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Note: Time on Ice projections and picks can change frequently throughout the day due to injuries and changes to line combinations, especially power-play lines. I encourage readers to check the comments section below for any last-minute updates prior to puck drop.
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Card Overview: Like Thursday, Saturday isn't a great card with only one building block. This happens from time to time, but the opportunities will come and you just have to be patient. There are some picks below in addition to the building block that offer potential, so there's enough here to make some plays - though I'd tread lightly on this slate.
BUILDING BLOCKS
Aaron Ekblad 23.25 at Minnesota Wild - 9:00 p.m. ET (MORE)
Ekblad is one of the top defensemen on Florida, but he was never a minutes hog...until Seth Jones went down this past month. With Jones out, Ekblad has gone from averaging around 21 minutes per contest to around 24. The only prerequisite is that the game stays somewhat close. The only time Ekblad has missed this number during the past five games was a 9-1 blowout against Carolina on Jan. 16.
INJURY DEPENDENT
Zach Werenski 26.5 vs. Tampa Bay Lightning - 7:00 p.m. ET (MORE)
Werenski is the closest thing to a building block on this slate...if Denton Mateychuk continues to be out, though he could return Saturday. If he's still sidelined, Werenski simply needs a close matchup to go over. If Mateychuk is back, Werenski becomes a script-dependent play and also one of the better ones to use in this situation as he sometimes still goes over if Columbus is up by a goal most of the way, just like he did last time out.
Charlie McAvoy 23.25 vs. Montreal Canadiens - 7:00 p.m. ET (MORE)
Just like Thursday, McAvoy makes for a solid Saturday play to get more minutes if fellow defender Henri Jokiharju is out again. Jokiharju was actually scratched on Thursday, so McAvoy deserves a look if that happens again Saturday. Proving that he's not necessarily script dependent, McAvoy went over his number on Thursday even though the Bruins got out to a four-goal lead.
SCRIPT DEPENDENT
I won't spend as much time on these plays because they're mostly dependent on the game script going in their favor. However, these picks can be used to fill out your plays if needed. I'll only put players in this category if the script is supposed to be in their favor.
Quinn Hughes 28.75 vs. Florida Panthers - 9:00 p.m. ET (LESS)
Hughes burned me on Thursday, or rather the Wild burned me because they never took the lead until OT. But one of these times, the Wild is going to get out to an advantage where they could potential cut back on Hughes' minutes. Minnesota was either trailing or tied for almost all of Thursday and went to OT where Hughes barely logged over 29 minutes. If they take the lead for any sustained stretch, it'll be hard to get on top of this number - so I'm going with less once again.
Evan Bouchard 24.25 vs. Washington Capitals - 10:00 p.m. ET (LESS)
Bouchard was gobbling up the minutes in late-December and early-January with Jake Walman out. Now that the latter is back to full-strength, we can expect a more reasonable amount of ice time moving forward. With that in mind, Bouchard will get more minutes than his line if the Oilers are trailing, though I don't expect them to do so on Saturday as heavy favorites and coming off an embarrassing loss to Pittsburgh.
