There’s a lot to sort through Saturday in order to set your NHL DFS lineups. Ten games are taking place during the evening slate, which kicks off at 7 p.m. EDT. To save you some time – maybe you have eggs to dye and hide – here are my players to target, and to avoid, for your lineups.
GOALIE
Jordan Binnington, STL vs. SAN ($29): Obviously, this matchup is a well-worn target at this point, but when things aren’t broken, you don’t fix them and all that. The Sharks are the NHL’s worst team, last in goals per game, but also GAA, making victories for opposing netminders frequent. Binnington’s .912 save percentage would suffice as a level of performance to trust against San Jose, but he’s been a different goalie at home. He has a .922 save percentage in St. Louis.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Joey Daccord, SEA vs. DAL ($24): Daccord has a 2.42 GAA and .917 save percentage, but his success against teams like Anaheim, Arizona, and Washington is not reflective of the kind of circumstances he faces Saturday. Those are three of the worst offenses in the NHL. Dallas is second at 3.65 goals per game.
CENTER
Robert Thomas, STL vs. SAN ($21): I mentioned the Sharks have the league’s worst GAA, but that GAA is specifically 4.01. Allowing four goals per game over the course of an NHL season is remarkable, and I don’t mean that in a positive way. Thomas has set a personal best with 23 goals already, but he’s traditionally a playmaking center, and indeed he has his second 50-assist season of his career. He’ll set up his linemates to score about the woeful Sharks. Works for me.
CENTER TO AVOID
Nazem Kadri, CGY vs. LOS ($20): Kadri has 61 points in 72 games, but on 9.7 percent shooting. He has a career 10.8 shooting percentage and has regularly relied on putting well over 200 shots on net to get over the 20-goal threshold. Well, the Kings have only given up 28.2 shots on net per contest. On top of that, Cam Talbot has a 2.02 GAA and .930 save percentage in his last 14 outings.
WING
Owen Tippett, PHI vs. CHI ($25) Tippett has put a robust 262 pucks on target in 70 games. Chicago has allowed 32.4 shots on net per contest. That would be encouraging as is, but the road team is also starting Arvid Soderblom in net. He has a 4.02 GAA and .875 save percentage. Now THAT is encouraging.
Kyle Palmieri, NYI at TAM ($16): Palmieri had over 20 goals in all five seasons he played with the Devils, but this is his first 20-goal season with the Islanders. Still, 23 goals in 72 games is good for a secondary scoring option. Andrei Vasilevskiy has an .898 save percentage on the season, and he hasn’t even really found his old form. He actually has an .889 save percentage over his last 16 outings.
WINGS TO AVOID
Cole Caufield, MON vs. CAR ($21): Caufield only has one goal in his last 18 games. Now, that’s on 1.4 percent shooting, which obviously will improve. I just wouldn’t bet on that happening against the Hurricanes. The Canes are fourth in GAA, which is quite good, but they are first in shots on net allowed per game and penalty-kill percentage.
Claude Giroux, OTT at WPG ($21): Giroux will be visiting a Jets team with a 2.47 GAA, second best in the NHL. Now, the Jets do have a below-average penalty kill, and in the past that would have been to Giroux’s benefit. However, after some struggles he was dropped to the second power-play unit. He’s averaged 2:27 per game with the extra man only his last 18 outings, and he only has two power-play points in that time.
DEFENSE
Justin Faulk, STL vs. SAN ($20): Faulk has picked up seven assists in his last nine games. On the year he has an 1.7 shooting percentage, which should improve, though time is running out on that front. This matchup could help make that happen. The Sharks have a 4.01 GAA and have given up 35.0 shots on net per contest.
Cam York, PHI vs. CHI ($18): York is playing as the No. 1 defenseman for the Flyers right now. Over his last 16 games he’s averaged 25:11 in ice time, including 2:58 on the power play. That’s helped him tally 10 points, and those 10 points should help him stay in this role. Once Chicago announced Soderblom, with his .875 save percentage, was getting the start, this became a matchup I really wanted to target.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Drew Doughty, LOS at CGY ($19): The Kings are a tough matchup for the Flames, but the inverse is not easy for Doughty either. He’s notched 17 of his 44 points on the power play. However, Calgary has the fifth-ranked penalty kill, so the veteran defenseman could be in trouble up in Canada.
Bowen Byram, BUF vs. TOR ($15): The Sabres are the sole team on the second leg of a back-to-back Saturday. Ilya Samsonov is starting for the Maple Leafs, and while he hasn’t been stellar on the season, he has a 2.66 GAA and .915 save percentage over his last seven starts. Also, while the Maple Leafs have a below-average penalty kill, Byram doesn’t get to play a ton on the power play with Rasmus Dahlin around.
