NHL Saturday Night Slate

Here's a breakdown of Saturday's 7 p.m. ET and later games from a fantasy perspective.

Colorado Avalanche at Winnipeg Jets

Colorado G Semyon Varlamov is coming off of a 37-save home shutout of Anaheim on Wednesday - he's given up nine goals over his previous two road starts, however. ... The Avalanche haven't scored more than three regulation goals in any of their last 12 games, meaning explosive offensive potential is hard to come by. W Jarome Iginla and C Matt Duchene have been consistent, each failing to register a point in just three of their last seven games. ... D Tyson Barrie runs hot and cold, having gone point-less in three straight following a four-game point streak. ...Winnipeg C Mark Scheifele has assumed a top line role in the wake of Bryan Little's season-ending injury, and is on a six-game point streak (six goals, three assists). At his mid-range price, he's a viable cash game option. ... Extremely consistent D Dustin Byfuglien (eight points in 10 games) is questionable with an upper-body injury that caused him to leave Thursday's game.

Prediction: Jets 3, Avalanche 2
DFS MVP: Mark Scheifele
DFS Dud: Blake Wheeler

Philadelphia Flyers at Florida Panthers

The Flyers have won six of their last seven games, including a 3-1 Friday win in Tampa Bay. Goalies Steve Mason and Michal Neuvirth have split those victories equally, though Mason will get the nod Saturday, playing both games of a back-to-back. ... Forward Brayden Schenn has been the team's scoring star of late with 11 goals and nine assists since the start of February. His DFS price remains firmly in the mid-tier. ... Rookie defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere has gone point-less in six of his last 10 games, with AHL call-up Andrew MacDonald perhaps representing the best value on Philadelphia's blue line. MacDonald blocked 10 shots Friday and has three assists in his last five games. ... Florida's Jonathan Huberdeau has a goal and three assists in two games since returning from an upper-body injury. ... C Vincent Trocheck might offer the best value on the team, with 10 points in as many games, as well as five efforts with at least four shots in that span.

Prediction: Flyers 3, Panthers 2
DFS MVP: Brayden Schenn
DFS Dud: Jaromir Jagr

Toronto Maple Leafs at Ottawa Senators

These teams met last Saturday in Toronto with Ottawa recording a 3-2 victory. The Leafs have lost 10 of 12 games overall with a prospect-heavy roster. They've managed to be competitive, though, with each of their last six games decided by only a goal. ... Russian rookie Nikita Soshnikov looks to be a DFS bargain with two points and 15 shots over his last three games. He's not afraid to shoot, and scored once in last week's encounter with Ottawa. ... Since a late February recall, rookie G Garret Sparks has allowed just 10 goals over four starts. Against a slumping Senators team, he could be a tournament play option in goal. ... Ottawa has lost five of six games overall, scoring just 13 times. ... Despite averaging just over a point per game this season, D Erik Karlsson needs a significantly higher output to return value on his elevated DFS price. He went point-less last Saturday, but did have eight blocks and four shots. ... Budget forward Zack Smith has a seven-game point streak and is on a four-game goal streak. He's a worthy addition to any lineup.

Prediction: Senators 4, Maple Leafs 3
DFS MVP: Zack Smith
DFS Dud: Erik Karlsson

Minnesota Wild at Montreal Canadiens

The up-and-down Wild have alternated winning and losing streaks since mid-February; they're currently on a two-game skid. Goals have been hard to come by, with the team managing more than two non-shootout goals just once in its last five games. ... Well under a point-per-game pace, W Zach Parise hasn't lived up to his premium price tag all season. ... It's hard to have too much faith in any Minnesota skater, save for perhaps C Charlie Coyle, whose 21 goals lead the team. At a very reasonable DFS price, he has three goals and 23 shots over his last six games. ... A scary-looking neck injury suffered Thursday will keep Montreal D P.K. Subban out of the lineup Saturday, though it's apparently not serious. That opens the door for the budget-priced Mark Barberio, who has three assists in as many games and should assume a spot on the first power play unit. ... C Alex Galchenyuk has five multi-goal efforts in his last 10 games, including three straight two-goal outings. At a mid-tier DFS price, he's far and away the best Montreal offensive option. Those six recent goals have come on just nine shots, but given how hot he is, it's hard to go without the 22-year-old in any lineup.

Prediction: Canadiens 3, Wild 1
DFS MVP: Alex Galchenyuk
DFS Dud: Zach Parise

St. Louis Blues at Dallas Stars

The Central Division lead is at stake, with the Stars needing to hold off the Blues in order to maintain top spot. St. Louis has won five straight games, with Jake Allen being in net for all of them. Allen has allowed no more than two goals in any of those outings, and makes for a solid contrarian play against Dallas' high-powered offense. ... The Blues feature balanced scoring, though W Vladimir Tarasenko is the top option. He's coming off a two-goal, one-assist performance against Anaheim Friday. Given Dallas' frequent defensive lapses, he's a solid bet to live up to his premium price tag again Saturday. ... Injuries to John Klingberg and Jason Demers have opened up power play time for shot blocker extraordinaire Kris Russell; the ex-Flame has two assists and 14 blocks in his last three games. ... C Tyler Seguin snapped a five-game pointless streak with a goal and an assist Friday, though he and W Jamie Benn are priced so highly that even a big night may not result in value being returned.

Prediction: Blues 4, Stars 2
DFS MVP: Jake Allen
DFS Dud: Tyler Seguin

Arizona Coyotes at Edmonton Oilers

Arizona won 4-1 Friday in Calgary, snapping a streak of nine losses in 10 games. G Mike Smith will make his first start since early December after a long injury layoff. Even at a very low DFS price, he's not a recommended play ... 39-year-old Shane Doan leads Arizona in goals with 24, and registered two assists and six shots Friday. With an upper-body injury possibly keeping D Oliver Ekman-Larsson out of the lineup again Saturday, Doan is likely the Coyotes' best fantasy option, especially at his affordable price tag. ... Oilers G Cam Talbot has won five of his last six starts, allowing just seven goals in total. ... Edmonton will get an offensive boost from the return of C Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who has sat out since mid-January with a hand injury. ... Rookie C Connor McDavid has eight points in 10 games, but his price is such that a multi-point night is needed to return value. Against a rusty Smith, though, he may be able to pull it off.

Prediction: Oilers 5, Coyotes 2
DFS MVP: Cam Talbot
DFS Dud: Mike Smith

Nashville Predators at Vancouver Canucks

The Predators have picked up points in 14 straight games, winning nine while losing in overtime on five occasions. ... G Pekka Rinne is a solid option in all formats, as he's won six of his last seven starts. ... W Filip Forsberg has four multi-point efforts, including two hat tricks, in his last 10 games, while fellow W Craig Smith has four multi-point games out of his last six. ... With just three points in 10 games, C Ryan Johansen has hit a bit of a slump; C Mike Ribeiro (one goal, eight assists in 10 games) makes for a cheaper enabler. ... D Shea Weber offers slightly better value than fellow blueliner Roman Josi, though both provide enough points and secondary contributions to usually prove their worth. ... Canucks G Ryan Miller has lost his last three starts, allowing a total of 12 goals. ... C Henrik Sedin (upper body) will return after sitting out two midweek games. ... It's hard to recommend any Canucks as viable DFS options, though young W Sven Baertschi has four points in as many games, as well as 10 shots. W Daniel Sedin registered just an assist and two shots in as many games without his brother. Even with Henrik back, he's too pricey to trust in a tough-looking matchup.

Prediction: Predators 4, Canucks 1
DFS MVP: Craig Smith
DFS Dud: Daniel Sedin

New Jersey Devils at Los Angeles Kings

The biggest mismatch on the schedule, the Devils are coming off a surprise 3-0 shutout of San Jose on Thursday, but had lost eight of 10 games prior to that. ... With G Cory Schneider sidelined, Keith Kinkaid will make a third straight start; he allowed 10 goals in the two games prior to Thursday's shutout. He's not a recommended play in any format. ... New Jersey ranks last in both shots per game and goals per game; Kings G Jonathan Quick is the consensus cash game selection for Saturday. ... The line of Jeff Carter, Anze Kopitar and Milan Lucic has produced five of the nine goals the Kings have scored over their last two games. Carter, in particular, has three goals, an assist and 15 shots in two games, and makes an excellent selection regardless of format. ... D Drew Doughty has a three-game point streak (two goals, two assists); fellow blueliners Jake Muzzin and Alec Martinez have two-game streaks.

Prediction: Kings 3, Devils 1
DFS MVP: Jonathan Quick
DFS Dud: Kyle Palmieri

Washington Capitals at San Jose Sharks

The league's second-highest scoring team at 3.18 goals per game, the Capitals haven't topped three goals in any of their last 10 games. Perhaps boredom is setting in after essentially having locked up the top seed in the Eastern Conference. ... W Alex Ovechkin, still the priciest DFS option on the slate, has just a goal and two assists in his last seven games. While no player offers the same explosive potential, Ovechkin is perhaps easier to fade than he otherwise would be, given his recent form. ... Centers Evgeny Kuznetsov and Nicklas Backstrom also haven't quite lived up to their price tags of late. ... On the San Jose side, C Joe Thornton has 13 points (three goals, 10 assists) in his last 10 games, but shoots so infrequently (just 16 shots in that span) that returning significant value is difficult. ... A paucity of shots isn't a problem for D Brent Burns, who averages 4.25 shots per game and has 60 points in 67 games. On most DFS sites, he's the second most expensive skater to only Ovechkin, and has been producing at a high level of late, with five goals, six assists and 36 shots in his last 10 games. ... High-priced C Joe Pavelski has three multi-point efforts in his last seven games, and is rounding into form toward the end of the season. ... G Martin Jones had won four straight starts prior to a Thursday loss to the Devils, allowing no more than two goals in any of them.

Prediction: Sharks 4, Capitals 3
DFS MVP: Brent Burns
DFS Dud: Alex Ovechkin