This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
There are four games in the NHL on Friday. Carolina plays the Maple Leafs in Toronto. Buffalo travels to Philadelphia, Washington hosts St. Louis and the tired Blue Jackets are in Anaheim. Below, you'll find suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
GOALIES
Ilya Samsonov, TOR vs. CAR ($7,500): Samsonov has been outstanding at home, but this will be only his third home start in the last month as the Maple Leafs have been on the road a lot. Samsonov is an amazing 17-2-2 at home, with a 2.01 GAA and .926 save percentage. Overall, the first year Maple Leaf is 23-8-2 with a 2.41 GAA and .915 save percentage. Samsonov will face the Hurricanes, who are second in the NHL standings with 96 points.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, BUF at PHI ($8,400): Luukkonen is 15-10-4 with a 3.55 GAA and .894 save percentage this season. The netminder has lost his last two games in extra time, giving up six goals on 65 shots. He will face the Flyers - a team in turmoil – who have fallen to fifth-last in the NHL standings, with 59 points in 67 games.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Jack Quinn, BUF at PHI ($3,600): Quinn is on a two-game point streak, with a goal versus Toronto and an assist against the Capitals. The 21-year-old center has 13 goals and 31 points in his rookie campaign. Quinn was drafted eighth overall in 2020 and is seeing second line time in even-strength situations, as well as playing on the second power play unit.
Jack Roslovic, CLS at ANA ($3,600): Roslovic has three goals and nine points in his last 15 games. He had a goal in his lone game versus Anaheim this season and has seven goals and 29 helpers in 64 games to date. The Ducks are the worst defensive team in the NHL, allowing 277 goals in 68 games, so it looks to be a good time to add Roslovic to your DFS squad.
Brandon Saad, STL at WAS ($3,200): Saad has not had a point in his last two games but had five points in his previous six contests. Saad has 17 goals and 27 points in 56 games this season, with 102 shots on goal. Saad plays on a line with Brayden Schenn and Sammy Blais and sees second unit power play time. He is an inexpensive addition to your lineup if you are up against the cap.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Sabres at Flyers
Tage Thompson (C-$8,500), Jeff Skinner (W-$6,700), Alex Tuch (W-$7,200)
Thompson is sixth in NHL scoring with 87 points and is fourth in goals with 42. The transformation of Thompson has been amazing as he had only 14 points in 38 games two seasons ago, before last year's breakout campaign. Thompson has 18 goals and 31 points with the man-advantage, as well as 256 shots on goal, 11th best in the league. Skinner has 29 goals and 67 points in 64 games to date. He topped his previous career high in points as he had 63 points in three different NHL seasons. Skinner has also been revitalized the last two campaigns, after he suffered through a couple of bad seasons in Buffalo, picking up 23 and 14 points respectively, starting in the 2019-20 season. Skinner has eight goals and 19 points on the power play. Tuch missed eight games with a lower-body injury, and he came back with a force Monday, scoring twice to give him 30 goals and 64 points in 59 contests, as all three members of the line were held pointless Wednesday. Tuch has also been strong with the man-advantage, scoring seven times and adding nine assists.
Ducks vs. Blue Jackets
Troy Terry (W - $6,000), Mason McTavish (C -$4,500), Trevor Zegras (C - $5,600)
This is a lot less expensive line than the Sabres' top trio. Terry missed seven games with an upper-body injury and has six goals and eight points in 10 games since his return, giving the 25-year-old 19 goals and 50 points in 61 contests. McTavish is second in rookie scoring with 40 points, trailing only Matty Beniers of the Kraken. McTavish has 137 shots on net to lead all rookies and has three goals and eight points in his last eight contests. Zegras has 11 goals and 30 points in his last 31 games, giving him 21 tallies and 36 assists in 68 contests this season. All three see action on the Ducks' top power play.
DEFENSEMEN
Brent Burns, CAR at TOR ($6,300): Burns has benefitted from his first season in Carolina, scoring 12 goals and adding 39 assists in 66 games after a couple of average seasons in San Jose. Burns has gone pointless in his last three games, with nine shots on net, but had points in 16 of previous 19 games, scoring six times and adding 16 assists. He has two goals and 19 assists on the power play this season.
Rasmus Sandin, WAS vs. STL ($4,200): Sandin has been a gem since his deadline trade from Toronto, picking up a goal and eight assists in six games. He is quarterbacking the first power play, averaging 3:08 of ice time with the man-advantage, as he has come into his own his leaving the Maple Leafs. Sandin had only four goals and 20 points in 52 games with Toronto before the trade. He is a great price at this time.
