This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
There are four games on the NHL slate Friday. Toronto hosts Detroit, Pittsburgh is in Washington, Minnesota travels to Anaheim and Vegas visits Seattle. The Pens and Wild both played on Thursday. Below, you'll find suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
GOALIES
Joseph Woll, TOR vs. DET ($8,000): Woll has been inconsistent so far, but is rounding into form after missing the start of the season with a lower-body injury and will face a Detroit team ranked 22nd in scoring averaging 2.75 goals.
Filip Gustavsson, MIN at ANA ($7,900): Gustavsson is 6-2-1 with a 2.33 GAA and a .917 save percentage after a subpar 2023-24. He's coming off a lackluster outing where he gave up four goals on 27 shots to LA on Tuesday. Gustavsson will get a chance to redeem himself against the Ducks, who enter as the lowest scoring team with 2.08 goals per game.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Vladimir Tarasenko, DET at TOR ($4,900): Tarasenko is skating on the third line alongside youngsters Marco Kasper and Jonatan Berggren. He's only registered two goals and one assist across 11 appearances while being held off the scoresheet in each of his last five. Tarasenko did excel against the Leafs last year when he notched two goals and six assists over six meetings.
Michael Bunting, PIT at WAS ($4,200): Bunting finally lit the lamp on Tuesday for his first goal of the campaign. The 29-year-old has recorded two points in his last three games and has posted 63, 49 and 55 points last three years, so he's worth a flyer if you need an inexpensive winger to fill out your roster.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Wild at Ducks
Kirill Kaprizov (W - $8,600), Marco Rossi (C - $5,400), Mats Zuccarello (W - $5,700)
Kaprizov is off to his best start of his career with seven goals and 17 assists, including 17 points on the road. Zuccarello has tallied 11 points while Rossi is at 10. Kaprizov and Zuccarello both play on the top power play while Rossi is on the second unit. The Ducks have given up nine goals in their last two games, so the high-scoring Wild could be in for another big evening.
Maple Leafs vs. Red Wings
Max Pacioretty (W - $5,200), John Tavares (C - $7,000), William Nylander (W - $8,200)
I don't expect Auston Matthews (upper body) to be in the lineup on Friday, so I think you should select this trio. Nylander has been hot of late with five goals and three assists in his last five matchup to him 15 points overall. Tavares has slumped of late as he's without a point in each of his last three games, but the veteran center collected nine from his previous six. Pacioretty has produced six 30-goal seasons during his career, yet has been hampered by injuries throughout. He seems to be healthy so far with two goals and four assists. The Red Wings are allowing 3.00 goals per game, so this line should be able to rack up some stats.
DEFENSEMEN
Kris Letang, PIT at WASH ($5,000): Letang only has two goals and three assists, but two of those helpers came in the last four games. He's also directed 35 shots on net. Letang has usually been reliable on the power play, and he's already recorded three points during that situation.
Brock Faber, MIN at ANA ($4,700): Faber has posted two goals and five assists in 13 games with the Wild. He quarterbacks the lead power play - where he tallied a PPA Thursday - and is averaging 25:25 overall. Faber managed 47 points as a rookie last season and could easily match that total.
