Welcome to February, which begins with eight NHL games Friday. If you want to kick your weekend off right, here are my recommendations for your daily fantasy hockey lineup.
GOALIE
Petr Mrazek, CAR vs. VGK ($7,700): Mrazek's numbers aren't great, but there are things to like about this matchup. The Hurricanes have a 2.72 GAA and have only given up 27.3 shots on net per game at home. Meanwhile, the Golden Knights have scored 2.81 goals per game on the road. Vegas is also starting Max Lagace, which increases Mrazek's chances of picking up a win.
CENTER
Ryan Johansen, NAS at FLA ($6,100): Johansen has notched 43 points in 50 games, including seven in his last six contests. He's also got 11 points with the extra man. Meanwhile, the Panthers have a 3.46 GAA, and their .887 team save percentage is worst in the league.
Mikael Backlund, CGY at WAS ($5,600): Backlund has a goal and an assist in each of his last two games. That has helped give him eight points in his last seven contests, even though he's not playing on the power play anymore. As for the Capitals, they have a 3.22 GAA, which is bottom 10 in the NHL.
WING
Sam Reinhart, BUF vs. CHI ($6,300): Reinhart, who skates on Buffalo's top line with Jeff Skinner and Jack Eichel, has 45 points in 50 games. He's also played 3:15 per game with the extra man and tallied 11 power-play points. The Blackhawks have a 3.71 GAA, close to worst in the NHL, and they also have the league's worst penalty kill. That certainly bodes well for Reinhart.
Justin Williams, CAR vs. VGK ($4,700): Williams is still getting it done despite being 37. He's notched 13 goals on 138 shots in 50 games, and he has six goals in his last 12 contests. The Golden Knights are a different team on the road, as they have a 3.15 GAA on away games. They are also expected to start Max Lagace, who had a 3.91 GAA and .867 save percentage last year in his NHL debut.
Dominik Simon, PIT vs. OTT ($4,200): Simon is skating on Pittsburgh's top line alongside Sidney Crosby, and he's getting some second-unit power-play time as well. He's also picked up eight points in his last 11 outings. This is primarily about the matchup, though. The Senators have a 4.29 GAA on the road and have given up 37.1 shots on net per game to boot.
DEFENSE
Rasmus Ristolainen, BUF vs. CHI ($5,000): Ristolainen is a real power-play maven. For the fourth season in a row, he's averaging more than three minutes per game with the extra man, and he's tallied at least 21 power-play points in each of his last three campaigns. As previously noted, the Blackhawks have the league's worst penalty kill, which is right up the Finnish defenseman's alley.
Ryan Ellis, NAS at FLA ($5,000): Ellis isn't scoring like he did last season, when he notched 32 points in 44 games, but he did have a strong January. He registered seven points in 12 games last month. The Panthers have a 3.46 GAA, and none of their goalies have a GAA above .900. Plus, in addition to his offensive numbers, Ellis has 104 blocked shots in 50 contests.
