This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
There are seven games on the NHL slate Friday. Detroit is home to Montreal, Toronto plays in Buffalo, Florida hosts St. Louis, Washington visits Carolina, Dallas is home to the Rangers, Utah is in Minnesota and Colorado travels to Anaheim. Below, you'll find suggested options for crafting an effective DFS lineup.
GOALIES
Scott Wedgewood, COL at ANA ($8,500): The Avalanche played Mackenzie Blackwood on Thursday in San Jose, so Friday will be Wedgewood's turn in Anaheim. Wedgewood is 3-2-0 in five starts with Colorado after he was dealt from Nashville almost three weeks ago. Wedgewood's peripherals have been great with the Avalanche as he has a 1.92 GAA and a .931 save percentage. He will face the Ducks, who are 31st in NHL scoring, averaging a measly 2.43 goals per game this season.
Jake Oettinger, DAL vs. NYR ($8,100): It's hard to back the Rangers these days as they have been so bad. Oettinger will try to redeem himself after a very weak effort Wednesday versus the Maple Leafs as he allowed four goals on 12 shots before being pulled after two periods. Oettinger is 16-8-0 with a 2.43 GAA and a .909 save percentage this season, so it's likely he will rebound against the struggling Rangers.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Cutter Gauthier, ANA vs. COL ($3,200): Gauthier is still finding his way around the NHL as a rookie, but he has had some strong games this season. He has four goals and 12 points in 30 games, including two goals and four points on the power play. Gauthier plays on the third line with Mason McTavish and Robby Fabbri as the Ducks do have enough firepower to go with a top-nine capable of scoring.
Pavel Buchnevich, STL at FLA ($4,000): Buchnevich saw his nine-game scoring streak come to an end Tuesday, but he scored the lone goal Thursday in a 3-1 loss to Tampa Bay. The 29-year-old got off to a tough start with only five goals and seven assists in his first 22 games but he has four goals and 10 points in his last 11 games. I'm not sure why he is so inexpensive, but he is worth choosing to fill out your roster as he has had at least 63 points in each of his last three seasons.
Filip Chytil, NYR at DAL ($3,700): Chytil had a horrible injury-plagued 2023-24 season as he managed to see action in only 10 games before missing the remainder of the season with an upper-body injury. He missed seven games already this season with an upper-body injury but has managed six goals and six assists in 24 games. Chytil has moved up to the top power-play line, which won't hurt his value.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Avalanche at Ducks
Nathan MacKinnon (C - $10,300), Mikko Rantanen (W - $9,000), Artturi Lehkonen (W - $5,100)
The Avalanche could have the best line in the NHL. MacKinnon leads all scorers with 50 points in 33 games. MacKinnon finished second in scoring in 2023-24 with 140 points and is on his way to possibly winning his first Art Ross Trophy as the league's top point-getter. Rantanen is tied for third in scoring with 47 points, including 18 goals. Lehkonen missed the first 12 games of the 2024-25 campaign recovering from offseason shoulder surgery. He has not missed a step as he has 10 goals and 15 points in 21 tilts. Lehkonen loses some value as he plays on the second power-play unit while MacKinnon and Rantanen play on the first line. The Ducks are a middling team when it comes to keeping the puck out of the net as they are allowing 3.03 goals per game this season.
Panthers vs. Blues
Carter Verhaeghe (W - $6,800), Aleksander Barkov (C - $7,600), Matthew Tkachuk (W - $7,300)
You really can't afford to go with both top lines here, so you will have to decide between the Colorado and Florida threesomes. Verhaeghe has a pair of two-point nights in his last two outings, giving the 29-year-old nine goals and 27 points in 33 contests. Barkov has missed 10 games this season with injuries, but he has been a stud when on the ice, scoring nine times and adding 21 assists in just 23 games. Tkachuk has three goals in his last two games and has 13 goals and 33 points in 28 appearances this season. The Blues are 20th in allowing goals this season, so the Panthers' top line could be in for a big night.
DEFENSEMEN
Mikhail Sergachev, UTA at MIN ($5,700): Sergachev has come into his own as he is finally a No. 1 defenseman in the NHL. The trade to Utah has done wonders as he is no longer in the shadow of star blueliner Victor Hedman. Sergachev has eight goals and 23 points in 31 games this season, including two goals and six assists on the power play. Sergachev has four goals and seven assists in his past 12 games with a +11 rating.
Lane Hutson, MON at DET ($4,000): Hutson returns to his home state of Michigan to play for the first time this season, after he began his NHL career with a game in Detroit. Hutson has been a revelation this season with a goal and 22 points in 31 contests, including nine assists on the power play. The 20-year-old had two points in two games against the Red Wings last season, his only two NHL games heading into this season.
Aaron Ekblad, FLA vs. STL ($5,000): Ekblad had a goal and four points in his last two games after going five games with nary a point. He was red-hot previous to that, with a goal and seven assists in nine games. It appears Ekblad has his groove back after an injury-plagued 2023-24 campaign in which he had only four goals and 18 points in 51 appearances. Ekblad has only two goals but does have 16 helpers in 33 contests this season.
