This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
As October rounds to a close, we have ourselves a nice, robust Saturday slate for NHL DFS. There are 11 games on the docket starting at 7 p.m. ET or later. With a litany of options to sort through, I am here with some recommendations to help you set your lineups.
SLATE PREVIEW
Five teams are on the second night of a back-to-back. Vegas hosts San Jose, so that may not impact DFS lineups much. The Islanders are also at home, but against the Panthers. Nashville is at home against Columbus, which offers an opportunity for both teams. Meanwhile, Chicago and Pittsburgh are both on the road, the former against Dallas and the latter against Vancouver. Those matchups both entice.
GOALIES
Jake Oettinger, DAL vs. CHI ($8,500): Oettinger took a step back last season after years of steady improvement. It seems he is determined to right the ship in 2024-25. Through five starts he has a 1.81 GAA and .941 save percentage. Chicago has made improvements to a roster that finished last with 2.17 goals per game last season, but it remains in the bottom 10 in goals per contest this season. Chicago is on the second leg of a back-to-back.
Sergei Bobrovsky, FLA at NYI ($7,800): Bobrovsky had a brutal outing against the Wild on Tuesday, allowing five goals on 16 shots. It is still early enough in the season that one bad start can skew overall numbers. The Russian bounced back with 24 saves on 25 shots on the road against the Rangers on Thursday. New York is unlucky to be in the bottom five in goals per game, as it is in the top 10 in shots on net per contest, but the finishing has been poor. They are on the second night of a back-to-back.
Jordan Binnington, STL at MON ($7,800): Binnington has a .914 save percentage through five starts after having a .913 save percentage last season. Seeing stability from the netminder is encouraging after a steady decline year over year. The Canadiens have not taken any notable step forward offensively, as they have averaged 2.57 goals and 25.6 shots on net per game.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Dylan Strome, WAS at TBL ($6,200): In each of the prior two seasons, Strome scored over 60 points – over 20 came on the power play. This year, he's gunning to cross the 70-point threshold for the first time, as he has nine points through six games and has yet to be held off the score sheet. Andrei Vasilevskiy has done nothing to ameliorate the handwringing that began last year, as he has a .871 save percentage through six appearances.
Alexis Lafreniere, NYR vs. ANA ($4,900): The Rangers just inked Lafreniere to a new seven-year extension. He also happens to have seven points through seven games this season. Though he doesn't get to play much on the power play, the one-time first-overall pick has started 62.1 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, the highest among Rangers forwards. The Ducks have allowed 34.2 shots on net per game. Lukas Dostal has stood on his head against a hefty workload, but he came into this season with a career .902 save percentage, so I am not buying that long-term.
Logan Stankoven, DAL vs. CHI ($4,100): Stankoven has been generous this season, handing out seven assists in eight games. While he only has one goal, his five percent shooting rate is sure to improve. The Blackhawks played Friday night, as noted, and Arvid Soderblom is dealing with an illness. That could mean Drew Commesso making his NHL debut. Also, even if Soderblom gets over his illness, he has a career .884 save percentage.
FORWARD LINE STACKS TO CONSIDER
Canucks vs. Penguins
J.T. Miller (C - $5,800), Brock Boeser (W - $6,100), Jake DeBrusk (W - $3,700)
If it wasn't tricky enough for the Penguins to be on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back, they have been one of the poorest defensive teams to start this season. Tristan Jarry has been sent off to Pittsburgh to work on his game, leaving the likes of Alex Nedeljkovic to tend goal. That would be the same Alex Nedeljkovic with a .900 save percentage over the last four seasons. Vancouver's top line is having some issues, but this trio is not.
Miller is coming off a three-point game, his second multi-point game of the season already. Last year, he had his first 100-point season. Meanwhile, Boeser is coming off his first 40-goal campaign. He has four goals through six games and is on a four-game point streak. DeBrusk left Boston for Vancouver after three 40-point seasons in a row. He has not scored a goal yet for his new team, but he has chipped in four assists.
Predators vs. Blue Jackets
Ryan O'Reilly (C - $5,100), Filip Forsberg (W - $8,300), Gustav Nyquist (W - $3,600)
The Blue Jackets have a 3.33 GAA. To get to that point they have had to hold opponents to 27.3 shots on net per game. This is despite the fact the defensive corps for Columbus is largely the same as the one that gave up 34.4 shots on goal per contest last season. The new-look Nashville Predators have had some ups and downs, but this matchup at home should help.
The Predators' top line is the same as last year, and O'Reilly is excelling as the first-line center again. He had 69 points last year and has six points through seven games this season. Forsberg has seven points in as many contests, but that's with an 11.0 percent shooting rate. Given his career 13.0 shooting rate and his affinity for shooting, Forsberg should start racking up more goals soon. Nyquist had a cold start to the season, but that seems to have changed. He has a point in each of his last three contests.
DEFENSEMEN
Miro Heiskanen, DAL vs. CHI ($5,000): Don't panic. Yes, Heiskanen only has one point this season, but he's put 18 shots on net and blocked 12 shots. The Finnish defenseman has averaged 24:52 per game in ice time, including 3:16 on the power play. Things are going to turn around for Heiskanen and this matchup should help. Chicago has one of the worst goaltending situations in the NHL and is on the road for the second game of a back-to-back.
Aaron Ekblad, FLA at NYI ($3,600): Ekblad and Adam Boqvist have been splitting power-play time at the point to some degree, but Ekblad is the better defenseman and plays way more minutes –23:43 per game this season. The longtime Panther has also tallied three points. While penalty-kill numbers come in a limited sample size at this point, there is reason to believe in the fact the Islanders are in the bottom five on that front. Namely, the fact they were last in penalty-kill percentage last season.
Philip Broberg, STL at MON ($2,900): The Blues knew what they were doing when they signed Broberg to a rare NHL offer sheet. They have given the young defenseman the sizeable role the Oilers never did. He's responded with seven points in eight games. Meanwhile, the Canadiens have a 3.86 GAA and have given up 35.0 shots on net per contest.
