This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
With less than a week until the New Year, the NHL is back into high gear. Though Christmas led to a break in action, the league returned with eight games Friday and that momentum carries into Saturday with seven matchups starting at 7 p.m. EST or later. Before the pucks drop, here are my DFS lineup recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
Four teams are finishing off home-and-homes. Carolina and New Jersey head down the Atlantic Coast while the Bruins will be hosting the Blue Jackets. No team is on the road for the second leg against a rested team, though two are at home and both offer opportunity with the Leafs playing the impressive Capitals and the Sharks hosting the Flames.
GOALIES
Dustin Wolf, CGY at SAN ($8,500): It's been an up-and-down year for Wolf, but he does have a .910 save percentage and that's enough to consider rostering him for this matchup. The Sharks are definitely better offensively this year around the fringes of the bottom-10 in goals and shots per game. Of course, that still leaves them decidedly below average on both fronts and they're also playing for a second straight night.
Tristan Jarry, PIT at NYI ($7,100): Jarry has posted a 2.80 GAA and .899 save percentage over his last nine starts. Those aren't great numbers, yet they represent improvement. But this is mostly about trying to take advantage of a favorable matchup. The Islanders have averaged 2.60 goals, making them arguably the worst offense taking the ice on Saturday.
VALUE PLAYS
Elias Lindholm, BOS vs. CLM ($5,500): Lindholm hasn't made the smoothest adjustment after his move from Calgary, though he's notched six points and 15 shots over his last six matchups. Both teams are completing a back-to-back, but the Bruins are at home and Daniil Tarasov with his career .897 save percentage is in line to start for the Blue Jackets.
Blake Coleman, CGY at SAN ($5,300): Coleman is riding a five-game scoring streak, and there's a good chance he'll make it six on Saturday as the Sharks are bottom-five in GAA and shots allowed while also playing Friday. Even though Yaroslav Askarov is slated to start for San Jose, he's conceded seven goals across his last two appearances. He did face 42 shots while saving 39 in one outing, but the fact he faced so many shots is still in favor of rostering Coleman.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Penguins at Islanders
Evgeni Malkin (C - $5,700), Michael Bunting (W - $4,600), Drew O'Connor (W - $4,100)
The Islanders maintain the league's worst penalty kill. And while only Bunting is currently on Pittsburgh's top power play from this trio, Malkin is always a prime candidate to get time there. Semyon Varlamov is also on long-term injured reserve and Ilya Sorokin seems to be cracking under the workload as he's started all of the club's December games where he's registered a 3.65 GAA and .869 save percentage.
Malkin has tallied seven points in his last 10 games, including two assists last time out. He's averaged 3:05 on the man-advantage and was recently moved down to the second unit, though even a couple minutes against the worst shorthanded side is a positive. Bunting has racked up 11 points through his last 11 outings while directing at least three shots six times over that span. O'Connor is…also here. His salary is low and he's managed four assists from his last 13 matchups with a 5.8 shooting percentage that's likely to improve. A point from O'Connor would yield real bang for your buck.
Capitals at Maple Leafs
Pierre-Luc Dubois (C - $5,900), Connor McMichael (W - $6,800), Tom Wilson (W - $6,100)
You've probably heard the news Alex Ovechkin is in line to potentially return to action Saturday. He's slated to slot right back on Washington's top line, leaving this as the second trio. As noted, Toronto's on the second leg of a back-to-back. And without Anthony Stolarz, it doesn't have the same one-two punch as Joseph Woll has started to scuffle and Matt Murray has only made one NHL start since 2022-23.
Dubois seems to be somewhere between his Winnipeg and woeful LA form with 26 points through 34 games, including 10 over his last nine. He also lists a 9.6 shooting percentage, which would be a career-low. McMichael is averaging two more minutes than last season while his power-play involvement has doubled. He's earned it based on his 16 goals and 13 assists. Wilson has been held without a point for five straight games, though he produced two two-goal efforts from the previous three. And he's posted 13 goals and 11 helpers over, so I think he can get back on the scoresheet Saturday.
DEFENSEMEN
Josh Morrissey, WPG vs. OTT ($6,800): With 33 points in 36 games, Morrissey is on pace to be nearly a point-a-game player as he was during 2022-23. But he currently holds a 4.1 shooting percentage, below his career 6.0 mark. Morrissey has been as productive as ever without the benefit of puck luck. With Linus Ullmark out and Anton Forsberg banged up, Leevi Merilainen is likely to start for the Senators. And he's only 22 with a career .864 save percentage.
Kris Letang, PIT at NYI ($5,600): Letang has produced five goals and five assists over his last 11 outings, with five of those points coming with the extra man. Given the Islanders' league-worst penalty kill, Letang's recent power-play success bodes well for this matchup.
Mason Lohrei, BOS vs. CLM ($4,200): Lohrei has accumulated seven assists across his last 10 appearances, with four of those PPPs. The Blue Jackets are unsurprisingly bottom-eight in penalty-kill percentage, and Daniil Tarasov with his career .897 save percentage will likely try to defend that unit on Saturday.
