This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
We're in the full swing of the NHL season now. While it is still early, it's not the beginning of the season, so we have ourselves something of a sample size. Saturday, with plenty of NHL action, feels like the norm, and that is how things will be for a while. This week, Saturday brings us nine NHL games starting at 7 p.m. ET or later. Here are my lineup recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
Three teams are on the second leg of a back-to-back. Detroit and Toronto are both at home, though both will be going with the lesser goalie of their respective tandems. Meanwhile, the Capitals are the one team on the road for the second night of a back-to-back.
GOALIES
Juuse Saros, NAS vs. UTA ($8,200): Saros has a 2.85 GAA and .905 save percentage through 11 starts, but he's had two bad outings that are still skewing his numbers. We aren't at the beginning of the season, but it is still early. Speaking of early, Utah has averaged 2.93 goals per game, which is just below average, but also 26.1 shots on net per contest. That means the Hockey Club has been mediocre at scoring even while benefiting from good puck luck.
Jacob Markstrom, NJD at NYI ($8,100): Markstrom has been a mixed bag in goal, but he has a 1.77 GAA and .931 save percentage over his last four starts. The Islanders have only averaged 2.43 goals per contest, and now they lack Mathew Barzal from the lineup.
Igor Shesterkin, NYR at DET ($8,000): The Rangers may try to sneak in a start for Jonathan Quick under these circumstances, especially since Shesterkin's last start went poorly. However, if the Russian is in net, even after that iffy outing, he has a 2.62 GAA and a .920 save percentage. The Wings are on the second night of a back-to-back. They are in the bottom five in shots on net per game. Shesterkin likely won't be too busy if he's tending goal.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
John Tavares, TOR vs. MON ($6,600): Though the Maple Leafs are on the second leg of a back-to-back, this matchup is favorable enough to still look to the Leafs for options. The Canadiens have a 4.07 GAA, the highest in the NHL. Auston Matthews being injured hurts Toronto, but it also means more opportunity. Tavares has 13 points in 14 games, and the move to have him play more on the power play and less at even strength is to the benefit of his veteran legs.
Conor Garland, VAN vs. EDM ($4,400): Garland is off to a strong start with 11 points in 12 games. Only three of those points have come with the extra man, but after having a secondary role on the power play since joining the Canucks, the winger has been moved to a larger role. He's averaged 3:33 per game in power-play time. That's a good thing for his DFS potential in a vacuum, but extra enticing against the league's lowest-ranked penalty kill.
Filip Chytil, NYR at DET ($3,900): The consensus has caught up to me when it comes to Alexis Lafreniere, so now I will turn my attention to Chytil. The last time he played a full NHL season he had 22 goals and 23 assists in 74 games. This season, he has four goals and four assists through 12 contests. The Red Wings aren't just on the second night of a back-to-back. They are also dealing with an injury to Alex Lyon that has led to Ville Husso being recalled from the AHL to start Saturday. When a 29-year-old goalie is down in the minors, there's usually a good reason for it (such as a career .902 save percentage).
FORWARD LINE STACKS TO CONSIDER
Blues vs. Capitals
Brayden Schenn (C - $4,200), Jordan Kyrou (W - $6,500), Pavel Buchnevich (W - $4,900)
Though the Blues' offense has not been the model of productivity, they do catch the sole team on the road finishing out a back-to-back. They also catch Logan Thompson in net. He has a .903 save percentage in six outings after having a .908 save percentage for Vegas last season. There is limited talent on the St. Louis roster, but its first line has enough to be promising.
Though Schenn is off to a slow start with five points in 14 games, his luck is going to turn around. He's only scored once on 34 shots on net, and his 2.9 percent shooting rate should at least triple, and will probably quadruple based on past performance. Kyrou has not had any issues lighting the lamp, unsurprising for a guy coming off back-to-back campaigns with over 30 goals. He's picked up a goal in each of his last three games. Buchnevich has a solid nine points in 14 games, including two assists in his last outing. The Russian only has one power-play point but has tallied at least 18 of them in each of his last three seasons.
Predators vs. Hockey Club
Ryan O'Reilly (C - $4,700), Filip Forsberg (W - $8,000), Steven Stamkos (W - $5,600)
At this point, it is clear Karel Vejmelka can't hack it at the NHL level. He's 28 and his next season with a save percentage of about .900 will be his first. That leaves Connor Ingram to shoulder the load, which hasn't panned out in Utah. The former Predator has a .880 GAA through 11 appearances. While Nashville's offense has had some issues, I don't expect a warm homecoming for Ingram here.
O'Reilly had 26 goals and 43 assists in his first season with the Predators. He remains the first-line center. His role this year has even increased a smidge, including having averaged 3:30 per game on the power play. Given that he had 28 power-play points last season, that bodes well. Forsberg's five assists are nice, but he's a goal scorer at his core, having posted over 40 goals in each of his last two seasons playing more than 50 games. The Swede has six goals this year, but his 10.7 percent shooting rate should improve. Stamkos started slow with his new team, but he's had a chance to acclimate (and to take a spot on the first line). To that end, he has three goals and three assists over his last six outings.
DEFENSEMEN
Quinn Hughes, VAN vs. EDM ($6,900): I will offer up some options for your blue line that won't crunch your salary cap, but sometimes the high-salary players are worth it. Say, for example, a defenseman who happens to be the best power-play point man in the NHL. Then, let's theorize that this defenseman is playing the NHL's worst penalty kill based on the returns to this point. Well, that's Hughes against the Oilers. He's averaging over four minutes a night on the power play. In each of his last three seasons, he's had over 30 points with the extra man. That's a track record to trust.
Colton Parayko, STL vs. WAS ($4,800): Parayko has nine points in 14 games, but he also finds himself in an unusual position. Due to injuries on the blue line, Parayko is picking up actual power-play minutes. Over his last three games, he's averaged 2:11 per contest with the extra man. The Capitals have been above average at killing penalties, but they are on the road for the second night of a back-to-back and Thompson has a .903 save percentage.
Dmitry Orlov, CAR at COL ($3,200): Has Orlov been lucky? Absolutely. No defenseman keeps up a 15.8 percent shooting rate over a long enough period. That said, he's on a four-game point streak heading into a game against a team with major goaltending issues. Even with a good defensive performance, the Avalanche had a 3.93 GAA because they do not employ a goalie with a save percentage over .894.
