This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
Don't miss out on a big night of NHL action with 13 games starting at 7 p.m. EDT or later. While NHL teams vie for victories, you can try to achieve DFS success. On that front, here are my lineup recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
The Blue Jackets and Islanders were both at home Friday, and are both on the road Saturday. The only team on the front leg of a back-to-back is the Bruins, but obviously they're spoiled for goaltending, so you never have to worry about the backup surprisingly starting the first leg.
GOALIES
Adin Hill, VGK at CHI ($8,700): The expectation heading into this year was that Vegas would let Hill and Logan Thompson both get a sizable portion of starts. And considering both have been stellar thus far, that will likely continue. Thompson took the last game, putting Hill and his .951 save percentage in line to face the Blackhawks. Connor Bedard is fun. The squad is bad. Both can be true. Since the start of last season, Chicago ranked last in goals per game and the Avs blanked them Thursday.
Filip Gustavsson, MIN vs. CLM ($8,000): After Gustavsson endured a terrible outing, Marc-Andre Fleury got two starts in a row because NHL coaching staffs can't quit him for whatever reason. His last start was a flop, so cooler heads should prevail and get Gustavsson back in net. He boasts a career .920 save percentage and a .931 last season. The Blue Jackets, as noted, just played Friday and are 30th in offense going back to the beginning of last year.
Jake Allen, MON vs. WAS ($6,800): This is a bet on matchup, and sometimes I like to throw a roll of the dice with my goalies to save salary and provide some thinking outside the box. Allen hasn't been an above-average goalie since 2019-20 when he was still in St. Louis. However, he's at home and the Capitals haven't looked great so far having only scored three times while allowing 12.
VALUE PLAYS
William Nylander, TOR at TAM ($7,600): I'd love to recommend a Leaf other than one of the "Big Four" forwards on the squad. The only problem is that none of them have done anything of note. Nylander, though, has been his reliable self. After back-to-back 80-point seasons, he's at seven through four games. Speaking of reliable, Andrei Vasilevskiy is out with injury, leaving Jonas Johansson and his career .887 save percentage to tend goal for Tampa.
Joel Eriksson Ek, MIN vs. CLM ($6,900): Eriksson Ek has proven to be a nice secondary scoring option for the Wild. He jumped from 49 points two seasons ago to 61 last year, even though his shooting percentage dropped to 9.3. This year, Eriksson Ek could theoretically be even better and he's already at four goals and an assist through to start. The Blue Jackets will likely be starting Elvis Merzlikins if he's over his illness, and he came into this campaign with a career .906 save percentage.
Kyle Palmieri, NYI at BUF ($6,000): Palmieri is doing well so far having picked up four points and 10 shots on net. The Islanders are the team on the second leg of a back-to-back here, but I have no confidence in Buffalo's goalies. Devon Levi, who's theoretically promising but poor thus far, is banged up and didn't practice Friday. Eric Comrie may be in net for the Sabres, and he lists a career .897 save percentage.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Golden Knights at Blackhawks
Chandler Stephenson (C - $6,500), Mark Stone (W - $6,300), Paul Cotter (W - $3,600)
Arvid Soderblom has made two starts this year, and they have both gone well. Good for him! He now boasts a career .896 save percentage. Since the start of last season, the Blackhawks have allowed 33.9 shots and their young lineup isn't likely to improve upon that. Vegas has a few lines contributing, including the second unit.
Stephenson is more playmaker than goal scorer as he's never directed more than 125 shots on net in a season. That hasn't stopped him from compiling two straight 60-point seasons, and he's already at six that includes two goals. Stone is healthy, which is key, and he's at five points. They're all assists, but a career 15.4 shooting percentage says he'll surely light the lamp soon enough. Cotter is being asked to contribute in a substantive way for the first time, and he's responded with two assists in his last three games.
Canucks at Panthers
Elias Pettersson (C - $8,800), Andrei Kuzmenko (W - $5,400), Conor Garland (W - $4,400)
Stars that are big enough can have a solar system form around them, and that's effectively the name of the game with Vancouver's top trio. Pettersson may not be the biggest name in the NHL, but that's probably because Vancouver hasn't been good for a while. You can't blame him, and anybody on his wing carries offensive upside. Sergei Bobrovsky isn't the goalie he was in the playoffs last year, at least not in a large enough sample size with a .908 save percentage this year and a .905 save since joining the Panthers. He also doesn't have Aaron Ekblad or Brandon Montour in front of him.
Back to Pettersson. He racked up 102 points last year and is already at eight through four games. That's with only one goal, so his 10.0 shooting percentage will improve. Kuzmenko scored 39 goals last year, though that 27.3 shooting percentage should regress. That being said, he's got Pettersson setting him up and has averaged 3:48 with the extra man. Garland is a consistent complementary forward with 17 goals last season, 19 the year before, and once tallied 22 - which represents his peak upside.
DEFENSEMEN
Roman Josi, NAS vs. SJ ($7,100): Josi's well-known, but he's still someone you want in your lineup in this matchup. He's only registered two points - both assists - through five appearances, but consider that would be considered quite good for most defenseman. Josi also has 19 shots on net. San Jose is a young team with a porous defense, and Kaapo Kahkonen comes in with a career .899 save percentage.
Owen Power, BUF vs. NYI ($4,800): Power produced 35 points last season, which is impressive for a teenage blueliner while also boding well for his future. He's currently at two through four games, but managed four shots in his last outing. Power's ice time is up to 24:32 per game, and that's not due to any major power-play duty (averaging 1:47). The Islanders are on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back, and that's never ideal. Power is also projected to face backup Semyon Varlamov after Ilya Sorokin went Friday.
Jacob Trouba, NYR at SEA ($4,700): Trouba isn't high-scoring, but he does shoot a fair amount with 199 on net last season and nine so far. He's also not afraid of getting in front of a puck having blocked 17 shots. Philipp Grubauer has yet to find that old Colorado form with the Kraken with a current .909 save percentage this season and an .892 since arriving in Seattle.
