This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
Saturday brings with it an eight-game NHL evening with plenty of options for your FanDuel lineup, so let's jump right in with some value recommendations.
GOALIE
Mike Smith, ARI vs. SAN ($8,200): It's always a risk to roll the Coyotes' netminder out there, but Smith is 4-0-1 in his last five games thanks to a combination of his own strong play (2.50 GAA, .932 save percentage) and his teammates' offensive improvements – they've failed to score fewer than three goals just once in seven February games. Smith's hot streak includes a 38-save performance on the road against these same Sharks, and now he draws them at home with backup goalie Aaron Dell in net on the other side. Historic player vs. team stats aren't always the most reliable, but Smith has a spectacular track record versus San Jose: a 2.08 GAA and .944 save percentage over 23 games (22 starts). Don't roll him out looking for a shutout, but the volume of shots the Coyotes let opponents send his way lends itself to plenty of DFS production.
CENTER
Auston Matthews, TOR vs. OTT ($7,400): Fun fact: Connor McDavid is averaging 15.8 points on FanDuel and Tyler Seguin has a 15.6 mark; they cost $8,700 and $8,500, respectively. We find Matthews three spots down the list and more than $1,000 cheaper than both, and yet his average is 15.6 – just the same as Seguin's and barely lower than McDavid's. His shot volume is high, and he even averages nearly a block per game, so there's a terrific fantasy floor here to go with his massive upside. Matthews has also lit into the Senators in the three games these teams have played already this year, ripping off four goals and an assist.
Vincent Trocheck, FLA at LOS ($6,200): The wheels are coming off for the Kings' Peter Budaj, who's lost three of his last four outings while giving up 16 goals. Who knew that you couldn't just take a random veteran journeyman and let him start practically every game for the entirety of the season? Meanwhile, Trocheck has been one of the most heavily utilized forwards in the league – he's averaging more than 21 minutes of ice time, including 3:04 on the power play – and he's also been hot, as he comes in with points in four straight games. That includes an assist when he last saw Budaj, which came in the lone win of those last four games for the Czech netminder (but he still gave up three goals).
WING
Patrick Maroon, EDM at CHI ($5,300): If you want to make some savings on the wing, this is a nice way to do it because you also get a piece of Connor McDavid – Maroon rides shotgun with him on the left wing, which has led to a career-best campaign already in terms of goals; he'll blow past his career high in points as well. Maroon's racked up four points and 13 shots in the last three games, including a goal against these same Blackhawks a week ago, although Corey Crawford wasn't in net for that one.
Tomas Hertl, SAN at ARI ($5,000): We know Smith's not immortal by any means and the Coyotes give up a ton of shots, so it pays to play both sides of this matchup. Hertl has been playing serious minutes lately, and he has four points along with a dozen shots over his last four games. Not bad for a guy who's allegedly on the Sharks' third line. The 23-year-old Czech is one of the more purely talented players in the game, and his strong power-play usage ought to come into play against Arizona's 26th-ranked penalty kill.
Jonathan Drouin, TAM vs. DAL ($5,500): I had to find a way to work someone from this matchup into this article because there's no way we can miss an opportunity to go against the Stars' brutal defense and goaltending. Kari Lehtonen's lost five of his last six games, but he's projected to be in net Saturday; regardless of whether it ends up being him or his fellow countryman Antti Niemi out there, the Lightning should have plenty of chances to put the puck in the net. Drouin's also no random pick, as he's been doing good work lately – four points in his last four contests – and he's seeing huge ice time, including plenty of action on the power play; Dallas owns the league's worst penalty kill.
DEFENSE
Oliver Ekman-Larsson, ARI vs. SAN ($5,500): It's always nice to get a value price on one of the league's most talented defensemen, and especially when he's been as hot as OEL has lately – the Swedish blueliner's in the midst of a playmaking fiesta, with a five-game point streak during which he has six assists. It'd be nice to see him shoot a bit more, as his willingness to open fire seems to have dropped significantly this year, but we know he's got it in him. Additionally, as previously mentioned, he and the Coyotes get to take their shots on the backup goalie, Dell, rather than Martin Jones.
Dion Phaneuf, OTT at TOR ($4,800): The salary's affordable and the storyline's a friendly one – you know that Phaneuf gets geared up to face his old Leafs mates, especially back in Toronto. He's also carrying a four-game point streak in which he's scored three goals, and Phaneuf's averages of 2.04 shots and 1.84 blocks per game give him a solid fantasy floor for him to build some offense onto.
