This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
Saturdays have been great for hockey fans, and this week is no different. While you enjoy the afternoon action, get your DFS lineups set for the evening with nine games starting at 7 p.m. EDT or later. Here are my recommendations for your rosters.
SLATE PREVIEW
The Kings are the lone team on the second leg of a back-to-back, and they'll be in Dallas. LA is one of the NHL's best defensive teams, with two goalies who've compiled some strong stretches. It's not an ideal situation for your DFS targets, but the opportunity is still there.
GOALIES
Casey DeSmith, VAN vs. WAS ($8,500): DeSmith isn't Thatcher Demko. He's a career-long backup with a career .910 save percentage, not to mention an .897 this year. Having said that, the Capitals are 29th in goals and 30th in shots. Combine that with the Canucks' fifth-ranked offense, and there's a good chance DeSmith picks up a home win.
Jake Oettinger, DAL vs. LOS ($8,400): I won't sugarcoat it: Oettinger has had a subpar season. Maybe his injury issues have impacted his play even when healthy. So if we hear Scott Wedgewood is actually getting the start on Saturday, I wouldn't be surprised. The Kings are below average in goals and will be playing in Dallas after being in Chicago on Friday. This is the one chance to take advantage of a team on the second day of a back-to-back, leaving Oettinger as one of the more interesting options.
Juuse Saros, NAS at SEA ($8,000): My other two netminding recommendations may be a bit complex, so here's a straightforward situation: A goalie playing great against an offense that's poor. There are legs on Saros' strong run of play with a 2.46 GAA and .919 save percentage over his last 21 games. That's a full quarter of the season! Seattle, meanwhile, has averaged 2.71 goals and 28.7 shots.
VALUE PLAYS
Martin Necas, CAR at TOR ($6,100): Necas leads the Hurricanes with 177 shots, and he's only appeared in 61 of the team's 66 matchups. The Maple Leafs have given up 29.7 shots, which is average. Ilya Samsonov has posted a 2.64 GAA in his last 12 games, but with a .904 save percentage. When pucks get to him, he's not doing a great job handling them.
Mikael Granlund, SAN at CLM ($5,800): It would be easy and understandable for a veteran player with no long-standing connection to the Sharks as a franchise to be utterly checked out. Granlund, to his credit, hasn't done that. In fact, he's racked up 13 points across 13 outings since returning to the lineup. The Blue Jackets are bottom-three in GAA and shots allowed, putting them in the running for the worst defensive team.
Alexandre Texier, CLM vs. SAN ($3,700): Columbus may be up for worst defensive team, but that's honestly a one-team race as San Jose enters with a 3.91 GAA while allowing 35.4 shots - both comfortably last in the NHL. The idea of Texier panning out as anything other than a complementary piece is in the past, though he does have six points and 20 shots from his last seven games.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Flames vs. Canadiens
Nazem Kadri (C - $7,600), Jonathan Huberdeau (W - $5,000), Martin Pospisil (W - $3,500)
This is something of a ragtag first line. Kadri has been toiling in semi-obscurity up in Calgary, Huberdeau has struggled to live up to his Florida production, and Pospisil is an unknown rookie. But together, they make for a worthwhile stack against the lowly Canadiens. Montreal is bottom-seven in GAA, shots allowed, and penalty-kill percentage. While Pospisil doesn't participate on the power play, the other two log extensive minutes there.
If you haven't been keeping tabs on the Flames, Kadri is primed to have probably the second-best season of his career with 57 points and 212 shots. He's also been hot with 19 points in his last 18 outings. When Huberdeau left Florida, he started shooting less and converting fewer shot attempts. However, he's managed 15 points over 17 appearances - with12 of those assists. Pospisil getting first-line minutes changes things. His production is limited, yet he's only averaged 12:22. He's obviously playing more on the top trio and has notched four points from his last 10.
Blues vs. Wild
Robert Thomas (C - $6,700), Jordan Kyrou (W - $6,500), Brayden Schenn (W - $4,600)
As with my first stack, two of these players are on the lead man-advantage. Schenn also skates on the second unit, which is a plus. The Wild are better defensively than the Canadiens, but they're worse on the penalty kill with a bottom-five mark.
After a hot stretch, Thomas only has one point in his last six games. That being said, the stretch included a five-game road trip and a visit from the Kings. St. Louis' top center has 70 points overall, including 20 with the extra man. Kyrou makes the math simple with 20 goals on 200 shots. And that 10.0 shooting percentage is below his career 12.7. Kyrou has also notched 15 PPPs. Schenn has been cold of late, but still has 31 points on the year. He's also spent a lot of time as the second-line center, so being a first-line wing may help him get back on track.
DEFENSEMEN
John Carlson, WAS at VAN ($5,900): Oftentimes, there are a couple players on subpar offenses that still manage to produce. Carlson is one example with 38 points, including 14 on the power play. I'd consider Casey DeSmith in net because of how poor most of Carlson's teammates have been, but DeSmith isn't a source of worry and neither is Vancouver's below-average penalty kill.
Daniil Miromanov, CGY vs. MON ($3,800): Miromanov joined the Flames in the Noah Hanifin trade, and he's effectively been slotted into Hanifin's minutes. In four games with his new squad, he's averaged 20:02, including 2:59 on the power play. Against Colorado, Miromanov produced a goal and eight shots. Maybe that's his ceiling or even a fluke, but that's intriguing as he heads into a matchup with the lowly Canadiens who are bottom-seven in a few key defensive stats.
Damon Severson, CLM vs. SAN ($3,700): Adam Boqvist left Columbus' last outing with an injury early on. What happened next? Severson loggee 24:20 against the Senators. If Boqvist isn't ready to go, Severson is in for more elevated ice time - perhaps even top power-play minutes - against the Sharks. You know, the team last in GAA and shots allowed.
