This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
Every NHL team has played a handful of games, so we're starting to get some interesting data points. There are plenty of matchups Saturday night with nine games starting at 7 p.m. EDT or later. Here are my DFS recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
The goaltending situation is straightforward Saturday. The Hurricanes are the only team on the second leg of a back-to-back, and they are on the road against the Blues. No one is on the first leg while a few announced their starters on Friday. Some also appear to have a clear rotation, and hopefully that'll continue to simplify recommendations.
GOALIES
Filip Gustavsson, MIN at CLM ($8,200): Which Gustavsson will we get this season? Last year, he posted a 3.06 GAA and .899 save percentage after a 2.10 and .931 the previous one. Through three starts, Gustavsson has excelled with a 1.66 and .948. Columbus has been surprisingly solid offensively so far, but you know what? Gustavsson has already held them to two goals on 33 shots this season.
Kevin Lankinen, VAN at PHI ($7,800): The Canucks have rotated goalies so far, though I'm hoping that stops. Arturs Silovs has struggled while Kevin Lankinen has led the way with a 1.89 GAA and .932 save percentage. The Flyers have averaged 2.83 goals per game since the start of last season, and Matvei Michkov can only do so much.
VALUE PLAYS
Brad Marchand, BOS at UTA ($7,800): Marchand has notched three points - all assists. He's yet to score on 12 shots, and that'll change. After all, he netted 29 goals on 207 shots last year. Utah's offense has been on fire with four goals per game. On the other hand, they've averaged 3.80 against.
Anthony Duclair, NYI vs. MON ($5,900): I can't believe Duclair is only 29. He's played for so many teams already with four 20-goals campaigns to his name. Now an Islander, he has three points in four games and skating on the top line. Sam Montembeault's first two starts were great, yet I'm not surprised he's struggled to a 4.16 GAA and .867 save percentage during the last two outings. After all, he carries a career .899.
Marco Rossi, MIN at CLM ($5,200): Rossi registered 21 goals last season as a rookie. He's riding a three-game point streak while centering the first line between Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello (though that is partially due to Ryan Hartman staying banged up). Columbus has a 3.64 GAA since the start of last season, and the goaltending situation hasn't improved.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Blackhawks vs. Sabres
Connor Bedard (C - $8,300), Teuvo Teravainen (W - $6,300), Nick Foligno (W - $4,600)
Recommending a Blackhawks line for a stack? Of course, there's not much depth on their roster, but a bit more talent. The Sabres have struggled defensively and in net. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is up for his turn in the rotation coming in with a 3.69 GAA and .874 save percentage. And he'll have to travel to Chicago, much to the benefit of Bedard and company.
Bedard lived up to the hype last season with 61 points in 68 games. He's at seven so far, and that's with a 5.9 shooting percentage. Teravainen is benefitting from the young star as his center and on the power play having posted seven points, including five with the extra man. He recorded four 20-goal seasons with the Hurricanes, and now returns to his original club in his prime. Foligno is Chicago's captain and has already potted three goals with at least three shots in three appearances.
Kraken vs. Flames
Shane Wright (C - $4,000), Jared McCann (W - $6,000), Jordan Eberle (W - $5,000)
Meet Seattle's new top trio under Dan Bylsma. We have the Kraken's new captain, the best player in Kraken history, and a 20-year-old who was drafted fourth overall in 2022. The Flames will likely be starting Dan Vladar in net. Largely as a backup, he holds a career .893 save percentage.
Wright has barely played in the NHL, but he's there now and has benefitted from his new linemates. This unit got put together, and Wright had a goal and assist last time out. He's only 20 and was selected early for a reason. McCann is the greatest goal scorer in Kraken history, never having fewer than 27 goals in a season - including one with 40. This year, he's already managed three multi-point performances. Eberle has produced at least 44 points in every season for Seattle and is currently doing well with six points while only being held off the scoresheet once.
DEFENSEMEN
Brock Faber, MIN at CLM ($5,600): Somehow, Faber has an even larger role in his sophomore season averaging 26:02, including 3:49 with the extra man. He also tallied 47 points as a rookie. Only the Sharks have been worse than the Blue Jackets in GAA and shots allowed since the start of last season, and Columbus didn't change nearly enough to believe things will be any different this year.
Philip Broberg, STL vs. CAR ($4,900): The Blues didn't sign Broberg to an offer sheet to not utilize him. He's already averaged 19:41 with a point in every outing. The Hurricanes are traditionally quite good defensively, but they're also on the second leg of a back-to-back and on the road.
Henri Jokiharju, BUF at CHI ($3,800): Jokiharju is on a three-game point streak. He doesn't play on the power play, though he does skate with Rasmus Dahlin on the lead pairing. The Blackhawks boast more talent than last year, but with the same goalies. That includes Petr Mrazek, who's posted a .900 save percentage the last four seasons.
