The NHL took Friday off so they could have all 32 teams in action on Saturday. Most of them will be playing in the evening with 14 games and the first puck dropping at 7 p.m. EDT. Every club has only played one or two games so far, so prior seasons still mean more to me. Here are my NHL DFS lineup recommendations.
GOALIES
Igor Shesterkin, NYR at PIT ($8,200): Coming off a down year, Shesterkin has been back in Vezina form to start as he's only allowed goal on 65 shots. The Penguins were middling offensively last year, but their key players are older and many think they will be one of the worst teams. There's a decent chance Shesterkin picks up a win on Saturday without too much effort.
Filip Gustavsson, MIN vs. CLM ($7,900): Gustavsson has a new contract and a shutout to start the season. He's coming off posting a 2.56 GAA and .914 save percentage while clearly the Wild's No. 1 netminder. The Blue Jackets finished top-10 in goals per game, yet were bottom-10 in GAA. I wanted a goalie at home, and Gustavsson offers a sensible salary and a favorable opportunity of getting a victory.
Yaroslav Askarov, SJS vs. ANA ($7,400): Will Askarov, long considered one of the top goaltending prospects, live up to the hype? He's still 23 and has only made 16 NHL appearances. The Ducks have a new head coach and hope to take a step forward, though the offense has a long way to go having averaged 2.65 goals and 27.7 shots during 2024-25.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Andrei Svechnikov, CAR vs. PHI ($5,500): Svechnikov has settled into a 20-goal scorer as opposed to someone who gets at least 30, but the world still needs 20-goal scorers. Svechnikov directed four shots on net during Carolina's opener and crucially works the point on the top power play. Samuel Ersson will likely draw the start for the Flyers. This is his fourth season after three with a save percentage below .900.
Frank Nazar, CHI vs. MON ($4,200): I don't want to be part of the Nazar hype train, but it that may be onto something. He's notched three points and five shots through two outings while averaging over 20 minutes. Sam Montembeault, who I don't believe in, gave up three goals on 25 shots in his first start. And let's not forget his career .899 save percentage.
Bobby McMann, TOR at DET ($4,200): McMann is getting to skate with John Tavares and William Nylander. And while he only managed one shot on Wednesday, it found the back of the net. McMann also racked up 24 goals last season. I'm a Wings fan, and it took all of one game for me to be worried about their defense as they conceded five goals while Saturday's projected starter Cam Talbot posted a .900 save percentage last year.
FORWARD LINE STACKS TO CONSIDER
Canadiens at Blackhawks
Nick Suzuki (C - $6,400), Cole Caufield (W - $6,900), Juraj Slafkovsky (W - $5,100)
One of my favorite lines in hockey is back at it. The Blackhawks remain a mixture of young players and veterans. They also finished bottom-three in GAA and shots allowed while Spencer Knight holds a career .904 save percentage. Chicago will likely play some exciting, high-scoring battles, and that bodes well for this stack.
Suzuki has improved his point total each season and got up to 89 last year. He's already supplied two assists and has topped 30 goals for two straight seasons. Caufield's shooting percentage steadied itself where he ended up with 37 goals. He hasn't yet produced a goal from seven shots, but can claim an assist. Slafkovsky has been a 50-point player the last couple campaigns and has currently tallied a goal on eight shots.
Wild vs. Blue Jackets
Marco Rossi (C - $3,800), Kirill Kaprizov (W - $7,900), Matt Boldy (W - $6,800)
Blue Jackets fans are excited for the Jet Greaves era…and Elvis Merzlikins is starting Saturday. You know, the goalie with an .890 save percentage the last three seasons. Things may be different when Greaves is in net, though this is a team that ended up bottom-five in shots allowed and Merzlikins is clearly a below-average netminder. And this trio for the Wild are definitely not below-average.
Rossi is certainly in fine position if he continues to center his two linemates. He's also been a 20-goal scorer in each of the last two seasons and started off with a goal and assist. Kaprizov is a Hart candidate if he stays healthy, yet still registered 56 points in only 41 outings last year while picking up three assists on Thursday. Boldy is an excellent power-play producer having exceeded 20 PPPs for the third consecutive season. He's also become less man-advantage reliant as only six of his 27 goals came there last year.
DEFENSEMEN
Adam Fox, NYR at PIT ($6,500): Fox is a solid DFS produced with double-digit goals and at least 61 points in each of his last four seasons. He also logs a lot of minutes and runs the Rangers' power play. The Penguins struggled to a 3.50 GAA last year, and I don't think bringing in Arturs Silovs and his career .880 save percentage coming in will fix things.
Charlie McAvoy, BOS vs. BUF ($5,000): McAvoy hasn't yet found the scoresheet, though he's put five shots on target while averaging 24:59. If he can avoid injury, he should end up with at least 40 points. With Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen out, the Sabres have a new goaltending situation. And they're slated to start Alex Lyon on Saturday with his career .902 save percentage in his age-32 season.
Shayne Gostisbehere, CAR vs. PHI ($4,100): Surprisingly, neither of Gostisbehere's two points on Thursday came on the power play even though he skated 4:28 with the extra man. And his job is still to produce on the power play. The Flyers ranked 20th on the penalty kill, and I don't see that improving this year.
