This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Next Saturday, the NHL will be busy with all-star festivities. This Saturday, though, is packed with regular-season action, with 10 games starting at 7 p.m. ET or later. Here are my top suggestions for your DFS lineups.
SLATE PREVIEW
We have four teams on the second night of a back-to-back, and none of them are playing one another. Pittsburgh gets to be at home for both games, but all three other teams are on the road. Florida and Vegas are on a road double dip, while the Rangers move from New York up to Ottawa.
GOALIES
Jacob Markstrom, CGY vs. CHI ($8,400): Though Markstrom has a .909 save percentage, Calgary's defense has helped him post a 2.69 GAA. Here, though, my primary driving force is something I did not envision happening, but now it seems primed to become reality. Sans Connor Bedard, the Blackhawks are inching closer to last in goals and shots on net per contest. Before the break, Chicago could have the NHL's worst offense.
Filip Gustavsson, MIN vs. ANA ($8,200): Gustavsson started the season slow after a great campaign last year, and when he started to turn it around he got hurt. His first couple starts back were awful, but he has a .913 save percentage over his last four games. The Ducks have averaged 2.54 goals and 28.6 shots on net per game, so this home start could help Gustavsson look more like the guy with a .931 save percentage last year.
Alex Lyon, DET vs. VGK ($7,500): Lyon has built upon his run at the end of last season with the Panthers in his first year with the Wings. Having seized the number-one spot, he has a 2.52 GAA and .923 save percentage. Vegas is middling in terms of goals per game, but right now Jack Eichel, William Karlsson, and Shea Theodore are all missing. Also, the Golden Knights are on the second leg of a back-to-back.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Brandon Hagel, TAM vs. NJD ($5,200): Hagel doesn't get to skate next to any of Tampa's stars, and he barely see's the ice during power play, and yet none of it stops the winger from producing. With 12 points in his last 12 games, Hagel has 41 points through 49 contests. The Devils have a 3.50 GAA, and now that Nico Daws' save percentage is down to .895 there's no real hope he's going to stabilize things.
Lucas Raymond, DET vs. VGK ($4,700): Raymond has enjoyed back-to-back games with two assists, and in his last outing he also put four shots on net. Adin Hill started for the Knights on Friday. Logan Thompson is expected to start Saturday as a result, and while he's had some better outings recently, he has a .907 save percentage on the campaign.
Conor Garland, VAN vs. CLM ($3,800): The Canucks have needing secondary offense, and Garland has delivered that recently. He has eight points over his last 11 games, but also 30 shots on net. The Blue Jackets are no threat to surpass the Sharks for last in GAA, but their 3.70 is comfortably 31st.
FORWARD LINE STACKS TO CONSIDER
Flames vs. Blackhawks
Elias Lindholm (C - $5,200) Yegor Sharangovich (W - $5,100), Jonathan Huberdeau (W - $3,800)
Both Lindholm and Huberdeau have been plagued with hard luck, but maybe facing Chicago at home will help. Recently I read that the Blackhawks were happy with Mrazek because of his veteran presence and strong play this season. The former may be true, but the latter is now. His .908 save percentage is only a positive compared to Arvid Soderblom's poor performance. Mrazek is a veteran journeyman who has posted an .898 save percentage over the last three seasons. Chicago has given up 32.4 shots on net per game. This matchup is certainly worth a stack to me.
Lindholm's 6.3 shooting percentage seems bound to improve, even if it has shown no sign of doing so of late. However, he's still managed eight assists over his last 12 games, and he's put 32 shots on net in that time. Eventually, a puck will hit the net. At least Sharangovich has managed to light the lamp. He has 20 goals, to go with 14 assists, with a whopping nine goals over his last 11 games. Huberdeau's struggles last year, his first with the Flames, have continued this year. He has a 7.7 shooting percentage, but he has two goals over his last 12 games, but nine helpers in that time.
Senators vs. Rangers
Josh Norris (C - $4,900), Brady Tkachuk (W - $7,500), Claude Giroux (W - $5,500)
The Senators have Tim Stutzle centering the second line, giving Norris an opportunity to boost his numbers via excellent wings, and that in turn also makes it a bit easier to stack an Ottawa line. The Rangers have a good GAA thanks to stout defense, but they are on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back. Also, Jonathan Quick's .913 save percentage is a bit flattering, as it is built upon his play early in the season. Even since the start of November, he has a .903 save percentage, and that's down to .884 over his last five starts.
In terms of how this line is working out, since missing four games Norris has three assists and 11 shots on net in four outings. Tkachuk is so adept at getting pucks on goal that even a great defense struggles to keep him in check. He's tallied 188 shots on net in only 44 games this year after a staggering 347 last season. Giroux had 79 points in 82 games in his first season with Ottawa, and he seems primed to average around a point per game again. He has 40 points through 44 outings.
DEFENSEMEN
Brock Faber, MIN vs. ANA ($5,500): At first, Faber was the rookie defenseman most notable for playing a ton of minutes for the Wild. Now, though, he's the rookie defenseman who is producing and the new favorite to win the Calder with Bedard missing so much time. Faber has a six-game point streak, and the Ducks have a 3.46 GAA.
Noah Hanifin, CGY vs. CHI ($4,200): Hanifin has kicked it into another gear recently. He has eight points and 28 shots on net across his last 11 contests, and that is with limited power-play time. I already said I am dubious about Mrazek's quality in net, and his road numbers certainly stand out. He actually has an .887 save percentage in away games.
Simon Nemec, NJD at TAM ($4,000): Young defensemen are stepping up in New Jersey. Luke Hughes is the notable name, to a degree in a literal sense given his brothers, but Nemec has picked it up as well. The second-overall pick in 2022, Nemec has seven points in his last 10 contests. The Lightning have a 3.29 GAA, which is bottom-10 in the NHL, so this matchup is not what it has been in the past.
