a guy who isn't doing a ton. I decided to go with the first line, as I see a smidge more upside here all things considered.
Injuries cut into his season, but after having 80 points last year Hischier has 62 points in 65 games this season. That includes a four-game point streak including two multipoint outings. It took Meier some time to finally take his Sharks form for the Devils, but since the start of March he's been on fire. Over his last 17 games Meier has 14 goals and 66 shots on net plus eight assists. Mercer is the question mark here. He had 27 goals last season, but he's struggled a bit in his third NHL campaign. Even so, he has 19 goals, with the real dip being in the fact he has 12 assists. Still a 22-year-old on the verge of his second 20-goal season clearly has upside.
DEFENSEMEN
MacKenzie Weegar, CGY vs. EDM ($6,700): Weegar is one goal away from a 20-goal campaign as a defenseman. That's remarkable. He's also on a five-game point streak wherein he has three multipoint games. Now, four of his points in his last five games have come on the power play, but that's not an issue here. The Oilers have an average penalty kill, but they are also on the second leg of a back-to-back.
Morgan Rielly, TOR at MON ($6,000): After missing four games, Rielly returned against Tampa, put three shots on net, and picked up a power-play assist. Sounds about right! The Canadiens have a 3.37 GAA, but their greatest weakness is the fact they've allowed 33.0 shots on goal per game, third highest in the NHL.
