This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
There are nine NHL games Saturday, with the first two kicking off at 1:00 PM ET. Normally, FanDuel would have contests featuring all nine games, but not today. However, the two afternoon games are interesting to me as they feature the Senators and Flyers, who own the two highest GAAs in the NHL. As such, I have decided to break from the norm, and I will recommend players for both the two-game early slate and the seven-game evening slate. Whichever slate you go with, some of these players can help.
GOALIE
Mikko Koskinen, EDM at LOS ($8,100): Koskinen endured a few rough starts after being one of the surprises of the early days of the season, but rebounded with 29 saves on 30 shots in his last outing. The Finn now has a 2.52 GAA and .919 save percentage in his return to the NHL after a stint in Russia. Somehow, the Kings have only scored 2.21 goals per game, which certainly is encouraging from Koskinen's perspective.
CENTER
Aleksander Barkov, FLA vs. CLM ($7,200): Barkov has notched 41 points in 39 games, including 19 in his last 15 contests. He's also averaged a whopping 3:52 per game with the extra man, which helps his fantasy potential. Meanwhile, the Blue Jackets are on the road for the second game of a back-to-back. Since Sergei Bobrovsky played Friday night, Joonas Korpisalo with a 3.49 GAA and a .884 save percentage will likely be in net for this one.
Charlie Coyle, MIN at OTT ($5,500): Coyle has been on his game recently, with a point in each of his last three contests. As I noted in the intro, the Senators are in the bottom two in team GAA. They are actually last, because they've posted a woeful 3.98 GAA this season.
WING
Elias Lindholm, CGY at PHI ($6,700): Lindholm has tallied seven points in his last three games, giving him 48 points in 42 games. That's already a career high in points, and he can thank his linemates Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan for that. The Flyers come in with a 3.63 GAA, and even vaunted prospect Carter Hart has begun his NHL career with an .899 save percentage.
Josh Bailey, NYI at STL ($6,000): Bailey is shooting a bit less this year, and he's had some issues with scoring goals. But on the other hand, he has recorded 23 assists on the season – including eight in his last 12 contests. He's also added 10 points with the extra man after registering 31 last year. The last 11 starts for St. Louis' goalie Jake Allen haven't gone well, posting a 3.10 GAA and .894 save percentage during that time.
Jordan Greenway, MIN at OTT ($3,300): Greenway has started 56.7 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, most on the Wild. The point totals haven't necessarily been there for the rookie with 12 through 38 games, but this is a great matchup. After all, the Senators have a 3.98 GAA and have given up 37.6 shots on net per contest. It feels smart to target Wild players if you can, and Greenway looks interesting if you want somebody cheap.
DEFENSE
Jake Gardiner, TOR vs. VAN ($4,600):Morgan Rielly is the big points producer on the Toronto blue line, but Gardiner is no slouch. He has also been particularly good recently, with 13 points in 14 games since the start of December. Vancouver enters with a 3.20 GAA in away games, so this one is shaping up well for Gardiner.
Darnell Nurse, EDM at LOS ($4,500): Nurse has been an entirely different player since stepping into Oscar Klefbom's minutes. Through his last 13 games, he has notched 12 points and 35 shots on net. He's also averaged 2:38 per game with the extra man in that stretch, which bodes well in this matchup. The Kings boast the 30th-ranked penalty kill, so Nurse could come up big if he gets power-play time.
