This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
There are four NHL games on the schedule Friday 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
All four games have an over/under of 6.5 goals, but two have massive favorites while the other two are expected to be highly competitive. The Capitals in Arizona and Wild at home versus Seattle are expected to win handily, so most lineups will be built around one or both of those teams. Senators-Blue Jackets and Avalanche-Oilers are both toss-ups, though the latter game also has no shortage of star power with which to fuel your lineup.
GOALIES
Marc-Andre Fleury, MIN vs. SEA ($8,500): Fleury has gone 6-1-0 since joining the Wild, adding a 2.59 GAA and .921 save percentage. He has been alternating starts with Cam Talbot and should get the nod after Talbot beat the Canucks on Thursday. Seattle's goals for per game this season have matched Fleury's GAA with the Wild at 2.59 – fourth-fewest in the league for the Kraken.
Vitek Vanecek, WAS at ARI ($8,200): Whether it's Vanecek or llya Samsonov ($8,200), Washington's goalie will be poised for a strong performance against a league-worst Arizona offense that's scoring 2.44 goals per game. Vanecek has the superior ratios among Capitals netminders with a 2.67 GAA and .909 save percentage, and Washington has been playing some of its best hockey of late, going 6-1-1 in its last eight games.
Mike Smith, EDM vs. CLS ($7,700): Smith's an intriguing option at home against an Avalanche team that's missing a number of key contributors. The veteran netminder's peaking at the end of the season, as Smith's on a seven-game winning streak and has allowed just six goals over his last six starts.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Nazem Kadri, COL at EDM ($7,200): The Avs could be without Mikko Rantanen, Gabriel Landeskog and Devon Toews due to various injuries and illnesses, but they got Kadri back in the lineup last game and he didn't skip a beat, notching an assist and four shots. He has been one of the league's most productive players all season with a 26-58-84 line, and Kadri should continue to deliver in Edmonton.
Evander Kane, EDM vs. COL ($5,600): If you want exposure to Edmonton's stars without paying up for them, Kane makes for a nice alternative considering the winger skates in a top-six role with power-play time. Kane has a three-game point streak rolling, and a 17-15-32 line in 38 games overall. He has also put four pucks on net in five of his last nine games.
Matty Beniers, SEA at MIN ($4,700): Beniers is yet to be held off the scoresheet in his NHL career, opening on a four-game point streak. With a role on the top line and No. 1 power-play unit, the second overall selection from the 2021 NHL Entry Draft should get plenty of opportunities to keep strutting his stuff for a Kraken team that's focused on his development above all else at this point in the season.
Phil Kessel, ARI vs. WAS ($3,700): The Coyotes aren't getting much offense these days, but Kessel has done his best to provide some, with four assists in his last four games and multiple shots in all of those games. At just $3,700, the skilled veteran winger could easily outperform his valuation, even if his team's overmatched by the visiting Capitals.
Jack Roslovic, CLS vs. OTT ($3,300): The red-hot Roslovic is a bargain at $3,300. He has a 7-2-9 line in his last five games thanks to three multi-goal performances, and he should see an expanded role in this battle of non-playoff teams with the Blue Jackets banged up.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Capitals at Coyotes
Evgeny Kuznetsov (C - $6,200), Alex Ovechkin (W - $8,400), Tom Wilson (W - $4,300)
Washington's top line has been clicking and should exert its dominance on the Coyotes, who are allowing 3.79 goals per game. Ovechkin ranks fourth league-wide in goals with a 50-40-90 line, while Kuznetsov has been his setup man all season with a 24-53-77 line. Wilson's 24-28-52 line has him tied with Kuznetsov for second on the team in goals and ranks fourth in points behind his two linemates and defenseman John Carlson. This trio has combined for a 12-11-23 line over the past seven games.
Wild vs. Kraken
Ryan Hartman (C - $5,900), Kirill Kaprizov (W - $8,000), Mats Zuccarello (W - $5,900)
If you don't want to build around one of the league's older Russian stars in Alexander Ovechkin, you can instead build around one of the fresher faces from the country in Kaprizov, who is fifth in goals (44) and seventh in points (97). Hartman's tied with Kevin Fiala for second on the team in goals with 32, while Zuccarello's one point ahead of Fiala for second in points with 78, and Zucc has reached that total in just 69. By the way, if you're going for a Wild stack, it makes sense to throw in Fiala on top of this trio against a Kraken team that's surrendering 3.43 goals per game.
Senators at Blue Jackets
Tim Stutzle (C - $5,100), Drake Batherson (W - $4,900), Alex Formenton (W - $2,800)
Ottawa's second line should deliver strong bang for the buck against a Blue Jackets team that's surrendering 3.68 goals per game. Stutzle missed practice Thursday, but if he's able to suit up, he'll have a great opportunity to add to his 6-8-14 line over the past 10 games. Batherson has been Ottawa's most productive player on a per-game basis, with a 15-25-40 line in just 41 games. Formenton's coming off a two-goal, seven-shot performance, which has the 22-year-old winger within shouting distance of a 20-goal season with 17.
DEFENSEMEN
John Carlson, WAS at ARI ($6,700): Carlson showed Wednesday in Vegas that he can provide value even without scoring, as his point streak was snapped at seven games but he compiled up two shots and six blocked shots. The secondary stats are nice, but you should pay up for Carlson because he's likely to start a new point streak here against the lowly Coyotes. Carlson ranks fourth in goals (15) and fifth in points (68) among defensemen.
Jared Spurgeon, MIN vs. SEA ($5,100): Spurgeon's brimming with confidence, having scored three goals in his last three games. He has added eight shots and six blocked shots over that stretch and is playing strong two-way hockey down the stretch for a Wild team that's heavily favored Friday.
Erik Brannstrom, OTT at CLS ($3,200): Brannstrom has significant offensive ability for a $3,200 defenseman. He has two assists in his last three games and five in the past nine while occupying a spot on Ottawa's top power-play unit. If you're looking for cheap upside on the back end, Brannstrom provides that against the defensively challenged Blue Jackets.
Samuel Girard, COL at EDM ($2,600): Girard has had a quiet season, but perhaps injuries to Toews and Erik Johnson on Colorado's blue line will provide Girard with the opportunities he needs to pick up his production down the stretch. Girard's 5-22-27 line is respectable for a defenseman that's just $100 above the minimum, but he showed he can be significantly more effective last season with 32 points in just 48 games.
