This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
There are four games on the NHL slate Friday. Ottawa travels to Vegas, the Islanders are in New Jersey to play a tired Devils squad, Chicago hosts Nashville and Pittsburgh plays in Edmonton. Below, you'll find suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
GOALIES
Ilya Sorokin, NYI at NJ ($7,500): Sorokin is 1-1-1 this season, giving up only four goals on 75 shots. He has regained his form from previous seasons, after a tough 2023-24 campaign in which he was 25-19-12 with a 3.01 GAA and a .908 save percentage. It was the lowest save percentage and highest GAA of his four-year NHL career. He faces a tired New Jersey team, who had to travel overnight from Detroit, where they dropped a 5-3 decision to the Red Wings.
Juuse Saros, NSH at CHI ($8,000): Saros gets a great matchup Friday as the Blackhawks, who were the lowest-scoring team in the NHL last season with 179 goals, are not much better this season as they have managed only 18 goals in seven games. Saros is coming off a 33-save shutout over Boston on Tuesday and is primed to get another win on Friday.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, EDM vs. PIT ($4,600): Nugent-Hopkins is off to a less-than-stellar start with only three assists in seven contests. The good news is he has an assist in each of his last two games and is back on a line with the great Connor McDavid. Nugent-Hopkins had 104 points two seasons ago. While he dropped to 67 points in 2023-24, that was still his third-best season in his 13-year career.
Josh Norris, OTT at VGK ($4,300): Norris has had tough luck physically in the last two seasons. He has played only 58 out of a possible 164 regular-season games due to shoulder woes. But he has left that behind him this season as the 25-year-old has three goals and six points in six games. Norris had 35 goals in 66 games as a 22-year-old and could easily hit that mark this season if – and that's a big if – he can stay healthy.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Predators at Blackhawks
Filip Forsberg (W - $7,800), Ryan O'Reilly (C - $5,100), Gustav Nyquist (W - $3,600)
The Predators top line is led this season by Forsberg and O'Reilly, who each have two goals and four assists in six contests. Nyquist has only a goal and an assist in six games, but he should return to form as Nyquist had 23 goals and 75 points last season on the top unit. Forsberg had a career year in 2023-24, scoring 48 goals and adding 46 assists during the regular season. He was a force on the power play with 32 points. O'Reilly also had a big season in 2023-24, picking up 69 points, his second-best season in his 15-year NHL career. The trio plays the lowly Blackhawks and that should be a good reason to take the complete line.
Golden Knights vs. Senators
Jack Eichel (C - $9,100), Mark Stone (W - $6,800), Ivan Barbashev (W - $5,100)
The Golden Knights' top line has a combined 32 points in seven games, led by the oft-injured Stone. Stone has 12 points including nine assists, while Eichel has two goals and 11 points. Barbashev leads the team with five goals, but has yet to garner a point on the power play. Eichel has come into his own since his trade from Buffalo in 2021. The injury-prone center has played 171 out of a possible 253 contests in three-plus seasons with the Golden Knights, managing 74 goals and 170 points. Stone has been a gem when healthy, which has been rare over the previous three campaigns, but he has been solid when in the lineup. The trio has been a top-10 line this season and deserves to be on your DFS squad Friday.
DEFENSEMEN
Jake Sanderson, OTT at VGK ($5,800): Sanderson has been a power-play machine this season as he has six of his seven points with the man advantage. Sanderson was drafted fifth overall in 2020 and has shown his offensive prowess ever since he entered the NHL two seasons ago. Sanderson has yet to pick up a point during even-strength situations as his other point this season was short-handed.
Shea Theodore, VGK vs. OTT ($5,600): Theodore inked a seven-year contract Thursday and this will be his first time to celebrate it on the ice. Theodore is off to a great start with a goal and six assists in six games. He has hit the 40-plus point mark in each of his last five seasons and averaged .89 points per game last season with five goals and 37 assists in just 47 contests. Theodore quarterbacks the first power play and already has three assists with the man advantage.
Luke Hughes, NJ vs. NYI ($4,200): Hughes played his first game of the season Thursday – he missed the first nine games of the season with a shoulder injury – and managed to draw an assist. Hughes had 47 points in 82 regular-season games as a rookie last season and should be counted upon to hit the 45-50 point mark in 2024-25. He is well worth the price.
