There’s no break in the action for players in the National Hockey League this weekend. Saturday has a massive 12-game slate that will essentially render most of the league’s personnel available to insert into DFS lineups. The games vary dramatically, starting with a lopsided 1 pm ET puck drop in Ottawa, who will host the 17-5-4 Tampa Bay Lightning. The later slate is chock full of talented prospects to target, including Pittsburgh hosting Anaheim, Carolina traveling to Edmonton, and Calgary hosting Boston. There are many more games to explore and analyze on the slate, but most of the marquee matchups could yield massive production when constructing lineups.
Stacking is a favorite strategy, but it’s a double-edged sword due to the increased emphasis on a particular line performing well. Frequently, the second-line contains consistent contributors, while third-line players also offer high floor value at discounted salaries. Factoring in schedules, projected goaltenders, and recent player usage goes a long way to help determine which players are fit to return value in lineups on such a crowded slate.
Let’s dive in!
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Recommended Plays: DraftKings
DraftKings maximum salary is set at $50,000
Logan Couture (C – SJ): $5,000
Logan Couture’s veteran presence is helping San Jose navigate the pitfalls of a highly competitive Pacific Division. In his 13th season for the Sharks, Couture enters Saturday’s home game against Dallas with four points across his last two games. The 32-year old is second in total points for the Sharks and skates on the first line and top powerplay unit, earning roughly 18 minutes average time on ice. Couture has quietly flown under the radar this season but has managed to produce in spurts. Saturday’s contest against Dallas will see Braden Holtby (G – DAL) defend the crease for the Stars. Holtby had been playing very well but just allowed five goals to Vegas in his last start on Wednesday. It’s a favorable matchup to acquire Couture. He’s a significant investment that will return high-end value on Saturday night.
Kirill Kaprizov (LW – MIN): $7,500
24-year old star Kirill Kaprizov has taken the league by storm in just his second year. Kaprizov has 32 points, tied for sixth-most, and will look to extend his great play against the Los Angeles Kings. Goaltender Cal Petersen (G – LAK) has not been playing well lately, and the Kings aren’t a high-scoring team, which creates a fantastic opportunity for Kaprizov to rack up a couple of points on Saturday night. Minnesota is in the midst of an eight-game winning streak and has scored 101 goals as a team, with Kaprizov contributing ten goals himself. The 22 assists are remarkable, and a testament to Kaprizov’s skill and the personnel surrounding him, as Mats Zuccarello (RW – MIN) and Ryan Hartman (C – MIN) comprise the top-three point leaders for the Wild. So pay up to get arguably the best player on the slate in a favorable matchup.
Kris Letang (D – PIT): $7,300
Kris Letang has played his entire career for the Pittsburgh Penguins and remains an assist-machine in his sixteenth season. Letang has 17 points, 16 of these assists, as he has rattled off an impressive six assists in his last five games. A quiet night against Washington left Letang without a point for the first time since November 27th, so expect him to make a resurgent effort against a good Anaheim Ducks team while defending home ice. In addition, Letang has three straight games with at least two blocked shots and five shots on goal in several recent outings, which raises his floor considerably. Treat Letang as a worthwhile asset to invest in despite the high price tag, especially with the return of Sidney Crosby (C – PIT).
Ilya Sorokin (G – NYI): $8,000
Yes, the New York Islanders stink this season. However, it’s not the fault of their goaltending, which has kept them in games despite a complete lack of offense thus far. The Islanders have only scored 46 goals this season, but Ilya Sorokin has played very well in the net, possessing a .924 save percentage and 2.53 GAA in 16 games. Sorokin finally led the Islanders to a win by logging 30 saves against the Ottawa Senators in his last start and will face another team that lacks consistency when it comes to scoring goals. The New Jersey Devils have only scored three goals twice in their previous five games, which bodes well for Sorokin’s outlook to earn a second straight win. Don’t let the Islanders record and bad offense interfere with adding Sorokin as a goaltender. He will do a great job as an anchor in Saturday lineups.
Recommended Plays: FanDuel
FanDuel maximum salary is set at $55,000
Sidney Crosby (C – PIT): $7,300
Pittsburgh’s current franchise player and generational talent, Sidney Crosby, has been on fire since returning from Injured Reserve in mid-November. The star center has seven consecutive games with at least one point, including two goals and five assists in his last three games. The wild thing is that Crosby can deliver these results while sometimes skating for under 18 minutes. It goes to show how talented and valuable he is to the team’s success, as the Penguins are 7-2-1 in their last ten games and rising quickly up the Metropolitan Division leaderboard. The 34-year old center will host a talented Anaheim Ducks team making noise and impressing through the season’s first quarter. Ducks projected netminder John Gibson (G – ANA) allowed only one goal against Columbus on Thursday but allowed at least three goals in his previous four starts. Crosby is in a smash spot again and is worth every penny to insert as a foundational blue-chip prospect in Saturday lineups.
Mats Zuccarello (RW – MIN): $6,000
The first-line for Minnesota might be the most talented in the league at this moment. We’ve already analyzed young star winger Kirill Kaprizov but his fellow linemate, Mats Zuccarello, warrants discussion and consideration in Saturday lineups as well. The 34-year old is now in his third year with the Wild and sits third in total points (21) scored for the team this season, benefitting from the personnel surrounding him on the first line and top powerplay unit. Zuccarello has notched at least one point in every game since his return from a two-game absence at the end of November. Most of these have been assists, but Zuccarello has seven goals and a plus-minus rating of +13 on the season, indicating he is an efficient player whenever on the ice. The Los Angeles Kings are a talented group but plan on starting reserve goaltender Cal Petersen, who just surrendered four goals to a bad Vancouver team in his last start. It’s expensive but lucrative to consider stacking Zuccarello with Kaprizov if you want to maximize your point ceiling. Zuccarello has plenty of standalone value as well, so make sure to plug him in before the 10:30 pm ET puck drop.
Zach Werenski (D – CBJ): $5,700
Now in his sixth season with the Columbus Blue Jackets, first-line defenseman Zach Werenski has been a reliable source of offense for the team this season. He ranks third in total points (17) for the Blue Jackets and has finished with an assist in two of his last four games. Werenski is a good floor play and is relatively cheap on the slate, so feel free to fire him up against a vulnerable Seattle Kraken team. The Kraken will turn to Philipp Grubauer (G – SEA) in the net at home on Saturday, who has surrendered three goals in five straight games. He was pulled early after allowing a quick three goals on four shots against Pittsburgh earlier in the week, meaning Werenski is in an excellent position to bury an assist and take a few shots on goal, as he has seven in his last two games combined. There are plenty of good defensemen on the slate, but Werenski is imperative to the Blue Jackets’ success in the offensive zone. This makes him a quality asset to acquire in lineups on Saturday night.
Elvis Merzlikins (G – CBJ): $7,700
Sticking with the Columbus Blue Jackets, I like the outlook of goaltender Elvis Merzlikins. The 27-year old Latvian netminder finally salvaged a good game in his last start against Anaheim on Thursday, allowing only one goal but failing to secure the win in a shootout. However, this is a promising sign as Merzlikins allowed nine goals in his previous two starts, albeit with one of these resulting in a win. He has a 2.80 GAA and one shutout performance on the year while earning ten wins in 16 games. The slump came against good teams like San Jose and Toronto, so expect Merzlikins to be dominant against the Kraken due to their lack of offensive firepower.
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Matthew MacKay is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Matthew, check out his archive and follow him @Matt_MacKay_.
