This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
Saturday's NHL main slate offers plenty of selection, with eight 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
There are a few lopsided matchups to take advantage of here, as the Panthers' explosive offense is set to dominate the lowly Red Wings, while the defensively oriented Blue Jackets should stifle the Devils. The Canucks, Flyers and Predators should all be good sources of value as well in their respective home matchups against the Sharks, Kings and Sabres.
GOALIES
There are some enticing low-cost goalie options available in this slate, which should help free up the funds to pursue expensive difference-makers at other positions.
Elvis Merzlikins ($7,600) continues to thrive since getting thrust into Columbus' starting role, going 7-2-0 with 15 goals allowed in his last nine starts. His strong run should continue against a bottom-10 Devils offense that's scoring just 2.64 goals per game.
If neither Sergei Bobrovsky (upper body) or Chris Driedger (groin) are ready to play, Samuel Montembeault ($7,000) would be in line for the start in Florida's net against the lowly Red Wings. If he gets the call, Montembeault should provide excellent value at just $7,000 considering Detroit averages a league-low 2.13 goals per game and is playing for the second time in as many nights.
The Flyers are one of the league's best home teams (15-4-4), while the Kings are among the worst on the road (7-16-4). If both of those trends continue, Brian Elliott ($7,000) would likely be the primary beneficiary as the likely starter in Philadelphia's net.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Auston Matthews ($8,600) was stoned on all nine of his shots by Calgary's David Rittich on Thursday, but Toronto's superstar center still has 15 goals in his last 14 games and will be looking to add to that total at home against a middling Blackhawks team.
The Blackhawks-Maple Leafs game could turn high-scoring for both sides considering Toronto scores the second-most goals per game (3.60) and gives up the ninth-most (3.23). Chicago's best source of offense by far is Patrick Kane ($7,900), who's on a roll coming into this one. Kane has a 4-9-13 line over an active eight-game point streak and a 24-36-60 line in 48 games overall.
Paul Stastny ($5,000) is surging after a slow start for the Golden Knights, as the veteran center has produced a 3-4-7 line over his past seven games. He has a nice opportunity to keep rolling in Montreal, as Canadiens goalie Carey Price has an .896 save percentage at the Bell Centre.
Emil Bemstrom ($3,000) has a modest three-game point streak in the works, lighting the lamp twice in that stretch. Given his recent form, Columbus' rookie winger makes for an enticing affordable lineup filler against a Devils team that's allowing the second-most goals per game in the league (3.49).
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Panthers at Red Wings
Aleksander Barkov (C - $7,400), Jonathan Huberdeau (W - $7,400), Evgenii Dadonov (W - $6,300)
This one's about as obvious as it gets, with this high-powered Panthers offense likely to tear apart a league-worst Red Wings team that's playing its second game in as many nights. This trio holds the top three spots on Florida's team points list this season, as Huberdeau sports an 18-44-62 line, Barkov's at 14-36-50 and Dadonov owns a 20-17-37 line.
Canucks vs. Sharks
Elias Pettersson (C - $7,300), J.T. Miller (W - $5,700), Jake Virtanen (W - $3,800)
The Canucks' recent line reshuffling gave their offense more balance, and this trio is the most dangerous line to come out of that move. Pettersson leads the team in both goals (21) and points (50) through 48 games. Miller ranks second on Vancouver in points with 45, and his 16 goals have him in a three-way tie for second, along with Brock Boeser and Bo Horvat. The affordable Virtanen has a 14-12-26 line, with half of those 14 goals coming in the past 16 games. This trio should shine against a Sharks team that's surrendering 3.31 goals per game.
Predators vs. Sabres
Nick Bonino (C - $3,600), Viktor Arvidsson (W - $6,200), Rocco Grimaldi (W - $3,700)
Arvidsson's demotion to the third line makes this an interesting value unit on home ice against a Sabres team that's just 8-13-4 on the road. The Swedish winger has dressed for 34 games this season, managing 11 goals — a disappointing total for a guy coming off three consecutive seasons between 29 and 34 goals, including 34 goals in just 58 games last season. Bonino is tied for second on the team with 14 goals and Grimaldi has played well of late with a 2-3-5 line in his past seven games, so perhaps skating with these guys will help Arvidsson rediscover his scoring touch.
DEFENSEMEN
Ivan Provorov ($5,400) has been Philadelphia's most dangerous option with the extra man, leading the team with six power-play goals while ranking second behind Travis Konecny's 15 with 13 points on the man advantage. This home matchup against the Kings' bottom-five, 74.5 percent penalty kill presents a great opportunity for Provorov to build on his power-play success.
Rasmus Dahlin's ($4,800) bread is buttered on the power play — 13 of his 27 points this season have come with the extra man. This matchup with Nashville's 30th-ranked, 73.1 percent penalty kill is thus a good time to lock in the first overall selection from the 2018 draft.
A Panthers stack should include Keith Yandle ($5,000) who leads the team's defensemen with 34 points, 18 of which have come on the power play. Not only are the visiting Red Wings the NHL's worst defensive team overall with 3.83 goals allowed per game, but they also have the league's most generous penalty kill at 72.6 percent.
John Klingberg ($5,600) was held without a point in his last game but still has nine points in his last eight appearances. The Dallas blueliner should get right back on the scoresheet against a Wild team that's allowing 3.34 goals per game.
