This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
There are only two games in the NHL Friday. Colorado and Columbus face off in Finland for the first of two contests while back at home, while Buffalo takes on a tired Carolina team, who defeated Tampa Bay in a shootout Thursday. Colorado will be the home team Friday in Finland. Below, you'll find suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
GOALIES
Antti Raanta, CAR vs. BUF ($7,900): Raanta gets the start in the second half of back-to-back games. The netminder is 2-0-1 this season with a 2.23 GAA and a .913 save percentage. He won both his starts against the Sabres last season, giving up five goals on 55 shots.
Alexandar Georgiev, COL vs. CLS ($8,300): Georgiev is coming off his first loss of the season but is still 4-1-1 as he is the Avalanche's No. 1 netminder. Georgiev has a 2.81 GAA and a .918 save percentage this season. There are only two games on the schedule and I like Colorado to upend Columbus in the early game.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Patrik Laine, CLS at COL ($5,700): Laine returns to his hometown of Tampere, Finland to play in front of friends and family. This has to be a thrill for the 24-year-old who missed six games with an elbow sprain after being hurt on Opening Night. He has been pointless in his three games since returning but he is worth selecting in front of his cheering hometown crowd.
Seth Jarvis, CAR vs. BUF ($4,000): Jarvis is off to a good start with three goals in his first 10 games. He plays on the top line with Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen and sees second line power play time. He had three assists in three games against the Sabres last season as a 19-year-old.
Jakub Voracek, CLS at COL ($3,300): Voracek has been an important part of the Blue Jackets, seeing second line action as well as first power play duty. He has five assists this season and had success last season against the Avalanche with three assists in two games.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Sabres at Hurricanes
Tage Thompson (C - $6,700), Jeff Skinner (W -$4,400), Kyle Okposo (W - $3,800)
The trio were outstanding Monday as Thompson had three goals and six points while Skinner had a goal and two assists and Okposo had a pair of helpers in the Sabres' 8-3 win over Detroit. They followed it up, combining for two goals and three assists in a 6-3 win over Pittsburgh on Wednesday. Thompson has seven goals and 14 points in 10 games. Skinner has two goals and 10 points this season with two goals and eight points coming in his last four games. Okposo finally scored Wednesday, and has six assists. This line is white-hot.
Avalanche vs. Blue Jackets
Mikko Rantanen (W-$6,400), Nathan MacKinnon (C-$8,100), Artturi Lehkonen (W-$4,700)
Colorado has been mixing their lines up but the threesome all play together on the first power play. Rantanen returns to his native Finland as the NHL has resumed returning to Europe to play some games after taking a couple of years off due to COVID. This is a good time to take the trio as their value has dropped in the last two weeks and they are due. Rantanen had a goal and an assist in his last game, halting a four-game pointless streak, while MacKinnon had a pair of helpers in the same game and is up to 12 points in nine games. Lehkonen has two goals and six points in nine contests after an assist Saturday.
DEFENSEMEN
Cale Makar, COL vs. CLS ($7,300): The best defenseman in the NHL has yet to pick up a goal after leading all defensemen last season with 28. Makar does have eight assists in nine games this season after a Norris Trophy winning campaign in 2021-22 when had 86 points in 77 games.
David Jiricek, CLS at COL ($2,700): The sixth overall selection in the 2022 Draft, Jiricek is the third player from the class to have made his NHL debut this season. He has yet to pick up a point in two games but is getting second unit power play time. He had four assists in five AHL games before his recall.
