This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
As the playoffs loom, we have eight NHL teams in action Saturday night. These games all start at 7 p.m. ET or later. Let's make the most out of the rest of the regular season. It's time for my DFS recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
There are a lot of juicy targets on the docket Saturday. Two of the worst teams in the league, Seattle and Arizona, are both on the second leg of a back-to-back. So is Ottawa, though it saved its better goalie Anton Forsberg for tonight. Also, the Senators are facing the lowly Canadiens. There's still DFS opportunity to be mined from that matchup, and I mean that for both sides.
GOALIE
Ville Husso, STL at ARI ($8,300): Husso's 2.46 GAA and .923 save percentage are pretty solid numbers. Even so, you have to acknowledge just how good of a matchup this is for the Finn, even on the road. The Coyotes are going to finish last in both goals and shots on net per game. This punchless offense provides little worry for a goalie like Husso.
Jake Oettinger, DAL vs. SEA ($7,800): Oettinger is almost as good of a choice as Husso. The Kraken rank in the bottom-five in goals and shots on goal, and will be on the road. Oettinger gets to try to hold down the fort at home and enters with a 2.57 GAA. That's basically what the Kraken have averaged offensively in their debut campaign.
Jonathan Quick, LOS vs. ANA ($7,500): Quick and Cal Petersen were sharing starts pretty evenly, but Quick has started the last five games. Considering he's only allowed one goal in each of his last three starts, that makes sense. The Ducks have averaged 2.77 goals and 29.5 shots on net per game, but those numbers flatter the current roster that has been depleted by injuries and trades.
VALUE PLAYS
Anthony Duclair, FLA vs. TOR ($6,000) : Duclair is over 30 goals on the season, and he's got over the threshold with five tallies on 29 shots on net across his last nine outings. Florida's the league's best offense, and will be facing a team with questionable goaltending. Since returning to action, Jack Campbell has posted a 2.95 GAA and .906 save percentage in seven starts.
Jamie Benn, DAL vs. SEA ($5,100): Benn and Tyler Seguin have rejoined forces, and both veteran forwards still have something left in the tank. Over his last 16 games, Benn has 10 points to give him 46 on the campaign. Chris Driedger will likely be in net behind a team on the second leg of a back-to-back Saturday, and the former Panther has produced a 3.05 GAA and .897 save percentage.
LINE STACKS TO CONSIDER
Sharks vs. Blackhawks: Tomas Hertl (C - $6,200), Timo Meier (W - $9,000), Matt Nieto (W - $3,400)
The Blackhawks have allowed 33.0 shots on net per game, which was bad enough when Marc-Andre Fleury was in net. They're now relying on Kevin Lankinen, who comes in with a 3.61 GAA and .889 save percentage. The Sharks haven't impressed offensively this season, save for two of the players on their top line.
Hertl is likely to end up with a new career high in shots on net as he's already managed 195. That's helped him notch 28 goals to go with 34 assists. Meier has fired even more pucks on net than Hertl with 306. The Swiss forward has also recorded 33 goals, including 12 with the extra man. Nieto is a new addition to the first unit, but it's a good place to be. He carries upside as long as he stays there, and has recorded three points in his last eight games.
Blues at Coyotes: Brayden Schenn (C - $5,700), Jordan Kyrou (W - $6,200), Ivan Barbashev (W - $4,100)
The Blues have such a formidable lineup that this is their third line. Some teams would be happy to have them as their first unit. In addition to their terrible offense, the Coyotes maintain an awful defense. They've allowed 35.7 shots on net per game, and backup Harri Sateri will likely be in goal. He's struggled with a 6.34 GAA and .809 save percentage. No, seriously. It's only three games, but even so…
Schenn has picked up 16 points in his last 14 games. And though he's on the third line, Schenn has averaged 2:24 per contest with the extra man, and the Coyotes enter with the league's worst penalty kill. Kyrou is the NHL's fastest skater and has averaged almost a point per game with 68 in 70, including 16 on the power play. Barbashev has been luckier than his linemates with a 22.6 shooting percentage. Nevertheless, he's at 24 goals and 32 assists, and that's not all good fortune.
DEFENSE
John Klingberg, DAL vs. SEA ($5,000): Klingberg has recorded an assist in each of his last two games, giving him 45 points on the season - including 19 with the extra man. The Kraken have a poor GAA even though they're in the top-five in shots on net allowed per game. How? Because of subpar goaltending and a bottom-eight penalty kill.
Justin Faulk, STL at ARI ($4,800): I had to get another Blue involved, naturally. The Coyotes are laden with poor numbers, and are also on the second leg of a back-to-back. As for Faulk, he's registered 13 points in his last 13 games, so he's primed to take advantage of a matchup like this. Especially if Torey Krug is out and Faulk gets time on the first power-play unit.
Gustav Forsling, FLA vs. TOR ($4,700): Forsling has suddenly turned into a goal-scoring machine with seven along with four assists in 11 outings. The Swede has picked up the pace with Aaron Ekblad out having produced 51 shots on net in his last 16. As I noted, Campbell has a 2.95 GAA and .906 save percentage since returning.
