This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
Saturday's NHL main slate features plenty of action, with 11 games on the docket after 7:00 PM Eastern time. Below, you'll find an overview of the matchups and suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
There are plenty of fantasy-friendly matchups to choose from here, with four different top-10 offenses taking on bottom-10 defenses. Those prolific offenses in favorable situations belong to the Maple Leafs (vs. Ottawa), Lightning (in San Jose), Rangers (in Detroit) and Bruins (in Minnesota). With a number of alternative high-octane attacks and generous defenses also in action, there's no shortage of selection in this large slate.
GOALIES
Henrik Lundqvist ($7,500) has often been victimized by New York's atrocious defense in front of him, but the Red Wings are even worse than the Rangers in that regard and don't present much of a threat on the other end. The veteran netminder has an excellent opportunity to post a throwback performance to his Vezina-contending days against a Detroit team that scored the fewest goals per game (2.12) and allows the most (3.88).
The Stars have two excellent goaltending options to choose from in Ben Bishop ($8,700) and Anton Khudobin ($8,200). Whichever one gets the nod should be worth paying up for against a 25th-ranked Devils offense that's scoring only 2.64 goals per game. Bishop has a 2.33 GAA and .925 save percentage while Khudobin sports 2.30 and .927 marks.
If you're looking to go cheap in net, the Ducks-Kings matchup offers enticing possibilities on both ends. This matchup between the league's second-worst (Anaheim - 2.49 goals per game) and third-worst (Los Angeles - 2.50) offenses should lead to at least one strong performance between road starter Ryan Miller ($7,300) and home starter Jonathan Quick ($7,200).
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Nikita Kucherov ($8,400) is locked in for the Lightning, having produced multiple points in each of his past five games. His prolific stretch should continue against a defensively challenged Sharks team that's allowing 3.33 goals per game.
Blues leading scorer David Perron ($7,300) is primed to take advantage of Winnipeg's porous penalty kill and the recent struggles of Jets netminder Connor Hellebuyck. Perron owns team highs in goals (23), points (53), power-play goals (nine) and power-play points (25) through 52 games. Meanwhile, Hellebuyck has a ghastly 5.31 GAA and .822 save percentage over his past three starts, and Winnipeg's penalty kill ranks third-worst in the league for the season at 73.7 percent.
Alex Iafallo's ($5,200) hat trick Thursday against the Coyotes gives him a 9-6-15 line in his past 15 games. The red hot Kings winger remains affordable at $5,200 despite his recent hot streak, and Iafallo has a great opportunity to keep rolling at home against a Ducks team that's just 8-16-2 on the road and playing its second game in as many nights.
Artemi Panarin ($8,200) proved that the upper-body injury that kept him out of the last game before the All-Star break was no longer bothering him, returning in style Friday against the Red Wings with a goal, an assist and seven shots. That performance gives the Russian winger a 5-10-15 line in his last seven games played, and Panarin ranks fifth in points league-wide with 70 heading into this rematch with the worst team in the league.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Maple Leafs vs. Senators
Auston Matthews (C - $8,600), Mitch Marner (W - $7,600), Zach Hyman (W - $5,300)
This line has been nearly unstoppable for a while now. Matthews has 17 goals on 78 shots in his past 17 games, adding nine assists for good measure. Marner has a 9-23-32 line over his last 21 appearances, while Hyman has heated up more recently with a 4-4-8 line over his past six. Expect these guys to keep dominating at home against a Senators team that ranks in the bottom five defensively with 3.33 goals allowed per game.
Stars at Devils
Tyler Seguin (C - $7,500), Alexander Radulov (W - $6,400), Jamie Benn (W - $6,500)
This line has underwhelmed relative to this trio's traditionally elite output, but this matchup with a Devils team that's allowing the second-most goals in the league (3.54 per game) should allow Dallas' three best forwards to play up to their lofty ceilings. Seguin will need to pick up the pace to reach 72 points for a seventh consecutive campaign, while a third straight season with that output is probably out of reach for Radulov and Benn's .5 points per game this season are a far cry from his career rate of .85. Things have perked up for this trio of late, though, as Seguin's team-high 37 points through 50 games include a 5-9-14 line over his past 18, Radulov's coming off a two-goal game and Benn's lit the lamp five times in his last eight games.
Rangers at Red Wings
Mika Zibanejad (C - $7,800), Chris Kreider (W - $6,400), Pavel Buchnevich (W - $4,600)
This will be a rematch of Friday's matchup at Madison Square Garden, which the Rangers won 4-2 after racing out to a 4-0 lead. That victory was led by this trio, as Zibanejad finished with a goal and two assists, Kreider had a goal and an assist, and Buchnevich added a goal. Zibanejad now owns a season line of 19-23-42 in only 36 games played, including an outstanding two goals, five assists and 22 shots in his past four contests. Kreider has heated up recently with 11 goals in his last 17 games and six tallies in the last eight. The affordable Buchnevich has been snakebitten for most of the season, and the career 12.9 percent shooter is due for further positive regression from his current 9.7 percent mark, even after potting two goals on nine shots in his last two games.
DEFENSEMEN
Tyson Barrie ($5,400) has 15 points in his last 14 games and six points in five games since fellow offensive-minded Maple Leafs blueliner Morgan Reilly got injured. Look for Barrie to keep rolling along against the lowly Senators.
Despite missing eight of the team's 52 games, Torey Krug ($5,600) ranks fifth on the Bruins with 33 points and third on the team with 20 power-play points. The Wild give up the sixth-most goals per game (3.28) and have the sixth-worst penalty kill (74.8 percent), so Krug is well positioned to add to his totals in both categories.
Shea Theodore ($5,400) is tied with Mark Stone for second on the Golden Knights with 12 power-play points, trailing Max Pacioretty by two. Theodore's power-play prowess should be on full display against a Predators penalty kill that ranks second-worst in the league at 73.4 percent, barely outperforming Detroit's 73.1 percent mark.
Those with a bit more money to spend on the blue line should consider paying up for St. Louis' Alex Pietrangelo ($6,800). His 21 power-play points trail only Perron among Blues, and Pietrangelo's all-around production gives him a high floor while Winnipeg's aforementioned defensive struggles give him a high ceiling.
