This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
The weekend is here! Why not kick back, relax and enjoy the four NHL games on the schedule for Friday (though only three are included for daily fantasy)? On top of that, why not add to the fun by playing some daily fantasy hockey? If you want to try your hand at a contest, here are some lineup recommendations to hopefully end the work week on a good foot.
GOALIE
Semyon Varlamov, COL vs. OTT ($8,500): Varlamov is off to a stellar start to the season, as he has a 1.56 GAA and .953 save percentage. The Senators are also off to a strong start, as they've averaged 3.63 goals per game. However, I'm skeptical about that. They've only put 29.3 shots on net per game, and they only scored 2.67 goals per contest last season. Since then they've lost Erik Karlsson and Mike Hoffman. I trust Varlamov more than Ottawa.
CENTER
Logan Couture, SAN at CAR ($7,000): Couture tallied 34 goals last year, and he already has five this season (to go with five assists). He's also been a power-play threat for basically his entire career and had 21 points with the extra man last season. The Hurricanes had an .893 save percentage as a team last year, and this season that number has dropped to .882.
Alex Kerfoot, COL vs. OTT ($4,400): Kerfoot had 19 goals and 24 assists as a rookie, and 17 points came with the extra man. He has six points through 10 games this year, but he also has a 5.3 shooting percentage, which is likely to improve. As for the Senators, they had a 3.46 GAA last year, second highest in the NHL, and somehow they have been even worse to start this season (3.63).
WING
Kyle Connor, WPG at DET ($5,200): Connor is building off his rookie season where he managed 31 goals, as he has nine points through 10 games. He's been helped by the fact that he's averaged 3:07 per game with the extra man. Meanwhile, the Wings have really struggled defensively, as they have the worst GAA in the league at 4.22.
Nikolaj Ehlers, WPG at DET ($4,800): You remember when I said the Wings had a 4.22 GAA, right? If you want a bigger sample size, they had a 3.10 GAA last year, which was bottom 10 in the NHL. Ehlers has gotten off to a bit of a slow start, but he just got his first goal of the season in his last game. He only has a 4.0 shooting percentage, which is guaranteed to improve. This matchup could help him with that.
Joonas Donskoi, SAN at CAR ($4,100): Donskoi has started 69.1 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, second highest among San Jose forwards. This came after he started 55.8 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone last year, which was also second highest among Sharks forwards. Scott Darling has been recalled from the AHL, so he may make his first start of the season in this game. Even if he does, he's coming off a season where he had a 3.18 GAA and .888 save percentage.
DEFENSE
Justin Faulk, CAR vs. SAN ($5,000): After scoring at least 15 goals in each of his previous three seasons, Faulk only had eight last year. However, he had a 3.8 shooting percentage, a real drop for him, and even so he still managed 19 points with the extra man. He's also started 62.4 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone this year and has played 3:37 per game on the power play. Both should be helpful in this matchup with the Sharks at home.
Erik Johnson, COL vs. OTT ($4,600): Johnson doesn't have a goal yet, but he's notched 23 shots on net, so the goals should come. Plus, he's picked up five assists over 10 games anyway. The Senators have allowed a whopping 36.1 shots on net per contest this season, so Johnson should stay active. Craig Anderson also had a .898 save percentage, so perhaps a puck will go in.
