This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
With 11 games on tap for Saturday night, there are plenty of options to consider for your FanDuel lineups. I've sorted through all of the games and found some of my favorite value options that should be productive in their respective matchups:
Goalie
Roberto Luongo, FLA vs CHI ($8,000): Outside of one subpar performance last Sunday, Luongo has been stellar since the first week of November by averaging 32.88 fantasy points per game. He's seeing plenty of shots (36.64 per game, most in the league), and should expect some offensive support in this matchup as the Panthers average 3.90 goals at home, sixth-most in the league. Luongo is a solid value with a safe floor and incredibly high upside against a Blackhawks team averaging just 2.55 goals on the road.
Center
Ryan O'Reilly, BUF at MTL ($5,600): With Buffalo heading to Montreal, O'Reilly gets to face a team he's had success again in the past. Over 17 career contests against the Canadiens, he has picked up five goals and 10 assists. The Sabres second-line center has points in three of his last five and is seeing a lot of power-play time on the top unit. The Canadiens have also allowed the most fantasy points to centers over the last four weeks with 17 goals and 23 assists.
William Karlsson, VGK at ARI ($5,700): At this salary, Karlsson is currently one of the hottest players and he falls into a great matchup. Over his last four appearances, the Swede has amassed six goals and two assists. The Coyotes have allowed 15 goals and 24 assists to centers over the last four weeks, making them the fourth-worst fantasy defense against the position over that time. It appears the Golden Knights found a gem in Karlsson after Columbus chose not to protect him in the offseason.
Wing
Ondrej Palat, TB at PIT ($4,900): With two goals and an assist in his last three games, Palat comes in with a great salary in a game that should see some fireworks. In his last five against the Penguins, he has racked up one goal and four assists. He skates on the second line with Brayden Point and Yanni Gourde, with all three seeing action on the second power-play unit together. Palat makes for a good value option, but consider stacking this line for maximum upside.
Brendan Perlini, ARI vs VGK ($3,600): There aren't many players in this range that we can generally feel great about of late, but Perlini is one of them. He has notched goals in three straight games and regularly skates on the first line, averaging over 15 minutes in his last four. Further increasing Perlini's upside has been the three minutes of power-play time he's seen in each contest during that span.
Jake Guentzel, PIT vs TB ($5,900): Guentzel is another value play from the Penguins Lightning contest that should see a lot of goals. Over his last four games, he has netted four goals and is averaging over three shots, which is well above his season average. In three career matchups against Tampa Bay, Guentzel has two goals and an assist. He has also received a recent boost by skating on the second line with Phil Kessel and Riley Sheahan, the latter filling in for the injured Evgeni Malkin.
Defense
Rasmus Ristolainen, BUF at MTL ($5,000): Ristolainen returned on Friday after a long injury layoff with a bang. He looked to be back at full strength skating over 27 minutes, dishing two assists, firing five shots on goal, and blocking six others. His salary is considered a value at just $5,000, matching the lowest it's been all season. The Canadiens have allowed plenty production to defensemen and Ristolainen provides a high floor based on his ice time and ability to rack up fantasy points at both ends of the ice.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson, ARI vs VGK ($5,200): Ekman-Larsson is starting to get his game going with points in four straight. Over that span, he has two goals – both of which have come on the power play – and three assists. He's also averaging over three shots on goal during this stretch and hasn't seen his salary move. Vegas has allowed six goals and 25 assists to defensemen over their last 12 outings, including a goal and assist on Friday each to Brent Burns and Marc-Edouard Vlasic.
