Fantasy buzz: Eichel back; Matthews nearing return; Zajac on top line

All season long, NHL.com's fantasy hockey staff will have you covered with daily lineup news, production trends and injury notes from around the League. We will identify how these developments affect fantasy owners in year-long (Yahoo) and daily (DraftKings) formats.

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Raanta expected to start for Coyotes

Arizona Coyotes goaltender Antti Raanta is expected to start against the Minnesota Wild on Saturday (9 p.m. ET; FS-A PLUS, FS-N, NHL.TV). Raanta (ranked 80th in Yahoo), has missed six games because of a lower-body injury. DFS owners should consider Raanta ($7,200) a value pick. He was 7-1-1 with a .944 save percentage and two shutouts in his past ten games prior to the injury (6.74 DraftKings points per game). Raanta is 9-9-4 with a .930 save percentage in 24 home games.

Eichel returns for Sabres

Buffalo Sabres center Jack Eichel (ranked 120th in Yahoo) had an assist and five shots on goal in their 5-3 win against the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday. He had missed the past 15 games with a high ankle sprain. Despite missing time, Eichel leads the Sabres in goals (22) and points (54) in 56 games. Eichel was priced at $7,200 in DraftKings and should be considered a streaming option in DFS formats for the remainder of the regular NHL season. The Sabres have four games remaining this week, making Eichel an attractive streaming option in DFS and season-long formats. He skated on a line with forward Zemgus Girgensons and right wing Jason Pominville.

Matthews wears full-contact jersey at practice

Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews (ranked 109th in Yahoo) wore a full-contact jersey at practice for the first time since sustaining a shoulder injury against the New York Islanders on Feb. 22. Matthews has been ruled out against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; NHLN, CBC, TVAS, SN, NHL.TV) but could return against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday or against the Nashville Predators on Thursday.
Matthews has 50 points (28 goals, 22 assists) in 53 games (.94 points per game). He has two power-play goals, down from his total of eight in 2016-17. His return will give linemates William Nylander (C, RW; 128th in Yahoo) and Zach Hyman (C, LW; 13 percent owned in Yahoo) added value in both DFS and season-long formats.
Worth noting: Maple Leafs goaltender Frederik Andersen (ranked 89th in Yahoo), skated at practice Saturday but will not start against the Blackhawks. He is listed as day to day with an upper-body injury.

Zajac worth a flier on Devils top line

New Jersey Devils center Travis Zajac (2 percent owned in Yahoo), is expected to skate on the first line with left wing Taylor Hall (ranked 10th in Yahoo) and right wing Kyle Palmieri (155th) against the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday (4 p.m. ET; FS-W, MSG+, NHL.TV). Zajac, who has been skating on the third line for most of the season, has 21 points (11 goals, 10 assists) in 52 games. Since Feb. 1, he has 14 points (six goals, eight assists), including two power-play goals, in 20 games averaging 18:08 of ice time.
The exposure to Hall makes Zajac ($3,400 in DraftKings) fantasy relevant in both season-long and DFS formats. He should be considered a stacking option with Hall ($7,100) or Palmieri ($5,200) against the Kings. His price should also be monitored for their second game of a back-to-back against the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday. Zajac gains additional value because he is expected to center the top power-play unit with forwards Hall, Palmieri, Jesper Bratt and defenseman Sami Vatanen ($4,500). The Devils power play is 8-for-23 (34.8 percent) in the past eight games.

Backes to center Marchand, Pastrnak

Boston Bruins forward David Backes (C, RW; 24 percent owned in Yahoo) is expected to center the top line with left wing Brad Marchand (ranked 16th in Yahoo) and right wing David Pastrnak (31st) against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; SUN, NESN, NHL.TV). The exposure to Marchand and Pastrnak gives Backes immediate value in DFS contests. His price of $4,600 in DraftKings will help to offset that of Marchand ($7,100) or Pastrnak ($6,600) to form a potential stack. Backes should also be monitored in season-long formats if he keeps his spot on the top line until center Patrice Bergeron returns from a foot injury.
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