Here we go! It’s the first Saturday of the NHL season, and it’s a proper Saturday of hockey. There are 12 games starting at 7 p.m. EDT or later. You have a lot of options to sift through, so here are my players to target, and to avoid, for your DFS lineups.
GOALIE
Alexandar Georgiev, COL at SAN ($39): Georgiev picked up where he left off last season, when he had a 2.53 GAA and .918 save percentage in his first campaign with the Avalanche. In his season debut he made 34 saves on 36 shots against the Kings. San Jose finished 25th in goals per game last year, but now Timo Meier and Erik Karlsson are gone, so the offense could be even worse.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Ilya Sorokin, NYI vs. BUF ($36): The Islanders really had to sit and twiddle their thumbs for a minute, as Saturday’s game against the Sabres is their first. Sorokin has been as good as any goalie in the NHL the last few years, but will he be ready to go in his first start, especially with the Sabres warmed up and also bringing an imposing offense? Buffalo averaged 3.57 goals per game last year, and the young team has more experience under its belt.
CENTER
Chandler Stephenson, VGK vs. ANA ($17): So, Anaheim is going to keep doing the John Gibson thing, huh? He has a .902 save percentage over the last four seasons, and last year the young Ducks allowed a whopping 39.1 shots on net per contest. I expect them to, once again, finish last in terms of team GAA. Stephenson is a solid second-line center, having notched over 60 points in each of his last two seasons and opening this year with a goal and an assist against the Kraken.
CENTER TO AVOID
John Tavares, TOR vs. MIN ($26): Tavares opened the season with three assists, though two came on the power play during a game in which he saw 4:38 of time with the extra man. Also, it was against the Canadiens, who were bad defensively last year and probably will be this year. The Wild, meanwhile, have dark horse Vezina candidate Filip Gustavsson. The hype for Gustavsson comes from his 2.10 GAA and .931 save percentage in 39 games last year, and he opened this season with a 41-save shutout of the Panthers. Keep that hype train rolling!
WING
Jonathan Huberdeau, CGY at PIT ($17): Huberdeau’s first season with the Flames was disappointing, but the 2023-24 campaign is off to a good start. He had two assists in Calgary’s opener, and let’s not forget he totaled 415 points over his final five seasons with Florida. The Penguins may be at home, but they are also the only team on the second leg of a back-to-back. Also, their new backup goalie is Alex Nedeljkovic, who posted a .900 save percentage over the previous two seasons.
Juraj Slafkovsky, MON vs. CHI ($10): Hey, remember Slafkovsky? You know, the first overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. He put up 10 points in 39 games before injury ended his rookie season. Frankly, doing that in your age-18 campaign is impressive. Now healthy again, Slafkovsky had an assist in Montreal’s opener with 15:25 in ice time, including 1:28 on the power play. That’s an improvement. Chicago had a 3.65 GAA last year and allowed 33.6 shots on net per contest, and now have a younger roster.
WINGS TO AVOID
Filip Forsberg, NAS at BOS ($23): Forsberg is healthy, has averaged 20:42 in ice time through two games, and put 11 shots on net. That’s all encouraging, but visiting Boston means pumping the brakes. The Bruins had a 2.12 GAA and the first-ranked penalty kill last year, and this season they employ the same goalies.
Johnny Gaudreau, CLM vs. NYR ($19): Even though he shot 9.5 percent in his first season as a Blue Jacket, Gaudreau managed 74 points. He was still quite good, even in the anonymity of Columbus. Well, there’s no anonymity when you are a Ranger, but that has helped turn Igor Shesterkin into an acclaimed goalie. That, and the fact he has a career .924 save percentage.
DEFENSE
Moritz Seider, DET vs. TAM ($16): Seider’s “sophomore” slump featured 42 points and 190 blocked shots, which speaks to how high a bar he set with his Calder-winning rookie campaign. The expectation, or at least the hope, is that this season is a step forward. He didn’t notch a point in Detroit’s opener at New Jersey, but he played 26:14 with three shots on net and three blocked shots. Remember, Andrei Vasilevskiy is injured right now. Jonas Johansson, who has a career .887 save percentage, is Tampa’s current top goalie.
K’Andre Miller, NYR at CLM ($15): Miller took a legitimate step forward last season, tallying nine goals and 34 assists. In New York’s season opener he played 23:39, including 2:46 on the power play. He had an assist, three shots on goal, and two blocked shots. As for the Blue Jackets, even though they are on their second head coach since the end of last season, much remains the same. Elvis Merzlikins, who had a 4.23 GAA and .876 save percentage last year, is the No. 1 goalie, and Zach Werenski is hurt again for a defense that gave up 35.4 shots on goal per game last season.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Kris Letang, PIT vs. CGY ($22): As I noted, the Penguins are the one team on the second leg of a back-to-back. That’s tricky for a veteran defenseman like Letang with a lot of miles on his legs. While Jacob Markstrom did allow three goals in Calgary’s opener, he made 34 saves on 37 shots. That’s encouraging as he tries to rebound from a disappointing campaign. Plus, even with Markstrom’s troubles, the Flames had the fifth-ranked penalty kill.
Drew Doughty, LOS vs. CAR ($19): Doughty was able to tally 52 points last year, though 27 of them came on the power play. That’s not ideal when you are primed to face the Hurricanes, though. The Bruins got a lot of love for goal prevention last year, and rightfully so, but the Hurricanes were second in GAA, second in penalty-kill percentage, and first in shots on net allowed per game.
