This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
It's an unusual Saturday in the NHL without a single afternoon tilt, and all nine evening games are included in the featured contests at DraftKings. Here's a quick-hit primer to help build your lineups.
Notable favorites from DraftKings Sportsbook:
Panthers
Maple Leafs
Lightning
Canucks
Potential high-scoring games:
Rangers-Maple Leafs
Canadiens-Lightning
Red Wings-Panthers
Capitals-Hurricanes
Teams playing for the second consecutive night:
Rangers
Maple Leafs
Penguins
Predators
Capitals
Hurricanes
Avalanche
Kings
Golden Knights
Sharks
GOALIES
Toronto has won eight of its past nine contests to improve to 12-4 under Sheldon Keefe, and Frederik Andersen ($8,300) owns a 10-3 record with a .920 save percentage during that stretch. With the Maple Leafs a sizeable favorite and the Blueshirts possessing a middle-of-the-pack road offense, Andersen should post solid numbers Saturday.
Antti Raanta ($7,000) boasts an excellent .921 save percentage and the Golden Knights are in the second leg of a back-to-back set, so this salary seems a little light. The Coyotes have been road warriors all season with a 13-5-3 record and a league-low 2.31 goals against per 60 minutes.
The Red Wings have scored the fewest goals per hour on the road this season, and Chris Driedger ($8,200) is coming off a 42-save win in his most recent appearance. He's obviously an unproven commodity with just three career starts, but the matchup is ripe and Florida come in as significant home favorites.
Jacob Markstrom ($8,100) draws a cushy matchup against Los Angeles. The Kings are 6-13-3 with just 2.29 goals per 60 minutes on the road this season, and the Swedish netminder has won three consecutive games with a .931 save percentage.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
With nine tallies, nine helpers and seven multi-point showings through his past 14 contests, John Tavares ($7,300) has posted a number of huge fantasy performances of late. He's a bit risky because he's also missed the scoresheet six times during the noted stretch, but he's locked into an important role with the man advantage, and the Rangers have surrendered the most expected goals per hour in the league.
Both Ryan Johansen ($3,900) and Matt Duchene ($4,900) are priced reasonably enough to slide under the salary cap as secondary lineup options. Duchene has only managed a single goal and a 4.2 shooting percentage through his past 13 contests, whereas Johansen has been more productive of late with four tallies and four helpers through his past nine games.
While more of a setup man than scorer, Nick Schmaltz ($4,000) has produced solid numbers of late with 10 points - including one goal - through his past eight contests. He's also a little risky because of his low shot volume of 5.05 shots per hour, but the Golden Knights will be playing their second game in consecutive nights and the 23-year-old winger could be scarcely owned.
The Sharks have surrendered the third-most goals per hour in the league this season, and the Flyers draw them on the second leg of a back-to-back set. James van Riemsdyk ($5,000) has found his offensive game over the past month with eight tallies and six helpers through 13 outings, and his salary hasn't caught up to his increased production.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Keep an eye on Florida's line combinations entering Saturday's tilt. Aleksander Barkov ($6,300) and Jonathan Huberdeau ($6,300) haven't been consistently skating on the same line of late, but the duo remain a go-to option as part of a Panthers' power-play stack. Huberdeau has 11 points through his past four contests to climb to 4.22 points per hour - third highest in the league. Meanwhile, Barkov has posted a respectable four goals and seven assists over the past 12 games.
Brayden Point ($6,800), Nikita Kucherov ($7,600) and Ondrej Palat ($4,900) have been clicking of late with 7.11 goals and 15.42 high-danger scoring chances per hour at five-on-five over the past five games. Montreal has also surrendered the seventh most goals per hour since mid-November at 3.25, and Tampa Bay's top line doesn't break the bank.
It's been a good run to start the campaign for Elias Pettersson ($6,700), Brock Boeser ($6,200) and J.T. Miller ($6,000). The trio have combined for 10 tallies and 15 helpers to improve to a high-end 6.91 goals per hour for the year, and this should be a soft matchup against Los Angeles. The Kings have surrendered a healthy 3.51 goals per 60 minutes on the road and are playing their second road game in as many nights.
There have been 28 total goals in Carolina's last three games - all losses - so it's not out of the question to consider stacking both Hurricanes and Capitals and hoping for another high-scoring affair. Evgeny Kuznetsov ($5,200), Jakub Vrana ($4,800) and T.J. Oshie ($5,000) are affordable, and Kuznetsov - in particular - is eyeing positive regression in the goals column with just a single tally and a 5.9 shooting percentage over his past 12 games. Similarly, Teuvo Teravainen ($5,600) hasn't scored in 14 outings, and he along with linemates Sebastian Aho ($6,100) and Nino Niederreiter ($4,100) are reasonably priced.
DEFENSEMEN
Mired in a two-game point drought, Kris Letang ($5,800) is a breakout candidate with a soft salary - he was priced at $7,000 as recently as Dec. 12. His 2.03 points per 60 minutes rank 12th in the league and Nashville owns a 28th-ranked 73.7 penalty-kill percentage on the road this season, so the matchup should also prove to be soft.
Look for Tyson Barrie ($5,400) to continue his strong play in the noted encounter against the Rangers. He's set as the power-play quarterback on the No. 1 unit and has shared 40:21 of his 66:28 of ice time with Auston Matthews ($7,500) over the past three games. Additionally, Barrie's 2.71 points per hour with the man advantage represents an unsustainably low mark.
Considering Keith Yandle's ($4,900) locked in as the power-play quarterback on the top unit and ranks eighth among all regular defensemen in points per hour over the past three years at 1.93, his salary is down. He's even in solid current form with two tallies and 10 helpers through his past 12 outings. Add in the noted favorable matchup - which includes Detroit's 30th-ranked penalty kill - and Yandle's a steal at this price.
Another option to include in a Vancouver stack is Quinn Hughes ($4,800). The rookie snapped a 22-game goal drought last time out to improve to an impressive three tallies, 24 helpers and 15 power-play points. He's averaging 4:01 of ice time per game with the man advantage and has shown an uptick in production in both the shots and blocks columns.
Cale Makar ($4,500) returned to the lineup Friday after missing eight games and fittingly recorded an assist. He's flirting with a point-per-game pace for the campaign, and his 2.86 points per 60 minutes rank second among all regular defensemen. His salary is down because the Stars can be a tough opponent with just 2.03 goals against per hour at home, but the rookie blueliner has already proven he's matchup proof.
