This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
Saturday has to tide us hockey lovers over for a few days as there won't be any action again until Wednesday. Fortunately, there are 12 games starting at 7 p.m. EST or later. That's plenty to enjoy. Here are my DFS recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
There are four teams on the second leg of a back-to-back Saturday, and a few of them are conducive to matchups. The Bruins are away for both games, but obviously boast stellar goaltending options. Meanwhile, the Rangers get to be at home for both of their matchups. Detroit and Chicago, who are flipping from home to road, is where my attention would be.
GOALIES
Thatcher Demko, VAN vs. SAN ($8,700): It's now been 24 games, and Demko has posted a 2.40 GAA and .920 save percentage. Given that he registered a .915 the previous two seasons to last year's off campaign, this feels like a plausible level of performance. Of course, there's also the matchup. The Sharks have played 33 games and have averaged 2.09 goals. That's not very good.
Filip Gustavsson, MIN vs. BOS ($7,900): Gustavsson's subpar start is officially in the rearview mirror with a 1.88 GAA and .930 save percentage across 12 starts. Though the Bruins are middling in terms of offense, they'll also be on the road for the second straight night.
Joey Daccord, SEA at ANA ($7,300): The Kraken, at least, have made it easy on Daccord. He may only have a .911 save percentage, but also a 2.56 GAA because Seattle has only allowed 29.0 shots per game. The Ducks have averaged 2.59 goals and 29.1 shots, so he'll likely not be busy. That should be nice. Kind of an early holiday.
VALUE PLAYS
Martin Necas, CAR vs. NYI ($5,900): Necas has racked up 23 points, yet it's his shooting that stands out as he's put 83 pucks on target. The Islanders have been rather porous defensively having averaged a NHL-second-most 35.5 shots against.
Eeli Tolvanen, SEA at ANA ($5,400): Given a real role with the Kraken, Tolvanen has delivered with 21 points and 72 shots. He's been consistent having not gone any longer than one outing without a point over the last 11. The last 11 times John Gibson has appeared, he's posted an .885 save percentage with a 3.45 GAA.
Kevin Hayes, STL vs. CHI ($4,500): For a third-line center that doesn't participate much on the power play, Hayes has been fairly productive with 11 points from 16 games. The Blackhawks rank bottom-10 in shots allowed and backup goalie Arvid Soderblom is in line to start. And across 32 NHL appearances, he's struggled to an .881 save percentage.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Devils vs. Red Wings
Jack Hughes (C - $10,100), Jesper Bratt (W - $8,300), Tyler Toffoli (W - $6,600)
This is a high-salary line, but a highly productive one. For this matchup, it's worth it. The Wings aren't merely on the second leg of a back-to-back. Their top-two goalies are injured. James Reimer started Friday. Michael Hutchinson was on an AHL-only deal until the club signed him to a two-way deal out of desperation. The 33-year-old has a career .902 save percentage and was a veteran in the AHL for a reason. This doesn't bode well for Detroit, but could be favorable for Jersey.
Hughes is one of the league's best offensive players, so limited prodding is required. I will also note he's managed 118 shots in only 26 games. Bratt has enjoyed another solid year, even though he's spent most of the time on the second line. He's also been red hot with 12 points over his last 10 outings. Toffoli has slowed down, but is still at 23 points overall. And he's directed 22 shots on net in his last 10 matchups with a 4.5 shooting percentage that will obviously improve.
Blue Jackets vs. Maple Leafs
Adam Fantilli (C - $5,400), Johnny Gaudreau (W - $5,100), Justin Danforth (W - $3,800)
This has the makings of a high-scoring game. Columbus is terrible defensively, yet Toronto is barely better having allowed 32.6 shots on net per outing while lead goalie Joseph Woll remains out. Ilya Samsonov is having a brutal campaign with a 3.79 GAA and .871 save percentage. Columbus is not great offensively, but the first line has an advantageous matchup.
Fantilli has been a true bright spot for the Blue Jackets. As a rookie, he's a first-line center with nine points across 10 games. Johnny Hockey has been disappointing, though has been producing of late is currently riding a four-game point streak with four multi-point efforts from his last 13. Danforth's rise to the lead group has been surprising given he's 30 with limited NHL experience. However, he's here, and has five points across 12 appearances.
DEFENSEMEN
Zach Werenski, CLM vs. TOR ($6,800): Might as well go back to this matchup. This is especially true given Toronto has allowed an average of 32.6 shots. In addition to 24 assists, Werenski has also fired 85 shots on net. And yet, he's only registered one goal. That shooting percentage should improve.
Filip Hronek, VAN vs. SAN ($5,800): Can't skip this game as the Canucks will be at home against the team that ranks last in GAA and shots allowed with a bottom-five penalty kill percentage. While Hronek hasn't kept pace with Quinn Hughes, 29 points is still great - even with a 2.9 shooting percentage.
Jake McCabe, TOR at CLM ($4,100): McCabe has been surprisingly good recently with eight points in his last 10 games. I mentioned earlier this matchup will probably net a lot of goals. And that's also due to the Blue Jackets carrying a 3.62 GAA while giving up 34.3 shots a night.
