This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Friday's NHL slate consists of only two games after 7:00 p.m. EDT. Below, you'll find a breakdown of the action and suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
One game features the league's best offense while the other involves the NHL's worst defense. The Panthers are heavily favored on home ice against the Jets in a game with an over/under of 6.5 goals. Meanwhile, the Islanders are modest favorites in Montreal but lack the offensive weapons to fully exploit the Canadiens' defensive shortcomings, which is why their game has an over/under of only 5.5 goals.
GOALIES
Sergei Bobrovsky, FLA vs. WPG ($8,500): Bobrovsky hasn't been his sharpest of late, but it's hard to argue with his 35-6-3 record. He's added a solid 2.70 GAA and .911 save percentage, and Florida's goalie of choice between Bobrovsky or Spencer Knight will be the likeliest goalie to notch a win Friday.
Semyon Varlamov, NYI at MON ($8,000): Varlamov should start this one after Ilya Sorokin played in Thursday's 6-3 loss to the Penguins. The Blues blitzed Varlamov for six goals in his last start, but he had been solid before that, going 3-1-0 with eight goals allowed over his previous four outings. Unlike the Penguins on the previous night, a Montreal team that's averaging just 2.57 goals per game may not have enough offensive skill to create many quality chances against the Islanders' boring but effective defensive style, so this could be an easy night for Varlamov.
Sam Montembeault, MON vs. NYI ($7,000): Montreal's netminder of choice should have some upside as a value pick at just $7,000 here. The Islanders are far from juggernauts offensively, ranking in the bottom 10 with 2.75 goals per game. Add in tired legs on New York's side, and this has the potential to be a low-scoring affair in which both goalies thrive.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Kyle Connor, WPG at FLA ($8,000): Facing a Panthers team that's allowing 2.90 goals per game shouldn't deter Connor, who ranks fifth in goals (42), sixth in shots (290) and 14th in points (85) around the league. The star winger's enjoying a standout season and makes for an intriguing option to build your lineup around if you want to go against the grain.
Cole Caufield, MON vs. NYI ($5,200): Despite being held off the scoresheet in each of his last two games, Caufield still has a 17-13-30 line in his last 29 games. The dynamic young winger is being given every opportunity to succeed offensively, and while his all-around game's still a work in progress, Caufield's shortcomings in his own end don't negatively affect his value in this format.
Anthony Duclair, FLA vs. WPG ($4,200): Duclair hit 30 goals in a season for the first time thanks to his second two-goal performance in the past five games last time out, and his role on the top line and No. 1 power-play unit makes the high-scoring winger an excellent value play at $4,200. Winnipeg's bottom-five, 74.7 percent penalty kill is unlikely to keep Florida's sixth-ranked, 24.2 percent power play at bay.
Zach Parise, NYI at MON ($2,700): Parise's enjoying a nice little surge of late, with three goals in his last two games. He plays a prominent role on special teams and is currently skating on a line with the Islanders' top playmaker Mathew Barzal at even strength. At just $2,700, Parise's a low-risk, high-reward play here.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Panthers vs. Jets
Sam Bennett (C - $5,600), Jonathan Huberdeau (W - $7,700), Claude Giroux (W - $5,300)
Florida's second line is one of the most dangerous lines in the league offensively, led by Huberdeau, who's tied for second in the league with 105 points. Huberdeau's thought of as a pass-first player, but he's an excellent sniper as well, having potted five goals in his last five games while posting separate performances of seven and 10 shots over that stretch. Bennett is another skilled finisher on this line, as his 27 goals are just one shy of Huberdeau's total, and they have come in just 63 games. Giroux has eclipsed a point per game since coming over to Florida with 12 in 11. A middling Jets defense that's allowing 3.08 goals per game will be hard-pressed to keep this trio in check.
Islanders at Canadiens
Brock Nelson (C - $5,900), Anders Lee (W - $3,900), Anthony Beauvillier (W - $3,300)
The Islanders' most productive line offers some nice bang for the buck against a Montreal team that's allowing 3.81 goals per game, which is the most in the NHL. Nelson leads the team in both goals and points with a 33-21-54 line in 64 games. Lee is seven goals back of Nelson's team-leading total and has a legitimate chance to crack the 30-goal mark for the third time in his career. Beauvillier's mired in an eight-game point drought, but the streaky winger had 12 points in the 13 games before that.
Jets at Panthers
Paul Stastny (W - $3,600), Nikolaj Ehlers (W - $6,700), Morgan Barron (W - $2,500)
Injuries up front have opened up some top-six opportunities in Winnipeg for players that usually don't play as high in the lineup. Ehlers is a top-six staple, and he's been rolling recently with a 5-7-12 line during his seven-game point streak. He'll skate alongside a pair of appealing value plays for this matchup with a Panthers team that often prefers to simply outscore the opposition rather than limit opportunities against. Stastny still has some gas left in the tank at age 36, as his 2-3-5 line in the past three games has pushed his season line up to 20-20-40 in 63 games. Barron has rarely had a chance to skate in a top-six role, but he made the most of it in his previous game, as the 23-year-old forward had a goal, an assist and four shots.
DEFENSEMEN
Ryan Pulock, NYI at MON ($5,100): Pulock has been peppering the net with shots lately, and given his excellent shot velocity, it's likely just a matter of time until he gets rewarded. While he's currently mired in a six-game point drought, Pulock has 16 shots in the last three games alone. Given Montreal's unsteady goaltending, this could be the game in which he breaks through.
Josh Morrissey, WPG at FLA ($4,800): Morrissey has provided a high floor with secondary stats while consistently contributing on the scoresheet of late. In addition to a 2-4-6 line in his past 10 games, Morrissey has blocked multiple shots in eight of those games and totaled at least three shots on goal six times. Winnipeg's top defenseman should have plenty of opportunities to rack up value at both ends in what projects to be a fast-paced game.
Gustav Forsling, FLA vs. WPG ($3,900): Forsling's a bit inconsistent, but he has a high ceiling for a sub-$4,000 blueliner, as evidenced by his 4-3-7 line over the past seven games. He has totaled at least four shots on goal in five of those seven games, so Forsling's generating plenty of chances himself rather than simply getting carried by the elite offensive players around him.
Alexander Romanov, MON vs. NYI ($3,600): If you're looking for a high floor rather than a high ceiling, Romanov's shot-blocking ability makes him a nice value option on the blue line. He has blocked 12 shots over the past three games, and the Russian's physical style should allow him to thrive against an Islanders team that often focuses more on hitting than scoring.
