This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
There are 11 games in the NHL on Saturday, but only the nine evening matchups are included in the featured contests at DraftKings. Every team playing tonight is rested, so expect a lot of No. 1 goalies. Here's a quick-hit primer to help with your lineup assembly.
Notable favorites from DraftKings Sportsbook:
Canadiens
Hurricanes
Penguins
Potential high-scoring games:
Flyers-Maple Leafs
Kings-Canadiens
Hurricanes-Senators
Blackhawks-Penguins
Golden Knights-Capitals
Predators-Sharks
GOALIES
The price is steep, but Frederik Andersen ($8,300) is rounding into his November form with three consecutive wins consisting of 98 saves on 103 shots. He's now a career 39-15-7 with a .927 save percentage through 62 November starts, and the Maple Leafs topped the Flyers in Philadelphia last Saturday.
On the flip side of the Toronto-Philadelphia matchup, Carter Hart ($7,100) is priced for profit. He's been solid, and the Maple Leafs have been inconsistent through 17 games.
There's potential for a bounce-back showing from Petr Mrazek ($8,100) Saturday. He's allowed 10 goals through his past three starts for an uncharacteristically low .872 save percentage, but Ottawa remains a favorable opponent for any netminder as they are averaging just 2.7 goals per game.
In the mid-price range, Marc-Andre Fleury ($7,600) and Pekka Rinne ($7,500) head into difficult road matchups, but both veterans are capable of stealing a game in any building in the league. Just note that Washington has won five straight, and Rinne has recorded negative DraftKings points in two of his past three starts.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
After marking the scoresheet in 10 of 13 contests to start the season, Sidney Crosby ($7,400) has now gone three consecutive games without a point, so look for a strong showing against Chicago. And the Blackhawks rank third-last in expected goals against per hour.
Another pivot in an offensive lull, Pierre-Luc Dubois ($5,200) has registered just a single assist through his past three contests. He lands in a potentially soft matchup against the Avs. And even with his recent struggles, Dubois has collected six tallies and five helpers over 16 contests. He's also locked into a top offensive role.
This price is low for Martin Necas ($3,400). He's receiving consistent power-play time and enters with a four-game point streak consisting of a goal, three assists and 10 shots. It definitely doesn't hurt that Ottawa is surrendering the second most expected goals per hour.
Rookies Joel Farabee ($4,400) and Alexander Nylander ($3,900) are both playing in top offensive roles and provide an upside source of cap relief. Potential standalones are Auston Matthews ($8,100) and Nathan MacKinnon ($8,000). Matthews has recorded five goals, four helpers and 25 shots through his past seven contests, and MacKinnon is coming off a four-point showing.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
With consecutive multi-point games, Timo Meier ($5,200) is back on track after a cool start to the year. Linemate Tomas Hertl ($6,600) has been producing all season, and Barclay Goodrow ($3,200) helps the cap hit stay low. Additionally, while it's a small sample, the trio has driven possession with a 68.6 Corsi For percentage while generating 6.02 expected goals for per 60 minutes at five-on-five.
During Washington's five-game winning streak, Evgeny Kuznetsov ($5,800), Tom Wilson ($5,200) and Jakub Vrana ($5,700) have recorded a dominant 54.6 Corsi For percentage and scored 9.8 goals per hour at five-on-five. Considering the manageable cap hit, the trio is definitely worth a look.
The prices are creeping into prohibitive territory, Sebastian Aho ($6,900), Andrei Svechnikov ($6,800) and Warren Foegele ($3,700) continue to dominant opponents. They've clicked for an elite 21.1 high-danger scoring chances per 60 minutes and a 62.6 Corsi For percentage at five-on-five for the campaign. As noted, this should also be a soft matchup against Ottawa.
DEFENSEMEN
With Kris Letang ($6,000) sidelined for the foreseeable future, look for Justin Schultz ($4,700) to slide into a familiar role quarterbacking the No. 1 power-play unit. Schultz has posted a respectable one goal and six assists through 16 games playing second fiddle, but his upside skyrockets with Letang out. Don't forget, Schultz recorded 51 points — 20 of the power-play variety — during the 2016-17 campaign when Letang was limited to 41 games.
Considering Cale Makar's ($4,900) 2.92 points per hour rank second among all regular defensemen, his salary stands out as a bargain. He's also been consistent with a scoresheet appearance in 12 of 16 games this year.
Tyson Barrie ($4,400) is too talented not to begin producing more offense. His current 0.81 points per 60 minutes is notably lower than the 2.15 mark he posted over the previous two years, and he continues to log big minutes with 21:50 including 2:19 on the power play.
Another power-play specialist poised for statistical correction, Zach Werenski ($4,600) has recorded 0.95 points per 60 minutes this season after posting a 1.45 mark through his first three seasons in the league. The Avs should prove to be a favorable matchup with losses in four of five and 22 goals allowed during the skid.
There are a number of cost-effective options projected to receive power-play time with Shayne Gostisbehere ($3,900), Erik Gustafsson ($3,600), Dmitry Orlov ($3,300) and Mario Ferraro ($2,500) leading the way.
