This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
There are three NHL games Friday, although one of them is at 2:00 PM ET, because it's taking place in Helsinki. Obviously, that game is not included for daily fantasy purposes. Still, there are two games Friday night, and here are my recommendations.
GOALIE
Antti Raanta, ARI vs. CAR ($7,700): Can you guess which team has the lowest GAA in the league? Probably, given that I'm writing this right after mentioning Raanta. The Coyotes have a 1.91 GAA, and Raanta himself has a 1.99 GAA and .926 save percentage. Carolina has been good this year, but Raanta's performance is worth betting on.
CENTER
Elias Pettersson, VAN vs. COL ($5,300): The Canucks seem intent on making Pettersson the face of their team already. He's moved up to being Vancouver's first-line center, and he's started 60.3 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone. You can see why they do it, given that he has 10 points through seven games. The Avalanche have been great defensively to start the year, but they are on the road for the second night of a back-to-back. For what it's worth, they had a 3.37 GAA in away games last year.
Alex Galchenyuk, ARI vs. CAR ($5,100): Galchenyuk has been thrust into a big role since returning from injury and making his debut with the Coyotes. He's started 66.7 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, second most among Arizona forwards and has four points in four games. The Hurricanes have a 2.83 GAA, which is middle of the pack, but they also have a woeful .884 save percentage.
WING
Mikko Rantanen, COL at VAN ($7,400): The Canucks have the worst GAA of the four teams in action Friday night (3.14), so getting an Avalanche or two would be great. However, this is kind of a one-line team, which means the only wings worth considering are the pricey Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog. Rantanen is worth the price, though, as he has a whopping 21 points through 13 games.
Nikolay Goldobin, VAN vs. COL ($3,600): Goldobin began to emerge last year as a prospect by notching 31 points in 30 games in the AHL, and adding 14 in 38 NHL games. The 22-year-old is still developing as a player, but he's started 64.4 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, second highest to the Canucks, and has played 2:33 per game with the extra man as well. As previously noted, the Avalanche are on the road for the second game of a back-to-back. With only four teams in action, including the team with the lowest GAA in the NHL, that means something.
Michael Grabner, ARI vs. CAR ($3,300): Grabner has scored 27 goals in each of his last two seasons, which kind of feels like it has flown under the radar. He has five points this season, but four of them have come in his last three games. Scott Darling is back healthy, but that may not help the Hurricanes. He had a 3.18 GAA and .888 save percentage last year.
DEFENSE
Oliver Ekman-Larsson, ARI vs. CAR ($5,200): Ekman-Larsson scored 14 goals on 202 shots last year and he also had 15 points on the power play. He's been a regular contributor with the extra man in his career, and that could pay off big time in this matchup. The Hurricanes have the worst penalty kill in the NHL thus far.
Tyson Barrie, COL at VAN ($5,100): Barrie has 10 points this season, all assists, and five of them have come on the power play. He doesn't yet have a goal, but he's put 29 shots on net, so that's bound to change. It could happen in this matchup, as the Canucks have a 3.14 GAA and have allowed 32.4 shots on goal per contest.
