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: These picks are for 10-game Saturday contests beginning at 7 p.m. ET.
Fantasy picks: Leon Draisaitl should continue rolling
Oilers wing has six straight multipoint games, among March 25 DFS targets against Avalanche
TOP CENTER: Jack Eichel, BUF ($7,100)
Eichel has 10 points in his past 10 games, and proved yet again he brings plenty of insurance in case he fails to get a point. The Buffalo Sabres center had nine shots on goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday, giving him 216 in 53 games. He leads the NHL with 4.1 shots per game and is close to a point per game (50 in 53 games). Priced outside the top 10 skaters in DraftKings, Eichel is a must-have player on this 10-game slate. He has three assists, two blocks and 10 SOG in two games against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
VALUE CENTER: Elias Lindholm, CAR ($4,600)
Lindholm has a favorable matchup at the New Jersey Devils and is likely to extend his nine-game point streak. He has 10 points (four goals, six assists) during the streak and is priced in the mid-$4,000 range with exposure to rookie forward Sebastian Aho at even strength and on the power play. His DraftKings price has somehow decreased compared to the game prior to his point streak ($5,100 on March 7), so this is an absolute no-brainer pick. Lindholm has 17 points (four goals, 13 assists) in 23 games against the Metropolitan Division.
TOP WING: Leon Draisaitl, EDM ($6,600)
Continue to ride the hot hand with Leon Draisaitl at home against the Colorado Avalanche, whom he has four points (two goals, two assists) against in two games. Draisaitl has six straight multipoint games and is approaching point-per-game territory at home (34 points in 36 games). He plays at even strength and on the power play with NHL scoring leader Connor McDavid (87 points), as if you needed another reason to get him in your lineup. Maple Leafs rookie forward William Nylander ($5,700) is riding a 10-game point streak and is also worth incorporating into your lineup against the Sabres.
VALUE WING: Nick Schmaltz, CHI ($4,500)
Sticking with the theme of lineup locks, Schmaltz has a three-game point streak (four assists) and continues to prove he's fantasy relevant regardless of where he lands in the Chicago Blackhawks lineup lately. His hot streak started weeks ago playing with Jonathan Toews, and has continued with Patrick Kane and Artemi Panarin before he branched out to Marian Hossa's line against the Dallas Stars on Thursday (one assist, one SOG). The Florida Panthers have allowed 21 goals in six home games since the beginning of March.
TOP DEFENSEMAN: Kevin Shattenkirk, WSH ($5,300)
Whether you look at Shattenkirk's DraftKings points-per-game average for the season or his production rate in 10 games since joining the Washington Capitals, it's consistently solid (3.0). He has a chance at a multipoint game at home against the Arizona Coyotes, who are allowing the fourth-most DraftKings points to defensemen. Offering exposure to Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom on the first power-play unit, Shattenkirk is conveniently priced outside the top 10 at his position (T-11th).
VALUE DEFENSEMAN: Andrei Markov, MTL ($4,000)
Markov is
one of the beneficiaries
of the Montreal Canadiens coaching change from Michel Therrien to Claude Julien, seeing an increase in DraftKings points per game from 2.54 to 2.77. He's a productive player relative to his position when healthy, and has put together a stretch of at least one block and one shot in each of his past 10 games. He's added five assists in the span, and has five assists, five blocks and nine SOG in four games against the Ottawa Senators (4.3 DraftKings points per game).
GOALIE SPOTLIGHT: Braden Holtby ($8,500) or Philipp Grubauer ($8,400), WSH
Don't overthink your goalie selection on this busy night; go with the safest bet in Holtby or Grubauer, depending on who starts. Holtby has won three straight and has unbelievable home splits (25-6-2, .932 save percentage, seven shutouts). Grubauer is winless in his past three starts (all on road), but is 5-0-0 with a .979 SV% and three shutouts at Verizon Center. The Coyotes have been outscored 131-84 on the road. This matchup will go the Capitals' way nine times out of 10.
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