It's two days after USA Thanksgiving, and as a bona-fide descendant of those first Pilgrims, here's a short list of things to be thankful for:

The Old Guys – Of the top 20 scorers (and ties) at the turkey-day milestone, seven have passed their 30th birthday, led by Sidney Crosby at 36 years, and by Nikita Kucherov, age 30, with a league-leading 35 points after pouring on six Friday afternoon. He's on a 143-point pace. I'd already praised Jonathan Quick in my last article but at age 37, his 1.68 GAA leads the NHL, minimum four appearances. Cam Talbot (36) has ten wins and Sergei Bobrovsky (35) nine, only trailing Alexandar Georgiev. Artemi Panarin's (age 32) 15-game scoring streak was the longest by a Ranger ever to start a season. Alex Ovechkin and Patrick Kane seem to be missing the parade.

Rookies – Yes, there's that new guy in Chicago, but living up to a "boy wonder" hype, Connor Bedard has ten goals and six assists in 18 games. Not easy, with the spotlight squarely focused on him and with his hoped-for wingman Taylor Hall now gone for the season – after having just four points.  But for excitement and story lines, there's Matthew Poitras making the Bruins' roster as an unheralded 19-year old; Joseph Woll, 6 wins and 0.909 SV%, wrestling the Toronto net from Ilya Samsonov; and Logan Cooley, nine power-play points for the Coyotes. (For comparison, after their overdue explosion yesterday, Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid each have 11.) Obviously, I can't list everyone, but rookies are "in" again. 

The Unexpected – This past Monday, the Predators scored two goals in the final 40 seconds to defeat the Avalanche 4-3, and Steven Stamkos' goal with just five seconds left in regulation then spurred the Lightning to a 5-4 overtime win against the Bruins. You can't turn off your TV early, or beat the rush out of the arena without risking that you'll miss those game-winning moments. The Just last week, all four of the Global Series games were decided by one goal, and three of those were in overtime. And if you picked Frank Vatrano to have 13 goals by Thanksgiving – well, you're lying.

Lastly, a quick plug that I'm thankful for fantasy hockey. I have the good fortune to play in several leagues (five, actually) that have committed managers who'll discuss players, games, trades, beers, you name it. I've made friends who I've never met, and some that I have. And anyone who plays "fantasy" with passion is a better fan in real life. 

Saturday matchups:

I'm going to list three stacks that you can afford in DraftKings, starting with the Toronto Maple Leafs at Pittsburgh Penguins game. As of Saturday morning, the Leafs sit in a wild card position, and the Pens are reeling at 1-4-0 in their past five contests. They have averaged under two goals per game in that stretch, they're on a 1-for-22 run with the man advantage, and they look nothing like the squad that won five consecutive games in the first half of November. John Tavares ($6900) and Mitchell Marner ($6600) save you enough entry cash over their sexier teammates – Auston Matthews at $9400 and William Nylander at $8000 would mean scraping the last cookie crumbs from the jar to complete a team. Add Morgan Rielly ($4800), who quietly has 15 points in 18 games. I'm passing on Woll, as he's now surrendered 13 goals in his last three starts.

It would be tough to avoid the Vancouver Canucks, playing at San Jose in a 10 PM Eastern late game. Quinn Hughes has been a remarkable story this season, but at $7600?  I'll start Filip Hronek ($4700) with his 20 points in 21 games, along with first power-play mates Brock Boeser ($6900 – 13 goals) and Andrei Kuzmenko ($4100). Kuzmenko was a healthy scratch Friday, so he should be both rested and motivated. Interesting stat – the Sharks are a not-terrible 3-5-1 in their last nine games, giving up just under 3½ scores per game, a far cry from the consecutive 10-goal bloodbaths to start this month. 

Arizona Coyotes @ Las Vegas Golden Knights – First of all, the 'Yotes last victory in Vegas was in 2019, so bet with the house. Next quick fact, the Knights' leading scorer (tied with Jack Eichel) this season is William Karlsson ($5500) with 9+11, 20 points, and my cheap lineup-filler is his linemate Michael Amadio ($2800), with a respectable 10 points at the season's quarter-pole. Arizona has conceded less than four goals just once in their past six games.

At goalie, the above squads all have good options, although Adin Hill and Casey DeSmith are two of the most expensive picks at $8300 each. I'd recommend Ilya Sorokin ($7500) to steal a win at home over the Flyers. Sorokin's 3.21 GAA and 0.909 SV% are unsustainably poor for him, and I smell a shutout in his future. Or I might smell left-over turkey, just as likely.

My lineup:

…is taken straight from the choices above:  Karlsson, Tavares, Marner, Boeser and Kuzmenko at forward; Rielly and Hronek on defense; and Sorokin in net. Amadio is my utility player, and I had $200 remaining. Last week, I'll take credit for predicting that Charlie Lindgren would get his second consecutive start, and he got the win but without help from the (predicted) Great 8. I'm due. I'm also doubling down with an UNDER 6 goals wager on the Philly/Islanders match.

Good luck to all.