We're barreling toward the holiday season, but we've got to take the opportunity to enjoy all the hockey action and the opportunities to enter some NHL DFS contests. There are nine games on Saturday's docket with the first one starting at 7 p.m. EST. Here are my lineup recommendations. Good luck!
SLATE PREVIEW
One team is on the second leg of a back-to-back as the Blackhawks will be at home against former rival Detroit. Several teams will be playing for the first of consecutive days where goaltending decisions will be impactful in some of those matchups. That includes the Oilers, who you may have heard acquired a new netminder.
GOALIES
Darcy Kuemper, LOS vs. CGY ($8,300): Kuemper started well enough, but has been stellar hockey by posting a 1.75 GAA and .932 save percentage over his last 12 starts. As for the Flames, they've improved a bit offensively yet are still at 2.50 goals per game.
Pyotr Kochetkov, CAR at PHI ($8,200): The Hurricanes are tricky to figure out as they carry three goalies who can all start. And with Saturday being the first leg of a back-to-back, the picture gets even cloudier. If Carolina's wise, it'll tell Frederik Andersen it's been real and ride with Kochetkov and Brandon Bussi, but we shall see. The Hurricanes have allowed a league-low 24.3 shots per game while the Flyers are bottom-10 in goals and shots. You'll have to see who actually gets Saturday's start, but you can use any of the three - even if it's Andersen (and hopefully it isn't).
John Gibson, DET at CHI ($7,900): For what it's worth, Gibson has picked up a win in each of his last four starts while only giving up three goals on 76 shots from his last two. The Blackhawks don't have a terrible offense, though it's below average. And since they're the only club on a second straight night, I figured it was worth grabbing the goalie projected to go against them.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Dylan Strome, WAS at WPG ($6,000): Strome has tallied 23 points even with a 12.5 shooting percentage, which would be his lowest in Washington and not as good as some of his time with Chicago. And he still skates next to Alex Ovechkin on the first line and the top power play. The Jets are on the fringes of the bottom-10 for allowing shots and killing penalties. Connor Hellebuyck has entered the "not ruled out entirely" realm of returning, yet that's far away from "good to go".
Matthew Knies, TOR vs. EDM ($5,900): Logging the most minutes of his career (over 20 per game), Knies has notched 28 points. I mentioned the Oilers earlier, and I of course was alluding to the trade bringing in Tristan Jarry. But with them also playing Sunday, I assume Jarry will get time to adjust to his new surroundings, leaving Calvin Pickard to start Saturday and he's significantly struggled this season with an .851 save percentage.
Artturi Lehkonen, COL vs. NAS ($5,800): With Lehkonen, it's just a matter of staying on the ice. When healthy, he holds down a prominent role on one of the best teams and has produced 27 points overall with a goal in each of his last two outings. The Predators enter with a 3.50 GAA and Juuse Saros has had some better starts of late, though he still lists an .897 save percentage after an .895 last year.
FORWARDS LINE STACKS TO CONSIDER
Red Wings at Blackhawks
Andrew Copp (C - $3,100), Alex DeBrincat (W - $7,700), Patrick Kane (W - $5,600)
The Blackhawks allow plenty of shots and will be on the second leg of a back-to-back. Spencer Knight has been stellar, but Arvid Soderblom carries a career .888 save percentage. He's literally never finished a campaign with a mark over .900, and it's his turn to start Saturday. I've recently been stacking Detroit's second line, and here's another opportunity to do so.
It hasn't been a great season for Copp, though he's recorded six points and 11 shots over his last five games and skating between two excellent wingers should help keep him productive. DeBrincat started the season on a streak of poor luck, but has been on a tear the last month by producing 12 goals and seven assists across 16 appearances with 113 shots overall. Kane, like DeBrincat, is a former Blackhawk. He's gone off for 12 points in his last 11 outings, and that's with a 6.5 shooting percentage.
Golden Knights at Blue Jackets
Jack Eichel (C - $8,400), Ivan Barbashev (W - $3,400), Braeden Bowman (W - $3,000)
The Blue Jackets remain a porous team defensively and have in fact allowed a league-high 31.5 shots per game. And now that Jet Greaves has cooled down with a .907 save percentage, Columbus's GAA is up to 3.48. With the way Vegas distributes talent throughout the lineup, it's fairly easy to combine one of its lines without taking too much of your available salary.
Eichel has accumulated 40 points through 30 matchups with two in each of his last four. Barbashev scored 23 goals last season due to skating next to Eichel and is currently at 11. He's also posted eight points and 22 shots across his last 10. The rookie Bowman joined the Golden Knights a month ago and has done well based on a favorable lineup role with five goals and six assists.
DEFENSEMEN
Shea Theodore, VGK at CLM ($4,800): Theodore has notched 14 points from his last 16 games, including all four of his goals. Just as encouragingly, he's directed 70 shots on target on the campaign. As I noted, the Blue Jackets have given up the most shots, so Theodore will have his opportunities to get pucks on net.
Devon Toews, COL vs. NAS ($3,600): I like Toews as a DFS option as he skates with Cale Makar at even-strength, has regular been a 50-point defender, and his salary isn't as high as Makar's. Toews' bad luck - including a 2.0 shooting percentage - is starting to turn around as he's registered four points and 20 shots from his last seven outings. And as previously noted, Nashville has a 3.50 GAA.
Vladislav Gavrikov, NYR vs. MON ($3,600): Gavrikov was already playing lots of minutes, yet has averaged 24:44 since Adam Fox went down. He can also claim two 30-point seasons and is already at 13. Jacob Fowler, the Habs' 21-year-old "goalie of the future", is now up with the big club and looked stellar in his NHL debut. Will he get another start or will one of Montreal's other (probably worse) goalies receive an opportunity? If I had to guess, the Habs aren't yet ready to regularly use Fowler - and that would be to Gavrikov's benefit.
