This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
Saturday's main NHL slate begins at 7:00 PM Eastern time and features 11 games. Below, you'll find an overview of the matchups and suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
The three-game early slate consists entirely of juicy matchups, but there's still plenty of value to be found in the main session, with three of the league's four winless teams in action. Boston's players should populate plenty of lineups against the slow-starting Devils. Even with all their injuries, the Penguins figure to be strong options as well against the Wild, and the Jets have more than enough firepower to keep Chicago from picking up its first win. There's also value to be found outside of those games, with some hot-starting players available at bargains.
GOALIES
Philipp Grubauer ($8,200) is off to a tremendous start in his first year as a full-time starter, going 3-0-0 with a 2.33 GAA and .931 save percentage. He should keep rolling against a Coyotes team that's scored five goals through three games.
Tuukka Rask ($8,600) should be worth paying up for against the lowly Devils. He's won his first two starts to go with a 2.00 GAA and .937 save percentage, and he has stellar career numbers (2.28 GAA, .921 save percentage).
If you're looking to save a few bucks in net, James Reimer ($7,500) could be the man for you. He's likely to start the second game of Carolina's back-to-back set against a Blue Jackets team that's been outscored 14-7 through three games, and Reimer's opened his Hurricanes tenure with two wins, a 2.42 GAA and .940 save percentage.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Sidney Crosby ($8,700) is carrying the offense for the injury-riddled Penguins, and he should continue to do so against a Wild team that's been outscored 14-6 through three games while losing all three in regulation. Crosby has opened the season on a four-game point streak, with two goals and four assists.
Pegged as a breakout candidate before the season, Roope Hintz ($5,500) is proving pundits right with four goals and an assist through five games. He should keep rolling against a Capitals team that's been outscored 16-15 in its first five games.
Detroit winger Anthony Mantha ($6,800) has looked unstoppable in the early going with six goals, two assists and 21 shots through four games. The offense should keep pouring in against a leaky Toronto defense that's let up 20 goals in five games.
Dominik Kubalik ($3,400) had three shots in the opener then scored a goal on six shots in Chicago's second game and was moved up to the top line by the end of the contest. At his modest valuation, he's a low-risk, high-reward filler option against a Jets team that's yielded 17 goals through five games.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Bruins vs. Devils
Patrice Bergeron (C - $7,500), Brad Marchand (W - $8,400), David Pastrnak (W - $8,000)
This line combined for 260 points last season and has 13 through four games in 2019-20, including five apiece from Marchand and Pastrnak. Their success should continue against a Devils team that's been outscored 20-9 over an 0-2-2 start.
Flyers at Canucks
Sean Couturier (C - $7,200), Travis Konecny (W - $6,400), Oskar Lindblom (W - $4,800)
Philadelphia's nominal second line has been its best through two games. Couturier has a goal on nine shots, Konecny appears to be at the start of a fourth-year breakout at age 22 with three goals and two assists, while Lindblom remains affordable despite marking the scoresheet in each game while totaling a goal, an assist and seven shots. Meanwhile, the Canucks are 1-2-0 to start the season.
Jets at Blackhawks
Mark Scheifele (C - $7,700), Blake Wheeler (W - $7,500), Patrik Laine (W - $7,900)
Winnipeg reshuffled the forward lines recently and saw immediate results from this new top unit. Like Boston's top line, this expensive trio can provide the cornerstones of your lineup. Scheifele has eight points in five games, including five assists in the last two. Wheeler has three goals, two assists and 16 shots. Laine's coming off a two-goal, two-assist game and has seven points in his last two games.
DEFENSEMEN
Coming off a 72-point campaign, Toronto's Morgan Rielly ($6,300) is playing at a point-per-game pace to go with 11 shots. Rielly should remain an offensive force from the blue line against a Red Wings team that's off to a strong start but still expected to finish near the bottom of the standings.
Even with the Hurricanes finishing out a back-to-back set, Dougie Hamilton ($5,500) is a strong option against a Blue Jackets team that's been outscored 14-7 in its first three games. Hamilton already has three goals and four assists through five games, so his price is likely to skyrocket soon.
Shea Theodore ($5,000) is riding a three-game point streak, and he has a goal, two assists and eight shots through four games overall. The 24-year-old blueliner is coming off a 37-point campaign, and his ascent to bigger and better results should continue at home against Calgary.
If you're going to pay up for some of the expensive stacks here, you'll need to supplement them with cheap yet effective options elsewhere. Calgary's Noah Hanifin ($3,900) is one such player. The fifth overall pick from the 2015 draft already has four full NHL seasons under his belt, and his point total has climbed in each. He's coming off a 33-point season and rides a two-game goal streak into this matchup with Vegas.
