Saturday is a busy day for the NHL, but there's a lot of action happening earlier in the day. That leaves us with five games starting at 7 p.m. EDT or later. Here are my DFS lineup recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
While a few teams are on the first leg of a back-to-back Saturday, only one played on Friday. That would be the Leafs, who'll travel to Ottawa to meet their provincial rivals.
GOALIES
Linus Ullmark, OTT vs. TOR ($8,100): Toronto will be on a second straight night and carry a subpar defense, which should increase the chances of Ullmark earning a win. Beyond that, the Leafs are average in goals and are without Auston Matthews. As for Ullmark, he's recorded a 2.37 over his last 11 games owing mainly to Ottawa's defense.
Jakub Dobes, MON vs. NYI ($7,700): Dobes has posted a .904 save percentage in his last 11 starts. That's not great, but it's at least serviceable and a step above this season. Dobes has also managed a 2.69 GAA at home this year. The Islanders boasts the player who'll win the Calder and maybe the one to take the Vezina, yet they're barely outside the bottom-10 in average goals.
VALUE PLAYS
Dylan Holloway, STL at VAN ($6,000): The Blues are effectively a one-line team, with the uptick in play from Holloway helping to prevent the team from being completely useless on offense. Since returning from injury, the former Oiler has notched 14 points and 37 shots through 11 matchups. The Canucks, meanwhile, have slumped to a 3.71 GAA while the 31st-ranked Sharks sit at 3.55.
Brock Boeser, VAN vs. STL ($4,500): Boeser is riding a four-game scoring streak while accumulating 13 power-play points on the campaign. Vancouver's offense isn't great and I don't think Jordan Binnington (or Joel Hofer) will have a rough day. However, the Blues are bottom-five for penalty-kill percentage where Boeser could get on the scoresheet.
FORWARD LINE STACK
Senators vs. Maple Leafs
Dylan Cozens (C - $6,100), Brady Tkachuk (W - $7,300), Ridly Greig (W - $4,700)
Only one of these three has been in fine form (Tkachuk), yet Cozens has enjoyed a strong campaign while Greig is no slouch. This is a matchup worth targeting as the Leafs are bottom-four in GAA and last in shots allowed. And as noted, they're on the second leg of a back-to-back. With Auston Matthews out, Toronto could be checked out enough where Ottawa could really pour on the offense.
Cozens has registered 50 points, yet only has one point from his last six outings where he's also produced at least four shots three times. Tkachuk's built to face a porous defense having gone off for 185 shots in 48 games. Greig is currently at 10 goals and 17 assists while potting 13 goals in each of the last two years.
DEFENSEMEN
Philip Broberg, STL at VAN ($4,400): 'Tis the season for former Oilers St. Louis signed as restricted free agents. Broberg already maintained a significant role with the Blues, yet that's increased further since the team has pivoted toward the future on the blueline. He's responded with four points during his last eight outings while averaging 26:56. Broberg has even received some man-advantage minutes, which could be helpful on Saturday as the Canucks are last in penalty-kill percentage.
Tyler Kleven, OTT vs. TOR ($3,800): Jake Sanderson went down with a week-to-week injury, where Kleven is taking on some real playing time for the first time in his career. He's also averaged 19:50 the last seven matchups where he's supplied three points and multiple shots from four of the last five. The Leafs are also bottom-four for both GAA and shots allowed while in action for the second straight day.
