Saturday is a massive day for the NHL. There are 13 games on the docket in the evening. That’s a ton of hockey, which means a bunch of options for your DFS lineups. To try and help you sift through your choices, here are the players I’d target, and avoid, on the DFS front Saturday.
GOALIE
Marc-Andre Fleury, MIN vs. ARI ($32): It seems like the Wild may be getting into a goalie rotation between Fleury and Filip Gustavsson, and if so, Fleury is up. He’s been strong recently, posting a 2.38 GAA and .925 save percentage over his last seven starts. The Coyotes have managed a mere 25.1 shots on net per contest, fewest in the NHL. Fleury likely won’t be busy, which makes it easier to keep his numbers strong. Of course, keep an eye on this one to make sure who is starting for the Wild, because either goalie is worth rostering, but only if they are actually on the ice.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Matt Murray, TOR at BOS ($34): The Maple Leafs also use both of their goalies fairly often, but unlike the Coyotes, this is a matchup that a goalie like Murray would probably prefer to avoid. The Bruins have averaged 3.76 goals and 34.3 shots on net per contest, the former of which ranks second in the NHL.
CENTER
Dylan Larkin, DET vs. CLM ($23): Larkin has two points in each of his last two games, giving him 37 points in 39 contests. Tyler Bertuzzi is back on his one wing, while a surging Lucas Raymond is on the other. The Blue Jackets rank 31st in GAA and shots on net per game, providing another matchup for Larkin to potentially exploit to the tune of multiple points.
CENTER TO AVOID
Sidney Crosby, PIT at CAR ($31): With so many options out there, I hesitate to dish out for a salary like Crosby’s. For starters, the Penguins are one of only three teams on the second leg of a back-to-back. On top of that, the Hurricanes have a 2.71 GAA and have allowed a paltry 26.0 shots on net per game, which is the fewest in the NHL.
WING
Sam Reinhart, FLA vs. VAN ($17): Last season, his first with the Panthers, Reinhart averaged 3:21 per game on the power play and had a whopping 31 power-play points. Well this year he’s up to 4:02 per game with the extra man and has 12 power-play points in 43 games. The Canucks have the league’s worst penalty kill, making this an ideal scenario for Reinhart.
Seth Jarvis, CAR vs. PIT ($17): Jarvis hasn’t so much had a sophomore slump as a total loss of puck luck. His 7.4 percent shooting is a steep drop from the 15.5 percent mark he posted as a rookie. Jarvis has put 94 shots on goal through 42 games and plays on Sebastian Aho’s wing. I think he can turn it around. The Penguins aren’t just on a back-to-back, they are missing Tristan Jarry. Casey DeSmith will likely be in net, and he has a 3.18 GAA and .904 save percentage.
WINGS TO AVOID
William Nylander, TOR at BOS ($27): Like Reinhart, Nylander had 31 points on the power play last year. However, his matchup Saturday is strikingly different. The Bruins are first in penalty-kill percentage, and in fact first in GAA in general.
Cole Caufield, MON at NYI ($19): Caufield only has nine assists this season, but when you have 25 goals in 42 games you can get away with that. However, Caufield’s 17.4 percent shooting is pretty lofty, and out of step with his performance prior to this season. Ilya Sorokin has been one of the best goalies in the NHL, posting a 2.29 GAA and .926 save percentage. He could keep Caufield in check.
DEFENSE
Brandon Montour, FLA vs. VAN ($19): Montour has slowed down on the power play, but he still has 13 points with the extra man on the season. Besides, he has 12 points in his last 14 games, even though only three of them have come on the power play. The Canucks have the league’s worst penalty kill, but that’s not the only reason they have a 3.95 GAA.
Noah Dobson, NYI vs. MON ($18): This is a chance for Dobson, who has gone a bit cold, to get back on track. On the season, he’s 25 points and 118 shots on net through 43 games. The Canadiens have a 3.79 GAA and have given up 33.7 shots on goal per contest, which is why I think Dobson can make like he did in December, when he had eight points in 13 games.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Morgan Rielly, TOR at BOS ($19): Here is how good the Bruins have been defensively. They have a 2.15 GAA. The Stars, in second, have a 2.58 GAA. Dallas is closer to Tampa than Boston, and Tampa ranks 15th in GAA. So yeah, not loving Rielly’s chances of getting on the scoresheet Saturday.
Justin Faulk, STL vs. TAM ($17): Faulk only has one point in his last seven games, and scoring against Andrei Vasilevskiy is a tough task right now. Over his last 18 appearances, which is more than half of his outings, the perennial Vezina candidate has a 2.17 GAA and .929 save percentage.
