This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
There are five games in the NHL on Friday. All 10 teams are rested, so there are not any advantages for any team as far as tiredness is concerned. Chicago visits Ottawa, Pittsburgh travels to New York to face the Islanders, Minnesota hosts Dallas, while LA goes cross-town to play the Ducks and the Rangers are in Edmonton. Below, you'll find suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
GOALIES
Ilya Sorokin, NYI vs. PIT ($7,700): Sorokin has been outstanding this season, despite his 17-17-5 record as he has a 2.40 GAA and .923 save percentage. His peripherals make him a top-five goaltender in the NHL. Sorokin is 1-0-0 against the Penguins this season, giving up one goal on 21 shots in a Dec. 27th 5-1 win. The Penguins are in the middle of the pack as far as goal-scoring is concerned, with 172 goals in 53 games this season.
Jake Oettinger, MIN vs. DAL ($8,100): Oettinger is 3-4-0 in his last seven games but has not allowed more than three goals in any contest. Oettinger is having a fabulous season, going 23-7-8 with a 2.23 GAA and .925 save percentage. He would be a finalist for the Vezina Trophy if voting were held at this stage of the season. Oettinger will face the Wild, whom he has had mixed success against this season. He gave up one goal on 24 shots in 4-1 victory Dec. 29, but gave up four goals on 16 shots Dec. 4 before he was pulled without getting a decision. The Wild are tied for 24th in NHL scoring, with 161 in 53 games.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Alex DeBrincat, OTT vs. CHI ($6,600): DeBrincat will face his former Chicago teammates for the first time since his trade from the Blackhawks in the offseason. That alone is a good enough reason to take the goal-scorer. DeBrincat had his four-game point streak end Tuesday. DeBrincat has 18 goals and 26 assists in 53 games this season. He had 41 goals last season, the second time in his six-year career that he has hit the 41-goal mark.
Patrick Kane, CHI at OTT ($5,600): Kane may be playing in his last games as a Blackhawk, as he has had his name bandied about in trade rumors. Kane has a no-trade contract, so he can pick the team (if any) that he wants to go to, and he likely wants to make a good impression for any teams interested. Kane has only 35 points in 50 games after picking up 92 points last season. Kane had incredible success against Ottawa last season, with four goals and three assists in only two games.
Taylor Raddysh, CHI at OTT ($3,000): Raddysh is nicely priced if you are looking to fill out your roster with an inexpensive player. He has 14 goals and 24 points in 53 games, playing on the second line as well as the first power play unit. Raddysh has five goals and 10 points with the man-advantage. The 24-year-old had four goals and nine points in nine games before slumping, as he has been held pointless in his last five games. Raddysh is due for a breakout game.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Oilers vs. Rangers
Connor McDavid (C-$9,800), Zach Hyman (W-$7,900), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (W-$6,300)
Whenever you have McDavid in your lineup, you have a huge chance of having a breakout night. He has gone only two games since Thanksgiving without a point, a span of 35 games. Overall, McDavid leads the NHL with 42 goals and 99 points in just 55 contests. McDavid has been amazing on the power play, with 16 goals and 48 points, Hyman is having a career year as well, as the 30-year-old has already equaled his career high in goals with 27, as well as smashing his best season in points with 64, 10 better than last season's career best of 54. He has 13 goals on the power play, also a career high. Nugent-Hopkins is only three points away from a career high as well, scoring 26 goals and 66 points. The trio has been outstanding this season and the price is good enough as Hyman and Nugent-Hopkins give good value for their price.
Kings at Ducks
Anze Kopitar (C - $5,600), Adrian Kempe (W -$5,900), Quinton Byfield (W - $3,500)
The Ducks are the worst defensive team in the NHL, and the Kings top line of Kopitar, Kempe and Byfield should be able to take advantage of it. Gabriel Vilardi could return to action Friday after missing just over a month with an upper-body injury, and if he returns, replace Byfield with Vilardi. Kopitar has 16 goals and 46 points in 55 games and is poised to hit the 20-goal mark for the first time in three seasons. Kempe has 27 goals in 55 games, including eight goals in his last five contests. Byfield is coming into his own, as he has two goals and nine points in 26 games. The 20-year-old was drafted second overall in 2020 and is slowly working his way into a more prominent role with the Kings. He has both goals and five assists in his last 11 games. All three are currently on the first power play.
DEFENSEMEN
Jared Spurgeon, MIN vs. DAL ($4,600): Spurgeon has nine goals and 24 points in 54 games and is quarterbacking the first power play with Calen Addison being a healthy scratch on Wednesday. Spurgeon is headed for a career high in shots on goal as he has 111 this season, just 41 in arrears of his best season, set in 2018-19.
Miro Heiskanen, DAL at MIN ($5,700): Heiskanen has set a career high in points with 40 in just 52 games. His previous best was last season when he had 36 points in 70 contests. Heiskanen has 18 points on the power play, including one goal, as he is seeing 3:05 with the man-advantage, 20 seconds more than his previous best set in the 2020-21 campaign.
