Fantasy picks: Patrick Eaves should remain hot

Each day this season, NHL.com's fantasy staff will provide daily picks for DraftKings NHL contests. This article includes expensive and value plays and should be used as a basis for your roster decision-making.
Note: This contest excludes the 5 p.m. ET games between the New Jersey Devils and Detroit Red Wings, Buffalo Sabres and Tampa Bay Lightning and Ottawa Senators and New York Islanders.

TOP CENTER: Auston Matthews, TOR ($7,500)
Matthews hasn't missed a game this season and likely will be in the lineup Sunday even if the game ends up not mattering for the Toronto Maple Leafs. He leads rookies in goals (39) and points (67) entering play Saturday and had goals in five straight games before going scoreless in each of his past two. Matthews is significantly cheaper than the top center in this contest, Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers, who is priced at $8,500 and averages 4.5 DraftKings points per game, 0.2 more than Matthews. The Columbus Blue Jackets have allowed 21 goals during a six-game losing streak.

VALUE CENTER: Tyson Jost, COL ($2,700)
The 19-year-old scored his first NHL goal Thursday in his fourth NHL game. He has eight SOG and three blocked shots in those games. With the Colorado Avalanche looking toward the future, Jost should see plenty of ice time Sunday against the St. Louis Blues. It's his last chance to prove he can make an impact for them next season and the Blues could be resting players in preparation for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Not to mention, he's priced $200 above the minimum and would provide plenty of lineup flexibility.

TOP WING: Leon Draisaitl, EDM ($7,000)
The two wings priced higher than Draisaitl in the contest are Alex Ovechkin ($8,500) and Vladimir Tarasenko ($7,700), who likely could rest on the final day of the regular season. The same likely won't be the case for Draisaitl, who had his 11-game point streak (five goals, 14 assists) end on Thursday. Entering play Saturday, he ranks second on the Oilers in points (75), goals (28) and assists (47), trailing McDavid in each. Draisaitl has been on a great run lately and if the game matters for the Oilers in the Pacific Division standings, expect another fine performance against the Vancouver Canucks.

VALUE WING: Patrick Eaves, ANA ($5,600)
Eaves ranks tied for 16th in price among wings in the contest and his eight goals in 10 games since March 18 are tied for third in the League behind Jeff Skinner (12) and Nikita Kucherov (nine). He has 10 goals in 19 games with the Anaheim Ducks and 31 this season (21 with the Dallas Stars), setting a new NHL career high. Eaves has at least 4.0 DraftKings points in seven of his past 10 games, and has benefited from playing on the top line with Rickard Rackell and Ryan Getzlaf. Eaves will play the Pacific Division rival Los Angeles Kings on Sunday.

TOP DEFENSEMAN: Kevin Shattenkirk, WSH ($5,900)
With the Washington Capitals having nothing to play for, there's a chance Shattenkirk may be a healthy scratch. If he isn't, Shattenkirk is the best defenseman available. He had a goal and two SOG in a 3-1 win against the Boston Bruins on Saturday and scored another that was disallowed. Shattenkirk has two goals and eight assists in his past 10 games, averaging 4.4 DraftKings points per contest during that stretch. Shattenkirk has 94 blocked shots and 158 SOG this season and the Capitals host the Florida Panthers on Sunday.

VALUE DEFENSEMAN: Ian Cole, PIT ($3,800)
The Pittsburgh Penguins may rest some players but their defense is thin with Kris Letang and Olli Maatta out. For that reason, Trevor Daley may rest and Cole likely will see plenty of ice time. Although he isn't scoring as much as he did earlier this season (26 points; four assists in past 10 games), Cole is a blocked shots machine (191), averaging almost 2.5 per game. Cole is a low-risk, high-reward play, and has four assists in four games against the New York Rangers this season.
GOALIE SPOTLIGHT: Jonathan Bernier, ANA ($8,200)
Bernier has been a huge part of the Ducks' success in the past few months. Since Feb. 9, Bernier is 12-3-2 with a 2.17 goals-against average and a .928 save percentage, and had Anaheim on the verge of clinching the Pacific Division entering play Saturday. He doesn't have a regulation loss in his past 12 games (10-0-2) and is averaging 5.9 DraftKings points per contest in his past 10 games. Bernier has dominated at home this season (11-1-2, 1.94 GAA, .930 SV%) and the Ducks host the Kings on Sunday. Bernier is $100 cheaper than teammate Jon Gibson, who had a 37-save shutout against the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday.

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