This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
We are through the holiday corridor, so NHL scheduling will be a bit more straightforward. Saturday, for example, features 10 games starting at 7:00 p.m. ET or later. That's a lot of hockey, and it means a lot of options for your DFS lineups. Here are the recommendations I have for your NHL DFS lineups.
SLATE PREVIEW
There are four teams on the second leg of a back-to-back, and all of them are on the road and facing a rested opponent. The Oilers are in Seattle, the Canadiens are in Colorado, the Predators are in Calgary and the Blues are in Columbus.
GOALIES
Mackenzie Blackwood, COL vs. MON ($8,500): Blackwood had to unexpectedly come off the bench cold in Colorado's last game after Scott Wedgewood was injured in the third period. He allowed a goal while facing only three shots. However, that's about the only thing that has gone amiss for Blackwood recently. Over his last 11 starts, he has a 2.13 GAA and a .934 save percentage. Montreal is middling in terms of goals per game, but in the bottom five in shots on net per contest, so its luck may be primed to run out.
Joseph Woll, TOR vs. BOS ($7,900): Woll had a couple of rough starts just before Christmas, but he's allowed a single goal in each of his last two starts. Sure, they were both against the Islanders, but the Bruins operate at a similar level offensively. The Islanders have averaged 2.59 goals per game; the Bruins allow 2.58 per game.
Dustin Wolf, CGY vs. NAS ($7,800): Wolf's rookie season (though he had appeared in several NHL games previously) has been a mixed bag, but he's still managed a 2.61 GAA and .914 save percentage. He's certainly been in form over his last five starts, having posted a .929 save percentage, and this matchup should help that remain the case. Nashville is last in goals per game and on the road for the second game of a back-to-back.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Kirill Marchenko, CBJ vs. STL ($6,400): Marchenko has already matched his 42 points from last season. On top of that, he's also equaled his 13 power-play points from last year as well. The power-play success is what appeals to me the most, as the Blues are in the bottom six in penalty-kill percentage and playing their second game in as many days.
Gabriel Vilardi, WPG vs. DET ($5,600): Vilardi has been on fire, having tallied nine goals and 10 assists over his last 14 contests. He also has a whopping 17 points with the extra man on the campaign. The Red Wings have gotten a few wins as of late with the coaching change, but the team remains questionable defensively. They have allowed 29.6 shots on net per game and are 31st on the penalty kill.
Jonathan Drouin, COL vs. MON ($3,800): The Avalanche just can't stay healthy, but at least it has been more of a revolving door than a pile-up. Valeri Nichushkin is out now, but Drouin just came back. Also, he has two points in both of his games since returning. The Canadiens are on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back, and Jakub Dobes is the new backup netminder. The 23-year-old has made exactly one NHL start to date.
FORWARD LINE STACKS TO CONSIDER
Kraken vs. Oilers
Matty Beniers (C - $4,200), Jaden Schwartz (W - $4,000), Kaapo Kakko (W - $3,000)
Stuart Skinner started for the Oilers on Friday, leaving Calvin Pickard to start Saturday. While Pickard has a 2.51 GAA, he also has a .898 save percentage. Pickard has been reliant on the defense in front of him, and that defense will be playing on well-worn legs Saturday. That bodes well for the Kraken's top line.
Beniers has a four-game point streak. He also has a 9.9 percent shooting rate on the year, which should improve. When he won the Calder, he had a 16.2 percent shooting rate. Even last season during his "sophomore slump" he had an 11.3 percent shooting rate. In two of his last three games, Schwartz has notched multiple points. He's also put at least four shots in net in six of his last 17 contests. Kakko, a one-time second-overall pick, recently was shipped over to Seattle, where he's now been given a chance on the first line. He has three points and 10 shots on net over his last six games.
Golden Knights vs. Sabres
William Karlsson (C - $4,900), Tomas Hertl (W - $5,000), Pavel Dorofeyev (W - $4,400)
The Sabres have a 3.41 GAA as a team. While Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has a 3.07 GAA, that's with a .894 save percentage. Also, he's allowed six goals in two of his last seven outings. While Jack Eichel might be enthused to get a chance to show out against his former team, from a salary perspective, Vegas' second line looks better to me.
Karlsson doesn't have a point in his last three games, but he had a five-game point streak before that. He's put 33 shots on net over his last 12 games, and that kind of activity bodes well in this matchup. Hertl has not been hot by any means, but he has 10 goals and 15 assists on the season. He's also averaged 2:49 per game on the power play, and the Sabres have a below-average penalty kill. Dorofeyev has three points in his last four games. The Russian has tallied 108 shots on net over 38 contests as well.
DEFENSEMEN
Rasmus Andersson, CGY vs. NAS ($5,300): Andersson has two points in his last four games, both coming on the power play. This coincides with his return to the top power-play unit, as the Swede has averaged 2:52 per game with the extra man over his last six contests. Nashville has a good penalty kill in general, but it is on the road for the second game of a back-to-back. Justus Annunen will also likely be in goal. He has a .891 save percentage this season.
Devon Toews, COL vs. MON ($4,200): While Cale Makar has been doing Cale Makar things, Toews has four points and eight shots on net over his last two games. He's never as productive as his defensive partner, but Toews has been a 50-point player in each of the last two seasons. The below-average Montreal defense will be on the road for the second day of a back-to-back, and inexperienced goalie Dobes will be in net.
Brent Burns, CAR vs. MIN ($4,000): With Shayne Gostisbehere out, there's a spot for Burns on the first power-play unit once again. He played 2:56 with the extra man in his last game and tallied a goal while putting seven shots on net. Burns' increased role on the power play has arrived at a convenient time, as his former team, the Wild, have a bottom-five penalty kill.
