This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
It's a small four-game slate for Friday. The Panthers are playing the second half of their back-to-back, and it'll be a tough battle against the Hurricanes. This would've been a marquee matchup a year ago, but Florida has struggled all season and will likely start Spencer Knight.
The big game of the night will be Penguins-Devils and will feature two struggling teams jostling for playoff position. Jersey's only won once in nine games while the Pens are in the midst of a three-game losing streak. Note the Ducks-Predators will feature early at 5 p.m. EST, thereby excluding it from the Main and After Hours slates.
GOALIES
Pyotr Kochetkov, CAR vs. FLA ($8,100): Kochetkov should draw the start and he'll be going for his sixth straight win. He hasn't lost in regulation since Nov. 23 against the Coyotes, and the Panthers will be playing for the second straight night. Their offense looked fantastic against the Habs with seven goals, but the Canes are much better defensively and allow the fewest shots per game.
Stuart Skinner, EDM at SEA ($7,700): Skinner is coming off a 46-save performance against the Flames is line to get the call tonight. The Kraken's goalies have been shaky of late, which is good news for the Oilers' offense. Seattle's offense has cooled off since their hot start and managed just two goals against the Flames while losing seven of their last 10.
VALUE PLAYS
Eetu Luostarinen, FLA at CAR ($4,800): It's a tough assignment against the Canes, but Luostarinen has drawn praise and continues to excel on the second line with Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett. The Finnish forward isn't flashy, but has been producing on a pretty consistent basis. His marker against the Habs last night gives him two goals and four points in five games and he's only failed to record a shot twice in his last 10.
Thomas Novak, NSH at ANH ($3,800): Novak will be high-risk even though he's listed as the top center between Filip Forsberg and Mikael Granlund. He logged only 8:37 against the Stars on Wednesday, the lowest among all Predators forwards, but saw 3:11 on the power play. It means John Hynes is juggling his centers, but it still leaves Novak with some fantasy value because of his special-teams opportunities.
LINE STACKS
Oilers vs. Kraken
Connor McDavid (C - $10,500), Jesse Puljujarvi (W - $3,600), Zach Hyman (W - $8,800)
Feel free to leave Puljujarvi off your roster since he's a low-upside offensive performer who doesn't line up on the power play. On a light slate, it's not a bad idea to play it safe and stack McDavid's unit. Hyman has been excellent all year and enters Friday with a three-game point streak.
DEFENSEMEN
Brandon Montour, FLA at CAR ($5,700): Montour was assessed a misconduct for the third straight game Thursday against the Habs, so there may be supplemental discipline coming. If not, he should be a better value play than Aaron Ekblad ($5,900), who just returned to the lineup. Montour finished that outing with more PP minutes and has been a better point producer.
Ty Smith, PIT vs. NJ ($3,500): Kris Letang suffered a lower-body injury and Jeff Petry's been out of the lineup for a while, which means Smith will get a crack on the power play. He quarterbacked the top unit at Thursday's practice, and it's a potential revenge game against his former club. Smith spent all season in the AHL and, if he dresses, Friday will be his season debut. His play has been inconsistent, but he's proven he can produce at the top level with 43 points over 114 career games, 11 of those coming with the man-advantage.
