This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Friday's NHL slate consists of the one-game showdown contest for Game 6 between the Avalanche and Blues from St. Louis at 8:00 p.m. EDT. Below, you'll find suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
Colorado choked away Game 5 late but still leads the series 3-2 and is favored to close out the series on the road in a game with an over/under of 6.5 goals. Your lineup will consist of six players, including a Captain spot that costs 1.5 times as much and scores 1.5 times as many fantasy points.
GOALIES
Darcy Kuemper, COL at STL ($10,600): Kuemper's Game 5 defeat was just his second of the postseason, but it was an ugly one. Not only did he blow a three-goal lead, but he allowed the Blues to erase two separate one-goal deficits in the last five minutes before St. Louis won it early in overtime. There's some risk that his confidence is shaken by that loss, but Kuemper's certainly capable of bouncing right back to dominance otherwise.
Ville Husso, STL vs. COL ($9,200): Husso has allowed at least four goals in each of his last five starts this postseason, so he's unlikely to batten down the hatches against Colorado's potent offense. If the Blues win, it will likely be thanks to the offense, as was the case in St. Louis' season-saving 5-4 overtime triumph Wednesday in Colorado.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Ryan O'Reilly, STL vs. COL ($8,200): O'Reilly has been quiet in the last two games, but he preceded the mini-slump with a seven-game point streak, lighting the lamp in six of those games. The 2019 Conn Smythe Trophy winner should deliver a strong performance in this home elimination game given O'Reilly's history of postseason success.
Alex Newhook, COL at STL ($2,000): Newhook has been inserted into the lineup for the last two games and dished a helper in the first. With all of the pricey firepower headlining both teams' lineups, snagging Newhook at the minimum valuation of $2,000 can provide some valuable cap space as you construct yours. The 2019 first-round pick has been scratched for much of the postseason but played well to close out the regular season, notching a 2-8-10 line in his last 14 games before the playoffs.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Avalanche at Blues
Nathan MacKinnon (C - $11,400), Gabriel Landeskog (W - $8,400), Artturi Lehkonen (W - $4,800)
MacKinnon's the leading candidate to take the Captain spot if you can create enough cap room for him, as he's coming off a tremendous Game 5 performance. The star center played a role in all four of Colorado's goals Wednesday, scoring three himself to go with an assist. Throw in his six shots on goal in that one, and MacKinnon's up to eight goals, five assists and 52 shots over nine playoff games. Landeskog has been nearly as productive with a 6-5-11 line, including goals in three of the last four games for Colorado's captain. An assist in Game 5 gave the affordable Lehkonen a 2-1-3 line in his last three games, as he's making the most of his top-line assignment.
Blues vs. Avalanche
Robert Thomas (C - $5,600), Vladimir Tarasenko (W - $8,000), Pavel Buchnevich (W - $6,400)
This was St. Louis' most productive offensive line during the regular season, and its members stepped up with the season on the line Wednesday. Each of these guys mustered two points in Game 5, including a pair of goals from the normally pass-first Thomas. This is the trio that the Blues will try to free up for offense with last change, while the O'Reilly line will focus on slowing down MacKinnon. All three of these players exceeded a point per game in the regular season.
DEFENSEMEN
Colton Parayko, STL vs. COL ($7,400): Wednesday snapped a streak of eight consecutive games with at least 8.4 fantasy points for Parayko. The big-bodied blueliner has skated at least 23 minutes in all but one game during this productive stretch, and Parayko should continue to stuff the stat sheet while playing heavy minutes. He doesn't have the offensive ceiling of most players in this price range but brings a high floor thanks to strong shot-blocking ability and can chip in offensively.
Bowen Byram, COL at STL ($4,400): Byram has stepped up since Samuel Girard suffered a broken sternum. The fourth overall selection in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft has dished out four assists over the last two games, and Byram has put at least three pucks on net in each of the last four games, so he offers some nice value on Colorado's blue line.
