This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
Saturday's main NHL slate is a large one, with 12 games on tap after 7:00 PM Eastern time. Below, you'll find an overview of the matchups and suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
With so many options to choose from, there are naturally plenty of outstanding matchups to exploit. The two most vulnerable teams to game plan against continue to be the Devils and Kings, with the Hurricanes and Blackhawks, respectively, set to face those defensively challenged clubs. Other teams that stand to benefit from weak opposition are the Blues in Minnesota and Bruins at home against Ottawa.
GOALIES
There has been a clear-cut bottom tier offensively thus far in the NHL, with four teams potting fewer than 2.40 goals per game: the Stars, Blackhawks, Red Wings and Wild.
A pair of high-pedigree goaltenders who got off to less than stellar starts have found their groove of late and are set to keep rolling against members of this aforementioned list. Carey Price's ($8,500) Canadiens will travel to Dallas, while Sergei Bobrovsky's ($8,300) Panthers are set to host a Red Wings team that's playing its second game in as many nights.
Jake Allen ($7,400) is likely to tend the twine in this second leg of St. Louis' back-to-back after Jordan Binnington played Friday. While Allen has allowed four goals in each of his two appearances this season, he should be sharper in Minnesota.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Riding the momentum of a two-goal, one-assist effort — including the buzzer-beating, highlight reel overtime winner — Thursday in Nashville, Matthew Tkachuk ($6,300) has a golden opportunity to deliver another strong performance when his Flames travel to Columbus. Blue Jackets netminder Joonas Korpisalo has allowed 19 goals in his past five starts, with no fewer than three pucks crossing the line in each, while Tkachuk leads the Flames with 43 shots and is tied for the team lead with 13 points.
Elias Pettersson ($7,100) won the Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie last season, and he has gotten his sophomore campaign off to a great start with a team-high 18 points through 13 games. The Swede's productive ways should continue against a reeling Sharks team that's been outscored 17-6 during its four-game losing streak.
Alex Tuch ($4,600) didn't take long to make an impact, as he scored a goal on three shots in his season debut Thursday after previously sitting out due to an undisclosed injury. Now healthy, the 23-year-old Golden Knights winger could see his price start to climb before long. Lock Tuch in at home against the Jets, as he showcased plenty of offensive skill last season with 20 goals and 52 points in 74 games.
Placed on the top line in the wake of Vladimir Tarasenko's shoulder injury, Sammy Blais ($4,100) rewarded that decision with a goal in Wednesday's game. The affordable winger was held off the scoresheet Friday but is still an enticing option at his affordable valuation against a Blue Jackets team that's struggled to keep the puck out of its net of late.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Bruins vs. Senators
Patrice Bergeron (C - $7,500), David Pastrnak (W - $9,200), Brad Marchand (W - $8,700)
This line continues to outplay its pricey combined valuation, and the sky's the limit for these three elite forwards at home against a Senators team that allowed the most goals in the league last season and is off to a 3-7-1 start. Bergeron's point-per-game pace (5-7-12) through 12 games is the weakest of the group, but he's heated up with three goals and an assist in the past two games. Pastrnak's 12 goals are tied for the league lead and he has 12 assists to boot. Marchand has an 11-game point streak running and a gaudy 7-14-21 line.
Blackhawks at Kings
David Kampf (C - $3,500), Patrick Kane (W - $7,900), Dominik Kubalik (W - $3,600)
Chicago's offense has been mired in a rut thus far, but facing a Kings team that's allowing a league-high 4.15 goals per game should be just what the Blackhawks need to get going. This line features the team's best player as well as a pair of affordable options who can allow you to spend big elsewhere. Kane's tied for the team lead with three goals while leading outright with six assists and nine points through 11 games, and he's capable of much more coming off a 110-point season. Kubalik's 30 shots rank third on the team behind just Kane's 35 and Alex DeBrincat's 32, while Kampf has multiple shots in all but one game and scored on his lone shot in Chicago's first meeting with the Kings.
Hurricanes vs. Devils
Sebastian Aho (C - $6,900), Andrei Svechnikov (W - $5,700), Warren Foegele (W - $3,200)
The Devils are the only team besides the Kings giving up more than four goals per game, and this line is best positioned to add to those struggles with both teams finishing off back-to-back sets. Aho got off to a slow start after last year's 83-point campaign, but he delivered two goals and an assist Friday and is a bargain at his $6,900 valuation. Svechnikov has been Carolina's most productive forward this season and he's starting to live up to the hype as the second overall selection from the 2018 draft with five goals in the last three games. Foegele's an affordable option to round out this line, but his 5-4-9 line in 15 postseason games last year suggests he has more to offer offensively than he's shown so far this season.
DEFENSEMEN
Dougie Hamilton ($6,500) is in the top five among defensemen in goals (six), points (16) and shots (37), so he should thrive against the defensively challenged Devils.
If you're looking for a cheap option on the blue line, Toronto's Cody Ceci ($3,700) fits the bill nicely. Ceci's expected to skate on the top defensive pairing with Morgan Rielly with Jake Muzzin (personal) sitting out. That role should lead to plenty of opportunities against a Flyers team that's yielded 22 goals in its last four games.
The only Bruin besides the top line with more than five points this season is Torey Krug ($5,800) with nine. Whether you add him to the star-studded forward trio or substitute him in for a member to save salary cap space, Krug is a necessary member of a stack against the Senators.
The Blues are likely to handle a Wild team that has been outscored 45-30 through 13 games, and St. Louis' captain should play a critical role. Alex Pietrangelo ($6,000) sports a 5-5-10 line through 14 games, putting him on pace to top 50 points for the fourth time in his career.
