January closes out Saturday with eight NHL games on the slate for DFS purposes. The first puck drops at 7 p.m. EST. Let's end the month on a high note. Here are my lineup recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
There was only one game on Friday, though there's still a team on the second leg of a back-to-back Saturday with the Blue Jackets visiting the Blues.
GOALIES
James Reimer, OTT vs. NJD ($7,700): Linus Ullmark is back in theory, but has yet to be back in practice. I'll go with Reimer at home for the Sens going up against a Devils team averaging 2.61 goals that puts them in the bottom-five. And Jack Hughes is banged up against. He might play, but do you really want to count on that?
Karel Vejmelka, UTA vs. DAL ($7,400): Vejmelka has posted a 2.33 GAA and .913 save percentage during his last 15 outings. The Mammoth have also held opponents to 25.9 shots per game. And though Dallas ranks 11th in goals, it's also bottom-five for shots, so Vejmelka isn't likely to be that busy at home on Saturday.
VALUE PLAYS
John Tavares, TOR at VAN ($6,300): Tavares has notched 45 points. While only seven of those have come on the power play, he's managed at least 20 in each of the last four seasons and still skates on the Leafs' top unit. The Canucks maintain the league's worst penalty kill and highest GAA, so Tavares won't necessarily need man-advantage production to succeed Saturday.
Pavel Buchnevich, STL vs. CLM ($4,700): Buchnevich has only supplied 30 points, though six were posted over his last seven games. And if his 9.6 shooting percentage ever gets near his career 14.2 mark, the scoring should pick up. The Blue Jackets are the only club on the second day of a back-to-back Saturday while sitting bottom-five in shots allowed and penalty-kill percentage.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Islanders vs. Predators
Bo Horvat (C - $7,100), Emil Heineman (W - $4,700), Ondrej Palat (W - $4,000)
The Predators come in with a 3.40 GAA this season. While Juuse Saros is "only" at 3.04, he's been decidedly worst than that for a bit having produced a 3.33 over his last 12 outings and a 3.26 on the road. The Islanders don't have a great offense, yet this matchup is worth creating a stack.
Horvat has tallied 35 points with at least two and eight shots four times since returning from injury. Heineman arrived from Montreal before this season, and it's worked out for him with 15 goals and 118 shots. Palat only just joined the Islanders and has already recorded a goal and assist with four shots through two matchups.
Golden Knights vs. Kraken
Mitch Marner (C - $6,300), Pavel Dorofeyev (W - $6,100), Braeden Bowman (W - $4,500)
The Golden Knights can't stop fiddling with their man-advantage units, though these three have all been on the lead group of late. And two have regularly played there, which is encouraging. I was looking for Vegas power-play performers as Seattle maintains the 31st-ranked penalty kill.
Marner hasn't been in peak form this season, but has posted six two-point efforts from his last 13 outings and 16 PPPs overall. Dorofeyev has potted 24 goals alongside 145 shots, with 13 of those markers coming with the extra man to match last year's haul. Power-play time has been infrequent for Bowman, but there's significant upside if he appears there while he has chipped in with five points during his last nine games.
DEFENSEMEN
Evan Bouchard, EDM vs. MIN ($7,400): Bouchard has been as productive as any defender having directed 148 shots on net while notching 20 power-play points. I mention those two statistics because the Wild - though they boast strong goaltending - are bottom-eight in shots allowed and penalty-kill percentage.
Justin Faulk, STL vs. CLM ($5,700): Faulk has picked up six points across his last eight appearances. Those have all been assists, but he's still potted 11 goals. The Blue Jackets rank 31st in shots allowed, which probably won't be any better on the second night of a back-to-back.
