This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
Saturday's main NHL slate begins at 7:00 PM Eastern time and features nine games. Below, you'll find an overview of the matchups and suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
There are a few lopsided matchups between quality playoff contenders and bottom-feeders to take advantage of, including Canadiens-Kings, Penguins-Blackhawks and Coyotes-Wild, with the favorites also benefiting from home-ice advantage in each case. Those aren't the only sources of value here, as a number of other conventional and unconventional options stand out from the pack in this robust slate.
GOALIES
Darcy Kuemper ($8,400) will bring a 1.82 GAA and .937 save percentage through 11 starts into this home tilt against Minnesota's bottom-10 offense.
Pavel Francouz ($7,400) has slid into the No. 1 role in Colorado with Philipp Grubauer (lower body) on the mend. The slumbering Avalanche offense awakened with nine goals in support of Francouz in Thursday's win over Nashville, and a home matchup with a Blue Jackets team that's lost five of six offers a nice opportunity to get right back into the win column. Only the Red Wings average fewer goals per game than Columbus' 2.38.
The Kings have a bottom-five offense to go with the second-worst defense in the league, so Carey Price ($8,600) should be worth paying up for against them.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Alex Ovechkin ($9,000) has recorded two goals and at least eight shots on three separate occasions over the past six games. His unparalleled upside relative to other wingers makes him worth paying up for at home against Vegas.
Nick Schmaltz ($5,000) easily leads the Coyotes with 14 points through 16 games, while none of his teammates have mustered more than 10. The 23-year-old center has a great opportunity to keep his breakout campaign rolling against a Wild team that's been outscored 57-42 through 16 games.
Owners looking to strike gold with an against-the-grain play should consider Eric Staal ($6,400) against Kuemper and the Coyotes. Staal is one of the league's hottest skaters, bringing a six-game point steak into this one, as well as six goals and seven assists in his last nine games.
Staying in the same vein, Ottawa's Anthony Duclair ($4,200) is rolling with five goals, seven points and 25 shots in his last seven games. A Hurricanes team that comes in having lost three consecutive games while being outscored 13-6 in that span might not be able to slow Duclair down.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Predators at Sharks
Ryan Johansen (C - $5,700), Filip Forsberg (W - $7,409), Viktor Arvidsson (W - $6,900)
This line is a major factor behind why the Predators are tied with the Capitals for the league's best offense at 4.00 goals per game. Meanwhile, the Sharks are languishing as the league's fourth-worst defensive team with 3.71 goals allowed per game. Johansen and Arvidsson boast 2-11-13 and 6-6-12 lines, respectively, through 16 games. Forsberg has dressed for only 10 contests, yet he already has seven goals and five assists. Johansen has reached the 60-point mark in five of the previous six seasons while the wingers combined for 62 goals despite missing 42 games between them last season, so there's little reason for this line to slow down now that the trio is healthy.
Canadiens vs. Kings
Phillip Danault (C - $5,300), Brendan Gallagher (W - $7,300), Tomas Tatar (W - $6,400)
Montreal's top line should capitalize on this favorable matchup against a Kings team that's giving up 3.94 goals per game — more than any other team in this slate. Gallagher and Tatar are tied for the team lead with 13 points apiece, while Danault has added a 5-5-10 line through 16 games. The two wingers also rank first and second on the team in shots, with 60 (Gallagher) and 43 (Tatar).
Penguins vs. Blackhawks
Evgeni Malkin (C - $7,800), Bryan Rust (W - $3,800), Alex Galchenyuk (W - $4,900)
Each member of this line has been limited by injuries, but they're all healthy now and heating up. Malkin's coming off his first multi-point game of the season in Thursday's win over the Islanders. Rust has a 4-2-6 line in five games and has at least a point in every game. Galchenyuk is still finding his footing but topped 40 points in each of the past five seasons prior to joining Pittsburgh this past offseason. A Blackhawks team that's won only five of 15 games is unlikely to slow this line down.
DEFENSEMEN
Dougie Hamilton ($6,500) has perhaps the highest upside of any defenseman in this slate. He leads the Hurricanes with 17 points and ranks among the league's top three defensemen in goals (seven), points and shots (50). Don't expect the lowly Senators to slow him down.
Michal Kempny ($3,900) has 10 points in nine games played for the Capitals. That rate of 1.11 points per game ranks second among defensemen behind teammate John Carlson's 1.53, narrowly edging out Hamilton and Roman Josi, each at 1.06. While Kempny likely won't continue producing at this rate, he can be had for just $3,900 while the three aforementioned options all cost at least $6,500.
Ivan Provorov ($5,000) isn't priced like a top-tier defenseman, but he's producing like one with a 3-7-10 line through 15 games. The 22-year-old Russian has six points on the power play as the quarterback for the top unit, and Provorov's showing no signs of slowing down with a goal, two assists and 12 shots over his past three games. He's a nice option in what should be a high-scoring affair against Toronto.
Cale Makar ($4,700) remains an absolute steal at his current valuation. The rookie Avalanche blueliner has 15 points and 29 shots through 16 games, and he gets a plus matchup against Columbus.
