This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Friday's NHL slate begins at 7:00 p.m. EST and features four games. Below, you'll find suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
All eight of these teams played Wednesday but will be switching dance partners Friday. There are plenty of directions to take your lineup in this slate, as the Hurricanes (vs. Chicago) and Panthers (in Detroit) are the two biggest favorites, but the Oilers-Flames and Jets-Canucks games are expected to be the highest-scoring, as each all-Canadian matchup has an over/under of 6.5.
GOALIES
Chris Driedger, FLA at DET ($7,900): Driedger should be the chalk choice in net against a Detroit team that's scoring only 1.94 goals per game. He has been the superior option in Florida's crease so far this season, going 5-1-1 with a 2.39 GAA and .924 save percentage.
James Reimer, CAR vs. CHI ($8,300): The Blackhawks (2.89) are the only team in this slate besides the Red Wings averaging fewer than three goals per game, so whichever goalie gets the nod in Carolina's net should benefit from a relatively favorable matchup. While Petr Mrazek (thumb) has been practicing for the past week, the team may opt to keep rolling with Reimer, who has an impressive 7-1-0 record despite shaky ratios (3.10 GAA, .895 save percentage).
Mike Smith, EDM at CGY ($7,100): Smith would be an intriguing bargain option if he gets the nod in the Oilers' net. His season got off to a late start, but Smith's quickly making up for lost time, with a 3-0-0 record, 2.07 GAA and .938 save percentage.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Brock Boeser, VAN vs. WPG ($6,200): It has been overshadowed a bit by his team's defensive struggles, but Boeser has taken a major step forward in his fourth full season. He's hot on Auston Matthews' tail in the Rocket Richard race with 12 goals through 20 games, and Boeser has added nine helpers for a team-high 21 points. Boeser's showing no signs of slowing down with two goals and three assists over the past two games.
Alex DeBrincat, CHI at CAR ($7,800): DeBrincat scored on 18.6 percent of shots in his 41-goal 2018-19 season but watched his shooting percentage plummet to 8.7 in last year's disappointing 18-goal campaign. Rather than splitting the difference as many expected, DeBrincat has instead rebounded all the way back up to 18.0 percent en route to a 9-8-17 line through 14 games. His hot start should continue against a Carolina team that has allowed at least three goals in each of its last nine games.
Andrew Mangiapane, CGY vs. EDM ($4,600): Mangiapane's skating in a top-six role and producing like a player who belongs there. After starting the season with just a goal and an assist through nine games, the Flames winger has caught fire over the last seven, posting a 4-2-6 line. Look for Mangiapane to stay hot against an Oilers team that's surrendering 3.50 goals per game.
Jordan Staal, CAR vs. CHI ($6,000): Staal's career high in points for a season is 50, but he's remarkably on pace to smash past that mark, with a 7-8-15 line through 12 games. The veteran center's showing no signs of slowing down, either, as Staal comes into this game riding a four-game goal streak, during which he has totaled five goals and an assist.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Panthers at Red Wings
Alexander Wennberg (C - $3,500), Jonathan Huberdeau (W - $5,600), Patric Hornqvist (W - $5,900)
Florida's heavily favored against a 4-11-3 Red Wings team that has been outscored 3.11 to 1.94 on average, and this line includes two of the Panthers' top three scorers. The surprisingly affordable Huberdeau leads the team with 20 points through 14 games and is tied with Carter Verhaeghe for the goals lead at seven. Hornqvist has a 6-7-13 line, including a team-high four power-play goals. Wennberg has been less impactful overall, but he's heating up, as the affordable center's 4-3-7 line includes four goals and an assist in the past six games.
Jets at Canucks
Mark Scheifele (C - $7,000), Andrew Copp (W - $5,500), Blake Wheeler (W - $5,000)
The Canucks have struggled mightily with keeping the puck out of their net, allowing 3.60 goals per game. Winnipeg's top line — led by the red-hot Scheifele — should capitalize on this favorable matchup. The star center has a pair of 80-point seasons under his belt and is on pace to push for that mark even in the shortened 2020-21 campaign. Scheifele's 8-14-22 line through 16 games includes a 5-7-12 line over an active eight-game point steak, and he has failed to mark the scoresheet only twice all season. Wheeler and Copp are both capable scorers as well — the former's 5-9-14 line includes a team-high eight power-play points, while the latter's in the midst of a breakout campaign with a 4-8-12 line.
Oilers at Flames
Connor McDavid (C - $8,800), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (W - $7,100), Jesse Puljujarvi (W - $4,900)
This matchup doesn't immediately jump out at you, but this line is capable of carrying fantasy lineups on any given night, while Calgary has hit a speed bump defensively, allowing three-plus goals in all but two of its last nine games. McDavid is pulling away from the pack as the league's points leader with 32 in 18 games, and he's due for a breakout goal performance after being blanked on 25 shots over the past five games (he still has six assists during the drought). Nugent-Hopkins has a 7-8-15 line, including two goals, two assists and 12 shots in the last two. Puljujarvi has underachieved since being selected fourth overall in 2016, but he's finding a home on this line with four goals in the last six games.
DEFENSEMEN
Mark Giordano, CGY vs. EDM ($5,700): Giordano's a high-floor option thanks to his robust secondary stats, but he's starting to come alive offensively as well. Five of his eight points this season have come in the past six games, and Giordano has a robust 33 shots and 27 blocks through 16 games overall.
Keith Yandle, FLA at DET ($4,100): Yandle's a bargain given his offensive upside. Eight of his nine points through 14 games have come on the power play, and the precision passer has a nice opportunity to build on those robust totals against the 73.1 percent Detroit penalty kill, which is unsurprisingly the weakest in this slate.
Tyler Myers, VAN vs. WPG ($3,800): Myers is quietly putting together a strong campaign, averaging 0.5 points, 1.6 shots and 1.6 blocks per game. The hulking defenseman's 2-8-10 line through 20 games includes a goal and three assists in the last three, so this is a good time to lock him in at an affordable valuation.
Jake Bean, CAR vs. CHI ($2,700): Bean offers substantial upside as a cheap filler for lineups looking to lock up pricey forwards or stack Hurricanes. The 2016 first-round pick showed promising offensive prowess with 48 points in 59 AHL games last season, and that ability is starting to shine through at the NHL level, as Bean dished out a pair of helpers the game before last.
