We have a massive sports Saturday on the horizon, featuring jam-packed schedules in both college football and the National Hockey League. I’m keeping my focus on the ice, where I’ve narrowed in on this lineup in the classic DraftKings Daily Fantasy $50,000 salary format (for games starting at 7:00 p.m. ET or later). I’ve listed prices for FanDuel as well. Let’s sit back and enjoy today’s 12-game evening slate in the NHL!
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Today’s NHL DFS Picks & Analysis
The lineup below is based on DraftKings, but FanDuel prices are also listed.
C1: Chandler Stephenson (VGK) ($5,200 DK, $6,600 FD)
The reigning champions are back in action tonight, and they’ll host the Ducks at 10:00 p.m. ET. Vegas is off to a 2-0-0 start, earning wins over Seattle (4-1) and San Jose (4-1).
Chandler Stephenson offers a well-priced option for a top center on Saturday night. The $5,200 price tag isn’t gouging, and we’ll still have plenty of opportunities to pick up points and shots on goal. The third-line centerman already has a goal and a helper in his first two games. This will be a favorable matchup against John Gibson (unconfirmed). I’ll gladly pay this price for a guy who also gets work on the first power play unit.
C2: Kirby Dach (MTL) ($5,100 DK, $4,500 FD)
The Blackhawks make the trip to Montreal tonight to take on the Canadiens, marking Chicago’s third straight road game out of the gate. This one gets underway at 7:00 p.m. ET.
Kirby Dach is the second-line center for the Habs, and he also occupies a spot on the top power play. He’s off to a solid start this year, picking up a pair of assists in their opening 6-5 shootout loss to the Maple Leafs on Wednesday. This is a favorable spot against a Chicago organization that posted the seventh-highest expected goals-against mark last season (3.5).
Finally, it’s somewhat noteworthy to mention that this is a revenge spot for Dach, who was traded from Chicago to Montreal prior to last season. In two games against the Hawks last season, he didn’t score in regulation (on two SOGs) but notched a shootout winner at his old barn.
W1: Mark Stone (VGK) ($6,000 DK, $6,300 FD)
The second of three Golden Knights I’m rolling with is the captain, Mark Stone. Stone has picked up a couple of helpers through two contests this season.
Overall, this is simply a great opportunity to lock in a few Vegas players. They’ll take on an Anaheim squad that ranked dead last in expected goals against per game (3.9) last season. They were also last in goals against per game at 4.1. Look for the Golden Knights to cruise to an easy victory while seeing their stars excel.
W2: Chris Kreider (NYR) ($5,700 DK, $6,900 FD)
The Rangers make the trip to Columbus tonight, where they’ll look to build on a 5-1 beatdown against the highly-touted Sabres. This one is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET from Nationwide Arena in Ohio.
Chris Kreider played a monster role in the 5-1 shellacking on Thursday, notching a pair of goals and adding an apple. The winger seems underpriced for a top-line player who also owns a spot on the premier power play.
New York will have another chance to put up big numbers tonight against a lousy Columbus defense. They’ll likely turn to Elvis Merzlikins, who went 7-18-2 last season with a 4.23 GAA and .876 SV%. Columbus, as a whole, had the fourth-highest expected goals against per game a season ago at 3.6.
W3: Matt Coronato (CGY) ($3,500 DK, $3,000 FD)
The Penguins broke into the win column last night, defeating the Capitals 4-0 in the nation’s capital. It’s a quick turnaround, as Pittsburgh will host Calgary this evening. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET from PPG Paints Arena in Pennsylvania.
I love this spot for the Flames. From a betting perspective, I locked them in at +107 on the moneyline to win this game. It’s a favorable spot, as the Pens’ underwhelming defense will be on the second night of a back-to-back. That also means they’ll likely turn to Alex Nedeljkovic in the crease. The netminder played in 15 games with Detroit last season, posting a 3.53 GAA and .895 SV%.
Enter Matt Coronato, who will be playing in just his third career game. He’s a highly-ranked prospect from the 2021 draft who put up four goals and three assists (on 12 SOGs) over five preseason contests. Coronato is the second-line right winger, and he also takes a spot on the top power play. He’s bound to get off the schneid at some point, and I think he’ll contribute to at least one goal tonight.
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D1: Devon Toews (COL) ($4,800 DK, $5,600 FD)
The Avs and Devon Toews came to an agreement yesterday to lock in the first-pair defenseman to a seven-year extension worth $50.75 million ($7.25 million AAV). Colorado makes the trip to San Jose tonight to take on the Sharks with a puck drop slated for 10:00 p.m. ET.
The contract was well-earned for the 29-year-old, who helped lead Colorado to their Stanley Cup championship a few seasons ago. In exactly 200 games with the Avalanche, Toews has 139 points courtesy of 29 goals and 110 assists. He logged 24:00 minutes in the season-opening win over Los Angeles, recording an assist in the process. Colorado has an advantageous matchup tonight against the lowly Sharks, who are in shambles as an organization. I think Toews will make his way onto the scoresheet once again.
D2: Brayden McNabb (VGK) ($3,600 DK, $4,500 FD)
The final Golden Knight that I want to play tonight is the inexpensive Brayden McNabb. The defenseman enters this game with an assist, which came against the Kraken in the opener. With injuries to Zach Whitecloud and Alec Martinez, McNabb will likely see a boost in ice time this year. He logged 18:51 in game one and followed that up with 22:43 in game two.
The 32-year-old won’t get much time on the power play, but he does offer chances at blocking shots on the main penalty kill. Interestingly, McNabb trailed only the above-mentioned Martinez in blocked shots last season (197 vs. 244).
G: Alexandar Georgiev (COL) ($8,400 DK, $8,500 FD)
It’s confirmed that Alexandar Georgiev will get the nod between the pipes tonight in San Jose. He comes in with the second-highest price tag among netminders, trailing only Vegas’ Adin Hill ($8,500). We should at least secure a win here, considering the Avs are a massive -265 moneyline favorite. To put that in perspective, only Vegas has longer odds to win tonight at -345 against Anaheim.
The Russian goaltender was excellent in the season-opening win against the Kings, limiting them to just two goals on 36 shots (.944 SV%). Georgiev is coming off his best season as a pro, where he posted a 2.53 GAA and .919 SV% over 40 games played. He’s truly developing into a top netminder in the league, and he’s likely licking his chops in this Western Conference tilt against the Sharks. San Jose managed just one goal against Vegas in their opener, and I don’t anticipate them getting much more production in this spot.
UTIL: Connor Bedard (C – CHI) ($7,700 DK, $7,600 FD)
How can we not jump on the Connor Bedard train at this point? The rookie centerman has been ripping shots out of the gate, making him an ideal candidate for a daily fantasy hockey lineup.
The 18-year-old has a goal and an assist in his first two NHL games while also adding 11 total shots (5,6). He gets a ton of ice time (21:36 TOI/G) and runs the first power play. His task tonight is taking on Sam Montembeault and the Canadiens. Montembeault posted a 3.42 GAA and .901 SV% over 40 games last year. This cross-conference matchup has all the ingredients for a barn burner, so let’s hope Bedard and Dach get in on the action.
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