The first weekend of March hockey has arrived with a tantalizing 12-game slate on Saturday. Teams are beginning to hit their stride like Tampa Bay and Vegas, while others are getting a head start preparing for the offseason, such as Buffalo and Anaheim. Increased familiarity amongst divisional opponents creates a unique opportunity to find players with hidden value deeper in lineups as we approach the halfway point of this 56-game regular season.

View consensus odds from all major sportsbooks for today’s NHL action at BettingPros

Center

Alexander Wennberg (FLA): $3,500 @ NSH
Wennberg centers the Panthers’ second line between LW Jonathan Huberdeau and RW Patric Hornqvist, receiving additional opportunities on the second power-play unit. Averaging 18:01 of time on ice across his last week of action, Wennberg has registered six shots but failed to generate points in that same span, dropping him down to $3,500. The Panthers C has 10 points (five goals, five assists) on the season and is due for a point burst against Predators G Pekka Rinne, who allowed five goals in a 5-4 loss against the Panthers in their previous matchup on Thursday. At this price, it’s worth rostering Wennberg as his three-game point drought is likely to end in Nashville on Saturday.

Wing

Clayton Keller (ARI): $4,700 vs. MIN
Clayton Keller has scored a goal in each of his last three games for the Coyotes, totaling nine shots on goal during this same span. The LW is averaging 16:53 of time on ice this season and has totaled 16 points (eight goals, eight assists) across 23 games, with nearly half of his goal production occurring over this past week. Fresh off scoring Arizona’s only goal in a 5-1 loss against the Wild on Friday, Keller should be in line to generate more points on Saturday. He is a winger on the Coyotes’ top power-play unit alongside the shifty veteran winger Phil Kessel. The game odds at BettingPros expect there to be under 5.5 goals scored but do not let this deter you from rostering Keller, as he is on a hot streak and available at under $5,000, which will allow you to add great value without paying an exorbitant cost.

Brendan Gallagher (MTL): $5,700 vs. WPG
The Montreal Canadiens are trying to adjust to their new coaching change while staying competitive in an offensively charged North division. RW Brendan Gallagher helped lead the way this past week, netting two goals and an assist on five shots against the Senators and Jets. Gallagher plays on the first line and gets additional minutes on the second power-play unit, creating ample opportunity to rack up shots on goal (72) despite a low 14:32 average time on ice across his last week of play. The Jets have solid net play from top goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, who boasts a 2.60 GAA and .915 save percentage across 18 games this season. However, Gallagher was able to find the back of the net for a goal against Hellebuyck in Wednesday’s 4-3 overtime loss and will have every opportunity to replicate his previous performance on Saturday.

Defense

Matt Dumba (MIN): $4,600 @ ARI
The Minnesota Wild currently find themselves in the top three of the West division after Friday’s 5-1 win against Arizona, with the help of defenseman Matt Dumba enforcing the team’s physicality on the second line. Dumba earns increased minutes on Minnesota’s second power-play unit and is averaging over 24 minutes on ice in his last week of action. Despite riding a three-game point drought, Dumba has 27 blocked shots and 45 shots on goal this season, adding increased value to his four goals and four assists. Dumba earned a +2 rating against the Coyotes with two shots on goal during Friday’s win and will build on that effort in the second game of a series back-to-back against Arizona on Saturday.

Goalie

Jordan Binnington (STL): $7,800 @ LA
The St. Louis Blues are on a four-game winning streak in large part due to the play of their goaltender Jordan Binnington. The young netminder has an impressive 2.62 GAA with a .910 save percentage across 18 games this season. Even better for fantasy purposes, Binnington has won 50 percent of his starts, which directly adds six points to your fantasy lineup. The L.A. Kings lost 3-2 in overtime against reserve Blues G Ville Husso on Friday but will have an even tougher challenge against Binnington on Saturday night. With goalies being such a key factor in winning or losing a DFS lineup based on their potential added or negative value, it is worth paying up for Binnington’s elite services against a Kings team that is on a four-game losing streak.

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Matthew MacKay is a correspondent for FantasyPros. For more from Matthew, check out his archive and follow him @Matt_MacKay_.