This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
We're a handful of games into the 2024-25 NHL season. That has given us some pertinent info on the current teams, but only so much. Past seasons, particularly last season, still tell us as much, and maybe even more. What I do know is that there are nine NHL games happening Saturday night starting at 7 p.m. ET or later. These are my lineup recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
It's a pretty straightforward goaltending situation. Only one team, the Hurricanes, is on the second leg of a back-to-back. No teams are on the first leg of a back-to-back. Plus, a few teams confirmed their starting goalie for Saturday before Friday was even over. That's nice of them.
GOALIES
Ilya Sorokin, NYI vs. MON ($8,500): I'm expecting Sorokin to bounce back in a major way this season. He scuffled last year, but over the first three seasons of his career, he posted a .924 save percentage. So far, so good. Through two starts, the Russian netminder has a 1.48 ERA and a .953 save percentage. Since the start of last season, the Habs have averaged 2.82 goals and 27.6 shots on net per game – the roster is largely the same as last year.
Jacob Markstrom, NJD vs. WAS ($8,400): Markstrom and the Devils started the season with two games in Prague, which has given him more chances to tend goal with his new team. To that end, through five starts, the Swede has a 2.42 GAA and a .918 save percentage. Washington did revamp the roster a bit in the offseason, but it had a long way to go. Since the start of last season, it has averaged 2.66 goals and 26.5 shots on target per contest.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Jordan Kyrou, STL vs. CAR ($6,900): The Hurricanes have been one of the best defensive teams for years, so I don't want to stack against them. However, getting somebody rostered against the only team on the second leg of a back-to-back makes sense. Kyrou has been scoring to start the campaign – two points in each of his first three outings. Though he doesn't have a point in either of his last two games, he put five shots on net in both instances.
Conor Garland, VAN at PHI ($3,600): Last year, Garland potted 20 goals on 200 shots on net. He has notched a point in the first three games of the year for the Canucks as well. Samuel Ersson will be in net for the Flyers on Saturday. He's only 24, but he also has a career .892 save percentage, so there is a lot of improvement he needs to make, even as a young goalie, to be the least bit imposing.
Chandler Stephenson, SEA vs. CGY ($3,300): It took Stephenson a second to adjust to his new team, but he has three assists over his last two games. He's on the top power-play unit, having averaged 2:47 per game with the extra man. If Calgary keeps its goaltending rotation going, Dan Vladar is expected to be in net on Saturday. He has a career .893 save percentage. Only once has he finished with a save percentage over .900.
FORWARD LINE STACKS TO CONSIDER
Wild at Blue Jackets
Joel Eriksson Ek (C - $7,700), Matt Boldy (W - $7,400), Marcus Johansson (W - $3,100)
Since the start of last season, the Blue Jackets have a 3.64 GAA and have allowed 34.0 shots on net per game. The goaltenders and the defensive corps remain the same as last season. The Wild have a high-level first line, but this season's line is quite good as well, making for a fine stack option.
After missing two games with a nose issue, Eriksson Ek is expected to return Saturday. He's had over 60 points in each of his last two campaigns, and he put 267 shots on net last year as well. Last season was complicated for Boldy, as he fell in and out of favor, but he still ended up with 29 goals and 40 assists in 75 games. This year has been a strong start for him, as he has five points and 14 shots on net through four games. Johansson is not on the same offensive level, but he does have two assists in three games. He's on the second line in a good matchup, so he rounds out this stack just fine at his salary.
Sabres at Blackhawks
Tage Thompson (C - $7,500), Alex Tuch (W - $6,300), John-Jason Peterka (W - $5,800)
The Sabres' top line is in a groove. To a degree, so is Petr Mrazek, who has a .911 save percentage. That's good for him. Over the prior three seasons, though, he had a .900 save percentage. I think the veteran Czech goalie will see his performance dip a bit, especially with the Blackhawks' potentially questionable penalty kill skills. They do rank 28th since the start of last season, after all. They would rank 29th if you include Utah and Arizona as two separate teams.
Thompson has a point in each of his last three games, and he's put 19 shots on net through three contests. All that, and he doesn't have a power-play point yet. He's had at least 16 points with the extra man in each of his last three campaigns. Tuch has six points through six contests. Last year, he had 22 goals, but two seasons ago he had 36 goals when Thompson had a great campaign. If the two are playing well together again, they should both improve their numbers. Peterka missed two games with a concussion, but he has three goals in two games since then. Quietly, he had 28 goals on 226 shots on net last season.
DEFENSEMEN
Seth Jones, CHI vs. BUF ($6,700): Jones seems to be enjoying having a bit more talent around him, including a healthy, sophomore-season Connor Bedard. He's averaged 25:35 per game in ice time and has tallied five points, 16 shots on net and eight blocked shots. If Buffalo keeps the goalie rotation going, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen will be in goal. Through three starts, he has a 3.69 GAA and a .874 save percentage.
Rasmus Andersson, CGY at SEA ($5,900): Andersson has had between 39 and 50 points over his last three seasons and over 150 shots on net in each of those campaigns. This year he's notched six points already through four contests, though his 33.3 shooting percentage is, you know, a little high. Joey Daccord got his first real playing time last season, and his .916 save percentage was impressive. However, he has a 3.31 GAA and .901 save percentage through two starts this season. He has a career .907 save percentage.
Hampus Lindholm, BOS at UTA ($4,400): Lindholm had a goal and an assist in his last outing. He's also seen an uptick in power-play time, having averaged 2:04 per contest with the extra man. Utah Hockey Club is playing a style of hockey that is rich in incident. The Hockey Club has averaged 4.00 goals per game, but also given up 3.80 goals per game.
