This article is part of our FantasyDraft NHL series.
As usual, it's a busy Saturday in the NHL. There are 12 games on the slate, but only 10 includes for daily fantasy purposes. Still, that gives you an abundance of options for your lineup. Some look better on paper than others though, and you will find some of those players below.
GOALIE
Columbus Blue Jackets, CLM vs. LOS ($15,800): After winning the Vezina with a 2.06 GAA and a .931 save percentage last year, Sergei Bobrovsky has a 1.58 GAA and a .946 save percentage this season. The Kings have looked good offensively this year, but last season they only averaged 2.43 goals per game. Jeff Carter is out with an injury, which makes the Kings' offense less formidable.
CENTER
Patrice Bergeron, BOS vs. BUF ($13,900): Bergeron just returned from injury, and he looked no worse for the wear, tallying a goal and three assists in his debut. Last season Bergeron had an "off" year thanks to a bad shooting percentage, but he still netted 21 goals on a whopping 302 shots. The Sabres are on the second night of a back-to-back, and last year they gave up a league-high 34.3 shots on net per game.
Paul Stastny, STL at VGK ($11,300): Stastny is one of those players whose main issues has been staying on the ice. He's healthy now, though, and has eight points (two on the power play) in eight games. Vegas is off to a surprisingly good start, but it is still an expansion team, and with Marc-Andre Fleury out it has to rely on the unproven Malcolm Subban in net.
WING
Brandon Saad, CHI at ARI ($14,000): Upon returning to Chicago, Saad was immediately put on the top line, where he's averaged 19:36 per game in ice time. He's taken advantage of that, tallying six goals and two assists in eight games. The Coyotes have allowed a league-high 4.29 goals per game this year, and last year they gave up 3.15 goals per contest, third most in the NHL.
T.J. Oshie, WAS vs. FLA ($13,100): Both Washington and Florida are on the second night of back-to-backs, but at least Washington gets the benefit of being at home. Roberto Luongo got injured in Friday's game with the Penguins, so James Reimer may have to play his second game in a row. Oshie has been a power-play performer since he was a rookie, and he already has five points with the extra man in eight games. He tallied 30 total power-play points in his first two years in Washington, so there's reason to believe this can continue.
Ondrej Palat, TAM vs. PIT ($9,200): The Penguins played Friday night, and since Matt Murray started that game Antti Niemi will be in the net against the Lightning. That's the same Niemi who had a .892 save percentage last year and a .809 save percentage this season. This looks like a great opportunity for Palat, who has tallied at least 52 points in every season wherein he's played at least 75 games. At this price, Palat is quite enticing.
DEFENSEMEN
Duncan Keith, CHI at ARI ($10,600): Keith doesn't have any goals yet, but he has five assists and 23 shots on goal in eight games. If he keeps shooting this much, the puck will go in eventually. There's a great chance he'll notch some shots against the Coyotes, who have allowed 33.9 shots on goal this year after allowing 34.1 shots on net last season. Arizona also had the 27th-ranked penalty kill last year, and Keith gets plenty of power-play time.
Torey Krug, BOS vs. BUF ($10,600): Krug is off to a slow start, but he's always been strong at getting shots on goal, and also on the power play, so he's liable to turn it around soon. Perhaps this matchup with the Sabres will be when it happens. Last season, on zero days of rest Buffalo gave up 3.32 goals and 35.1 shots on net per contest. They also had the 25th-ranked penalty kill, which plays right into Krug's hands.
