This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
Saturday's NHL main slate is filled with exciting action, as there are 10 games on the docket 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
The Capitals will be this slate's biggest favorites at home against the Devils, but other strong sources of value include the Canadiens (in Ottawa), Hurricanes (vs. Los Angeles), Lightning (in Philadelphia) and Blues (vs. the Rangers). There are plenty of directions in which to take your lineup with so many viable choices available.
GOALIES
Whomever the Capitals choose between Braden Holtby ($8,200) and Ilya Samsonov ($8,200) will be the chalk play in net at home against New Jersey's bottom-three offense.
Robin Lehner ($8,000) has performed admirably behind a porous Blackhawks defense, going 12-7-4 with a .922 save percentage. He should capitalize on a favorable home matchup against a Ducks team that's scoring the second-fewest goals per game (2.48) after being shut out at home by the Stars on Thursday.
James Reimer ($7,600) should start the second leg of Carolina's back-to-back after Petr Mrazek shut out the Coyotes on Friday. Reimer will bring a 9-6-0 record, 2.77 GAA and .910 save percentage into a home date with a Kings team that's scoring just 2.57 goals per game.
Both Ben Bishop ($8,900, 2.24 GAA, .928 save percentage) and Anton Khudobin ($8,300, 2.13 GAA, .933 save percentage) are having outstanding seasons in net for the Stars. Whichever netminder gets the call will be a strong option against a Sharks team that ranks sixth from the bottom offensively at 2.65 goals per game and will be without leading scorer Logan Couture (ankle).
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Artemi Panarin ($8,500) could pay major dividends as an against-the-grain GPP option in St. Louis. The Rangers' star winger has been largely matchup-proof recently, scoring three or more points in five of his last seven games.
Tomas Tatar ($6,400) leads the Canadiens across the board in goals (16), assists (22) and points (38) through 45 games. The Slovak winger has a nice opportunity to add to his team-high totals against a defensively challenged and tired Senators team that will be playing its second game in as many nights.
Reilly Smith ($5,400) has lit the lamp in three straight games and four of five for the Golden Knights, throwing 17 pucks on net in these past five contests. The winger should stay hot against a Blue Jackets team that's missing starting netminder Joonas Korpisalo (knee) while making the rounds on a West coast road trip.
With an assist Friday, Andrei Svechnikov ($6,000) pulled into Carolina's team points lead with an 18-24-42 line in 44 games. The second overall selection from the 2018 draft has a great opportunity to build on his tremendous sophomore campaign against a visiting Kings team that's just 7-14-3 on the road.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Capitals vs. Devils
Nicklas Backstrom (C - $6,600), Alex Ovechkin (W - $8,800), Tom Wilson (W - $4,700)
This one could get ugly for the Devils, who are giving up the second-most goals per game (3.49) after being outscored 15-8 in their past three games. Washington's top line is ready to pounce on the favorable matchup, as Ovechkin has a 26-16-42 line in 45 games, Backstrom's at 9-15-34 in 37 games and Wilson's at 13-17-30 in 44.
Lightning at Flyers
Brayden Point (C - $7,100), Nikita Kucherov (W - $8,300), Steven Stamkos (W - $8,600)
These teams are trending in opposite directions. The Lightning have won nine in a row, outscoring their last two opponents by a dominant 13-2 margin. Meanwhile, the Flyers have dropped four of five, and you have to go back to Dec. 23 to find the last time they outscored an opponent by more than one goal. Tampa Bay has put its three best players back on the same line after spreading them out for much of the season, and the recent results have been wonderful. Point's 5-9-14 line during the nine-game winning streak has him up to a point per game through 40. Kucherov has added a 5-7-12 line over that span to bring his season mark to 17-32-49 in 42 contests, while Stamkos has a 4-10–14 line during the winning streak and a 17-27-44 output in 40 games overall.
Blues vs. Rangers
Robert Thomas (C - $4,400), Tyler Bozak (W - $4,200), Alexander Steen (W - $3,500)
New York has leaked chances all season, which is why the Rangers are allowing 3.30 goals per game despite getting good goaltending. The Blues' affordable third line has been hot recently, so its members are in position to capitalize on New York's poor defensive play. Thomas could be taking the next step in his development right before our eyes, as the 2017 first-rounder has a 4-4-8 line in his last seven games. Bozak has a 5-3-8 line over that same seven-game stretch, while Steen owns a 2-3-5 line over an active three-game point streak.
DEFENSEMEN
Esa Lindell ($4,000) has been in the giving spirit recently, dishing out eight helpers in the past five games, with at least one assist in each of those games. He should keep this streak going against a Sharks team that ranks among the league's 10 most generous defensively.
If you grab the affordable Blues line above, that should leave you more than enough money to add Alex Pietrangelo ($6,300) to the stack. Pietrangelo's 12-23-35 line through 45 games has him five points away from reaching 40 for the eighth time in the past 10 seasons.
If you believe in riding the hot hand, then the Rangers' Anthony DeAngelo ($5,100) is worth locking in despite the daunting matchup in St. Louis. DeAngelo scored three goals and two assists in his last game, raising his season line to 11-25-36 in 43 games.
If you don't have the funds for Montreal's Shea Weber ($6,200), fellow Canadiens blueliner Jeff Petry ($5,100) is a nice consolation prize against Ottawa. Petry has played well of late, with a 3-7-10 line over his past 10 games.
