This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
There are 14 NHL games Saturday, though most of them are in the afternoon. However, there are still six games on the evening slate. If you can't get a lineup in early, you can wait, and you will still have a healthy number of options. Here are my daily fantasy recommendations for the night shift.
GOALIE
Marc-Andre Fleury, VGK vs. CLM ($8,100): The Blue Jackets have a good offense, but you don't mess with the Golden Knights at home. In their own arena, the Knights have a 2.16 GAA, best in the NHL. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Fleury's numbers are also much better at home (2.17 GAA, .924 save percentage).
CENTER
Nicklas Backstrom, WAS vs. FLA ($6,300): Backstrom has been reliable as ever. He's got 53 points in 53 games, including 40 assists. The Swede is on pace to hit the 50-assist mark for the sixth season in a row. There is no reason for Backstrom to fear this matchup, as the Panthers have a 3.81 GAA on the road, which is fourth highest in the NHL.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, EDM vs. SAN ($5,900): Quietly, Nugent-Hopkins has become the player the Oilers hoped for when they drafted him first overall in 2011. He's tallied 51 points in 54 games, and he has 15 points in his last 13 contests. Meanwhile, the Sharks have been puzzlingly bad on the road, as they have a 3.72 GAA in away games.
WING
Evander Kane, SAN at EDM ($6,300): Kane remains a machine when it comes to putting pucks on net. The former Thrasher has 210 shots through 55 games, and 23 of those shots have found the back of the net. Pucks finding the net has been increasingly common against the Oilers, who have a 3.31 GAA. While Mikko Koksinen started the season off looking like a pleasant surprise, since the turn of the year he has a 3.57 GAA and .891 save percentage.
Alex Tuch, VGK vs. CLM ($5,600): Tuch has been held without a point in his last four games, but I can forgive him for that considering that he had 15 points in his 15 previous contests. The 22-year-old has notched 16 goals, a new personal best, even though he's only played in 48 games. Both Sergei Bobrovsky and Joonas Korpisalo have GAAs hovering just under 3.00, but in his last 11 games Bobrovsky has a 3.72 GAA and .872 save percentage.
Frank Vatrano, FLA at WAS ($4,900): Vatrano never made a big impact with Boston, but suddenly he's become a key cog for the Panthers. He's got 17 goals in 51 games, and he's tallied 13 points in his last 15 contests. The Capitals have a high-powered offense, and they've needed it, as they've posted a 3.15 GAA that's just outside the bottom 10 in the league.
DEFENSE
Darnell Nurse, EDM vs. SAN ($5,300): Even though Oscar Klefbom is back, Nurse can't simply go back to his old role. While his Swedish counterpart was out, Nurse's minutes, especially on the power play, soared, and he's notched 24 points in his last 27 games. The 24-year-old has proven what he can do offensively, and the Sharks have proven that they don't quite have it all together on the road (3.72 GAA in away games).
Aaron Ekblad, FLA at WAS ($4,200): Ekblad's offensive production has dropped from a couple years ago, when he put 225 shots on net in 68 games. However, he did score 16 goals last season, and he has 10 goals on 121 shots in 52 games this year. Additionally, five of those goals have come on the power play. In addition to having a 3.15 GAA, the Capitals have the 23rd-ranked penalty kill.
