Saturday's early NHL slate on DraftKings features six games: CHI @ BOS, STL @ DET, TBL @ NSH, EDM @ NYI, OTT @ SJS and BUF @ LAK. The salary cap is $50,000, and the slate locks at 1:00 p.m. ET (10:00 a.m. PT).
Our model's top-ranked skaters come mostly from the EDM game. Connor McDavid ($9,500) has a ceiling of 34.0 against a DraftKings average of 21.9, the biggest upside on the board. Leon Draisaitl ($9,000) carries a 30.9 ceiling, and Evan Bouchard ($8,200) sits at 30.3. Brandon Hagel of TBL ($7,800) and Tage Thompson of BUF ($7,700) both rate highly too, with ceilings of 33.2 and 33.0. Each is priced well under the stars, with averages of 19.7 and 17.0.
In goal, our model likes Michael DiPietro of BOS at $8,500, with a ceiling of 28.5 and an average of 18.2. Joel Hofer of STL ($7,900, ceiling 24.8) is the other goalie on our ranking.
For value, Matthew Schaefer of NYI is the standout at $6,800, a defenseman with a ceiling of 29.1. Our lineup also goes cheap in a few spots, with Stephen Halliday at $3,100, Dmitry Orlov at $3,200 and Victor Hedman at $3,100, which frees up salary for the premium slots.
The fact sheet doesn't include ownership projections, so we can't say where the crowd will land. Check the status tags before lock, though. Brandt Clarke of LAK is listed DTD, and several others are on IR, including Dylan Larkin of DET and Zach Hyman of EDM.
Our model's top lineup uses $49,500 of the $50,000 cap. It has Ryan O'Reilly ($5,400) and Halliday at center, Hagel, Artemi Panarin ($6,900) and Jake Guentzel ($6,500) on the wings, Thomas Chabot ($5,000) and Orlov on defense, DiPietro in goal and Hedman at UTIL. Get your lineups set before the 1:00 p.m. ET lock.
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