DraftKings NHL: Saturday Picks

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Updated on April 22, 2017 8:00AM EST

The NHL playoffs can make all sort of amazing things happen. For example, afternoon and evening games being part of the same daily fantasy contests. There are three games Saturday, including a 3:00 PM ET start, so be sure to get your lineups in early. Also, try and get some of these players into said lineups.

GOALIE

Jake Allen, STL at MIN ($7,500): Of the six goalies in line to start Saturday, Allen is the second cheapest. This is in spite of the fact he has a 1.17 GAA and a .966 save percentage in this series. Going beyond that, since the beginning of March he has a 1.61 GAA and a .948 save percentage in 19 games. After the All-Star break, the Blues allowed a league-low 1.88 goals per contest. Given how great he's been, and his relatively good price, he's well worth rostering.

CENTER

Alex Galchenyuk, MON at NYR ($4,700): There was a little concern when Galchenyuk got dropped to the fourth line to start this series, but that turned out to be a short-lived issue. In his last four games, he's averaged 17:28 of ice time and notably 3:25 per game with the extra man. Additionally, during the regular season Galchenyuk started 44.0 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, one of the highest percentages in the league. He's had a good series, tallying three assists and 12 shots on goal. On top of that, in regards to Galchenyuk's power-play time, after the All-Star break the Rangers had the 26th-ranked penalty kill.

Joe Thornton, SAN vs. EDM ($4,400): Thornton missed the first two games of this series, but he's looked no worse for wear recently. He started 35.1 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, which was second most among San Jose forwards. Thornton also averaged 3:27 per game with the extra man, tallying 19 points in 79 games. Cam Talbot had a 2.39 GAA but his .919 save percentage, while good, was below the elite level. The Oilers also allowed 2.68 goals per game on the road, and you can't expect great matchups in the postseason. Thornton has picked up two assists in three games this postseason, and that's enough to make him interesting.

WING

Jaden Schwartz, STL at MIN ($5,900): Sure, the Wild stepped up to avoid getting swept, but after the All-Star break they allowed 2.94 goals per contest. Even with his Game 4 shutout, Devan Dubnyk has a 2.65 GAA and a .901 save percentage in his last 15 games. Schwartz has three points and 15 shots on goal in this series, and he has 14 points in his last 15 tilts. Additionally, in that time he's averaged 3:26 per game on the power play.

Rick Nash, NYR vs. MON ($5,300): Nash has impressed this series, notching three points and 20 shots on goal. This comes after a regular season where he registered 23 goals on 195 shots in 67 games. On top of that, he started 35.0 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, second most among Rangers forwards. While the Canadiens were impressive defensively this season, in away games they gave up 2.71 goals per contest.

Patrick Maroon, EDM at SAN ($4,600): Maroon only has one goal in this series, but he notched 27 during the regular season. However, he has put 13 shots on goal in his last four games, and this year he started 35.6 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, third most among Edmonton forwards. Martin Jones only had a .912 save percentage during the regular season, and in his last 13 contests he has a 2.78 GAA and a .905 save percentage.

DEFENSE

Colton Parayko, STL at MIN ($4,700): As previously noted, the Wild gave up 2.94 goals per game after the All-Star break, and Dubnyk has a .901 save percentage in his last 15 contests. Parayko only has one point, but he's taken 13 shots on goal, and he's also added 11 blocked shots. During the regular season, Parayko tallied 188 shots on net and 117 blocked shots.

Andrej Sekera, EDM at SAN ($3,800): Sekera notched 35 points, including 11 on the power play, in 80 games this year. He averaged 2:22 per game with the extra man this season, and during the playoffs that's up to 2:33. The Sharks had the 22nd-ranked penalty kill after the All-Star break, so power-play time could bode well for Sekera. Additionally, the Sharks ranked seventh in shot attempts per 60 minutes (58.7), and Sekera blocked 166 shots this season. He's gotten in front of 10 more pucks already in this series, which averages out to two per game.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Chris Morgan plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: cmorgan3, DraftKings: cmorgan3.