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. LA ($7,700): Sorokin has been outstanding this season, despite his 20-17-5 record as he has a 2.39 GAA and .925 save percentage. His peripherals make him a top-five goaltender in the NHL. Sorokin has won three straight games, giving up seven goals on 116 shots. He will play the Kings, who are 12th in NHL scoring, averaging 3.31 goals per contest. Should Semyon Varlamov get the start, go with Varlamov.
Connor Hellebuyck, WPG vs. COL ($7,900): Hellebuyck has returned to the form he showed two seasons ago, as he once again is a top-five netminder in the NHL. Hellebuyck is 26-7-1 with three shutouts this season. His peripherals are the best of his career, when you factor in the increase in scoring this season over the last 10 years as he has a 2.39 GAA and .925 save percentage. Hellebuyck has given up more than three goals only once in his last 10 starts and is 3-2-0 in his last five, giving up nine goals on 159 shots. He will face the Avalanche, who are 19th in NHL scoring, averaging 3.07 goals per contest.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Anthony Duclair, FLA vs. BUF ($2,500): Duclair has yet to play this season after undergoing offseason Achilles tendon surgery. He is slated to start and has a tremendous price considering he had 31 goals and 58 points in 74 games last season. Duclair is expected to see third line action alongside Nick Cousins and Eetu Luostarinen and will get second unit power play time as well.
Seth Jarvis, CAR vs. OTT ($3,900): Jarvis has six points in his last three games, including four goals. The 21-year-old was drafted 13th overall in 2020 and is seeing first line time with Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov, as well as second unit power play time. Jarvis has 12 goals and 30 points in 56 games this season.
Michael Bunting, TOR vs. MIN ($4,300): Bunting has five goals and seven points in his last eight games as he has a great role with the Maple Leafs on the top line, alongside Auston Matthews and William Nylander. Bunting has 19 goals and 40 points in 58 games, including five goals and eight points on the power play. Bunting had an assist in his lone game against the Wild earlier in the season.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Sabres at Panthers
Alex Tuch (W-$7,100), Tage Thompson (C-$7,900), Jeff Skinner (W-$6,900)
The Sabres' top line is one of the best in the NHL. Thompson has 39 goals and 75 points in 56 games. His goal total is third best in the NHL, while he is seventh in NHL scoring. Thompson has 17 goals and 28 points on the power play to lead the Sabres. Skinner has two goals and six points in his last four games, after going the previous four contests with nary a point. Skinner has 22 goals and 56 points as he is on track to smash his career high in points, hitting the 63-point mark four times in his career. Tuch saw his three-game scoring streak come to an end Thursday, as he had scored once and added an assist in each game. The New York native has 27 goals and 61 points in 56 games, a career high in both categories.
Jets at Avalanche
Kyle Connor (W - $7,900), Mark Scheifele (C -$5,900), Mason Appleton (W - $3,000)
Connor is not scoring like he did last season when he struck for 47 goals in 79 games, but has become more of a setup man as he has 26 goals and 66 points thus far. The talented Connor is one of the most underrated players in the NHL as he always seems to be just under the radar. He has a great center in Scheifele, who has 34 goals this season, four off his career high with 24 games remaining in the schedule. He has only 18 assists after four straight 40-plus assist seasons, but is always capable of setting up Connor. Appleton has only two assists in six games since returning to action after he broke his wrist on Nov. 13, an injury that cost him 38 games. Appleton has a goal and eight points in 20 games and is nicely priced to fill out your lineup.
DEFENSEMEN
Devon Toews, COL at WPG ($5,200): Toews is in a great position as he has taken over quarterbacking the top power play in Colorado from the injured Cale Makar who is back in concussion protocol. Toews has four goals and 31 points in 53 games after he had a career year in 2021-22, scoring 13 times and adding 44 assists. He has a goal and three assists in his last five games.
Owen Power, BUF at FLA ($3,700): Power has four goals in his last 11 games, giving the defenseman four goals and 20 points in 53 games. The 20-year-old is a plus-13 this season and has been averaging 23:35 of action per game, an outstanding total for a rookie. He has 86 shots on goal in the 53 games, but has nine in his last four games. Power is going to be outstanding and could have a big game versus the Panthers, especially at his price.
