Saturday Night DFS: Patrick Kane, Cale Makar among best plays

There’s no day for some Yahoo daily fantasy hockey quite like Saturday.

With 11 NHL games on the slate from 7:00 PM onward, an extremely deep player pool adds plenty of intrigue and variance to the competition.

More options mean more decisions, however, and that’s where we help you navigate your lineup.

The Value Guys

These players are the ones that are not the most or least expensive on the board, but solid options for your lineup.

C Nicklas Backstrom, WAS at DAL ($26)

Backstrom is off to a solid start this season, notching a goal and four points through the Capitals’ first five games. In four of the five contests so far, the 31-year-old has eclipsed 20 minutes of ice time. Battling the Dallas Stars, the matchup is pretty solid for the playmaking middle man. Though still early, Dallas has allowed the fourth-most shot attempts in the NHL so far, a bit of a shock considering coach Jim Montgomery’s defence-first approach. But the injury to Roman Polak has made the Stars thin on the blueline, and it was just earlier this week that Backstrom scored a goal and an assist against Dallas.

W David Perron, STL at MTL ($19)

Perron is currently riding a four-game point streak entering Saturday night’s match against the Montreal Canadiens, and with the matchup being as good as it is, he seems like a solid play on the wing. The Habs have allowed the fifth-highest amount of shot attempts so far in 2019-20 and the Blues - who recorded six goals in their previous matchup against the Ottawa Senators - are an offence capable of making good on their opportunities. With three goals and five points thus far, Perron’s slot on the Blues’ dangerous second line as well as the team’s first power-play unit makes him a likely candidate to deliver bang for your buck.

D Cale Makar, COL vs. ARI ($18)

Makar has started his rookie campaign off by recording an assist in each game he has played so far. On Saturday, the Avs host the Arizona Coyotes, and Yotes bench boss Rick Tocchet has confirmed Antti Raanta will be the starter, according to Craig Morgan of The Athletic. Although Raanta posted a 19-save shutout during his conditioning stint in the AHL, he hasn’t played an NHL game since November of last year. Going up against the high-powered Avalanche offence is not an ideal way to be eased back into NHL action. Despite the Coyotes’ success defensively so far this season, this seems like a nice spot at home for Colorado.

G James Reimer, CAR vs. CBJ ($27)

The matchups for the high-end goalies aren’t overly spectacular on Saturday, and Reimer is off to a solid start with his new club. Suiting up for a pair of games already, the former Florida Panther owns a 2.42 goals-against average and a .940 SV%. His club will battle the Columbus Blue Jackets, who have failed to score more than two goals in three of their four matches so far.

Offenses to Stack

When a team’s having a good night offensively, you want to have as many pieces as possible. Stacking offences can be a rewarding strategy.

Chicago Blackhawks

C Jonathan Toews ($26) + C Dylan Strome ($22) + W Patrick Kane ($35) + W Alex DeBrincat ($25) + D Erik Gustafsson ($20)

Given Chicago’s rather fruitful top-6, there are lots of options and stack combinations to choose from on Saturday in what is an excellent home matchup against the Winnipeg Jets. Winnipeg has allowed the most shot-attempts in the NHL so far, and a Chicago offence which has rattled off eight goals through its first two games is seemingly walking into the most ideal setup.

St. Louis Blues

C Ryan O’Reilly ($25) + C Brayden Schenn ($20) + W David Perron ($19) + W Vladimir Tarasenko ($28) + W Jaden Schwartz ($21) + W Sammy Blais ($14) + D Alex Pietrangelo ($22) + D Justin Faulk ($19)

St. Louis’ first and second lines pose almost equally dangerous challenges for opposing teams. For a Montreal Canadiens team who has not looked strong out of the gate, this matchup could smell trouble, even if it is the Blues’ third-consecutive road contest. While the players to pick are plentiful, if I were to stack the defending champs, I’d roll out the three members of their second grouping on Saturday: Perron, O’Reilly and Blais. Between the two defenders, I prefer Faulk over Pietrangelo given the price.

Boston Bruins

Patrice Bergeron ($32) + David Krejci ($18) + Brad Marchand ($31) + David Pastrnak ($29) + Jake DeBrusk ($16) + Torey Krug ($21)

If you want those highly-coveted members of Boston’s top line, you’re going to have to pay the price. But the matchup against the winless New Jersey Devils - who have seen both MacKenzie Blackwood and Cory Schneider falter between the pipes this season - could be worth it. This will also be the Bruins’ home opener, returning to TD Garden for the first time since Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. Off to slow starts, this seems like a potential get-right spot for members of their second line. If fully stacking Boston, I’d go with: Krejci, Marchand, DeBrusk and Krug. DeBrusk, who’s currently on the team’s PP1, makes for a nice bargain, considering that he had a goal and an assist taken away from him via video review on Thursday.

Expensive, but Worth it

Sometimes you can’t help but fork over a decent amount of your budget to get elite fantasy production.

W Patrik Kane, CHI vs. WPG ($35)

As expensive as any forward or defenseman, you’ll have to break the bank to fit Kane into your lineup. But the winger - who has four points in two games already - could be in for a monster game going up against Winnipeg’s struggling blueline. It may be hard, but Kane seems like the safest bet to have an absolute night in fantasy.

Chasing the Cheap Win

It may be silly, but when selecting a goalie, the first question running through your mind should be: What is his team’s chance to win?

G Pavel Francouz, COL vs. ARI ($23)

Wins in fantasy hockey are so valuable, and although he has yet to make an NHL start, Francouz may be the cheaper option in net that can get you a victory. Colorado coach Jared Bednar has claimed that there is a possibility the 29-year-old draws the task on Saturday, and being at home against a Coyotes offence which has put together five goals in three games isn’t a horrible setup.

Cash Savers

Spent some major cash on some potential game-changers? These inexpensive players can help fill out the rest of your lineup.

C David Krejci ($18)

C Kevin Hayes ($16)

W Tyler Bertuzzi ($18)

W Andreas Johnsson ($16)

W Jake DeBrusk ($16)

W Sammy Blais ($14)

D Ryan Suter ($16)

More Fantasy Hockey coverage on Yahoo Sports