FanDuel NHL: Saturday Picks

FanDuel NHL: Saturday Picks

This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.

We've got some NHL all-stars, and we've got 10 games on the schedule that start at 7 p.m. ET or later. You have a lot of options to sift through to set your DFS lineups, but to try and make that easier for you, here are my recommendations to help you out this Saturday.

SLATE PREVIEW

It's pretty straightforward in terms of goaltending situations Saturday, even with 20 teams in action. No team is on the first leg of a back-to-back, and only the Hurricanes and Devils are on the second leg. Both teams are at home as well, and the Devils are already a favorable matchup to begin with.

GOALIES

Igor Shesterkin, NYR at MON ($8,800): Over his last seven starts, Shesterkin has six wins, a 2.12 GAA, and .923 save percentage. The Canadiens are a team that should help him stay on track. Montreal has averaged a mere 2.74 goals and 28.6 shots on net per contest.

Tristan Jarry, PIT vs. BUF ($8,100): Jarry has a .912 save percentage and 2.52 GAA through 25 appearances. The Sabres were quite good offensively last year, but this year they rank 22nd in goals per game. With the Sabres' poor goaltending, there's also a good chance Jarry gets the home win.

Elvis Merzlikins, CLM vs. MIN ($7,300): If you want to save some salary on a goalie, then Merzlikins is a good choice. Sure, he has a .907 save percentage, but he's at home, and this matchup is worth taking a shot on. The Wild are 24th in goals per game, and right now both Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello are hurt.

VALUE PLAYS

John Tavares, TOR at SAN ($8,900): Tavares has been both productive and unlucky. He has 33 points in 36 games and has put 140 shots on net. However, he also only has an 8.6 shooting percentage. His career shooting percentage is 12.9. The Sharks are last in GAA and shots on goal allowed per game, making this a great matchup to target.

Pavel Buchnevich, STL at CAR ($6,900): Buchnevich started the season a bit slow, but over his last 14 games he has 11 points and 46 shots on net. The Hurricanes are first in shots on goal allowed per contest, but they do happen to be on the second leg of a back-to-back. That, combined with Antti Raanta and his .855 save percentage being in net, makes this matchup still conducive for Buchnevich.

Pius Suter, VAN at NJD ($4,000): Suter, skating next to J.T. Miller, has suddenly turned quite productive. He has seven points in his last seven games, and he's put five shots on net in each of his last two contests. Now, Suter's track record likely means that he'll slow down eventually, but the Devils are in the bottom five in GAA, and also on the second night of a back-to-back.

FORWARD LINE STACKS

Golden Knights vs. Islanders

Jack Eichel (C - $9,400), Jonathan Marchessault (W - $7,200), Ivan Barbashev (W - $4,900)

The Islanders rank 31st in shots on net allowed per game and 30th in penalty-kill percentage. Two of these guys from the Golden Knights are on the first power-play unit and rack up a ton of shots on target. As such, the line is worth stacking, with hopes the third guy comes along for the ride.

Eichel put 223 shots on net last year, and that was in only 67 games. This year he has put 160 shots on goal in 39 contests, and he also has 12 point with the extra man. Marchessault's 17 goals are one more than Eichel's 16, though Marchessault's 137 shots on goal are a little behind his center's. Speaking of being just behind, the reigning Conn Smythe winner has 11 power-play points. Barbashev doesn't shoot as much as his linemates, and isn't on the top power-play unit, but he's still been productive. Over his last 16 games he's notched 13 points.

Predators at Stars

Ryan O'Reilly (C - $6,600), Filip Forsberg (W - $9,300), Gustav Nyquist (W - $5,900)

With Jake Oettinger out, the Stars have kept winning at a solid clip, but not because of defensive prowess or goaltending acumen. Scott Wedgewood has started 10 games in a row, and he has an .891 save percentage in that time. On the year, he has a 3.11 GAA and .897 save percentage, and his career save percentage is .906. Nashville's top line came together this year, but it already has really clicked.

O'Reilly has already bested his point total from last season, as he has 33 points in 39 games. That includes seven points over his last six contests. Forsberg is, of course, the Nashville stalwart of these three. He's got 19 goals and 24 assists, and the Swede has also put 150 shots on net as well. Nyquist is arguably the hottest of these three. He has a seven-game point streak, and in that time he has five goals and five assists.

DEFENSEMEN

Noah Dobson, NYI at VGK ($8,000): Dobson has become a true blue line pillar. He's averaged a robust 25:52 per game in ice time and has 38 points in 38 games. It turns out that Logan Thompson might not be up to the task for Vegas. He has a 3.57 GAA and .879 save percentage over his last 10 appearances.

Jacob Trouba, NYR at MON ($6,000): Trouba is on a three-game point streak, and it could become four. The Canadiens, notably, are in the bottom six in GAA, shots on net allowed per game, and penalty-kill percentage. For a little extra fantasy upside, Trouba has 118 blocked shots in 37 contests.

Damon Severson, CLM vs. MIN ($5,200): Severson returned from injury to a lineup needing somebody to step up on the blue line. In six games he's averaged 22:07 a night in ice time and has four points. Speaking of injuries, Marc-Andre Fleury is the lead netminder in Minnesota with Filip Gustavsson out. The 39-year-old goalie has a .906 save percentage over the last three years.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Chris Morgan plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: cmorgan3, DraftKings: cmorgan3.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chris Morgan
Chris Morgan is a writer of sports, pop culture, and humor articles, a book author, a podcaster, and a fan of all Detroit sports teams.
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