This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Friday's NHL slate begins at 7:00 p.m. EDT and features seven games. Oilers-Senators was originally scheduled to be played Friday as well, but the game was played Thursday due to a change in the schedule. Below, you'll find suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
There are plenty of lopsided matchups to target here. The Avalanche (in Anaheim), Capitals (in Buffalo) and Golden Knights (vs. Arizona) are all massive favorites, while the Penguins (in New Jersey) aren't far behind. Washington, Pittsburgh and Colorado are looking like the top sources of offense, as their respective games are tied for the night's highest over/under of 6.0 goals.
GOALIES
Robin Lehner, VGK vs. ARI ($8,400): With Marc-Andre Fleury struggling, Lehner's making a strong case to take back the starting role in Vegas' net. The pair have been alternating starts, and it's Lehner's turn against a low-octane Arizona offense that's averaging 2.68 goals per game. He has allowed just seven goals en route to a 4-0-1 record in his last five starts, and Lehner's 7-1-2 with a 2.17 GAA and .919 save percentage overall.
Jonas Johansson, COL at ANH ($8,300): If the Avalanche give Philipp Grubauer ($8,500) a game off to clear his head after he was shelled for seven goals by the Wild on Wednesday, Johansson would be primed for a strong fill-in effort against Anaheim's 29th-ranked offense (2.28 goals per game). Given Colorado's far superior group of skaters, Grubauer would also be a strong choice in this favorable matchup despite his struggles Wednesday.
Semyon Varlamov, NYI vs. NYR ($8,000): Varlamov should get the nod after Ilya Sorokin defeated the Flyers on Thursday. He has faced the Rangers twice this season and shut them out both times, and Varlamov's 10-1-2 with a 2.12 GAA and .929 save percentage on home ice.
Martin Jones, SJ vs. LA ($7,800): Jones disappointed against the Ducks on Tuesday, but he had gone 4-0-0 with a 1.71 GAA and .942 save percentage over his previous four starts. He'll look to prove that Tuesday was just a minor speed bump, and a home matchup with the Kings offers a terrific opportunity to do so. Jones has already beaten Los Angeles twice in April, setting aside 65 of 67 shots in the process.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Sidney Crosby, PIT at NJ ($7,500): Crosby has a stellar 15-29-44 line through 39 games, including a team-high 17 power-play points. This matchup with a Devils team that's allowing 3.08 goals per game and has the league's most generous penalty kill (72.5 percent) presents a great opportunity for Crosby to keep adding to his productive campaign.
Anthony Beauvillier, NYI vs. NYR ($4,500): Beauvillier's on a roll, with a 6-3-9 line in his last nine games. Facing the crosstown rival Rangers has historically brought out the best in the 2015 first-round pick (9-7-16 in 16 career meetings), and there's little reason to expect that success to stop now.
Colin Blackwell, NYR at NYI ($3,000): If the Rangers can finally solve Varlamov, Blackwell's likely to play a key role. The affordable winger's thriving on a line with Artemi Panarin and the second power-play unit. Despite posting a 5-1-0 line in his last six games, Blackwell can still be had for only $3,000.
Pavel Zacha, NJ vs. PIT ($3,600): After Tristan Jarry started Thursday, Pittsburgh will likely be forced to turn to the struggling Casey DeSmith in net. DeSmith has surrendered 10 goals over his last five periods of action, and Zacha should add to DeSmith's recent struggles. Zacha leads the team in points and ranks second in goals with a 10-14-24 line in 37 games, including a 3-2-5 line during an active three-game point streak.
Chandler Stephenson, VGK vs. ARI ($3,600): Stephenson recently returned from a three-game suspension, and he immediately resumed his deployment on one of the league's most fantasy-friendly lines. Skating between star wingers Max Pacioretty ($8,100) and Mark Stone ($6,100), Stephenson's a nice value option at just $3,600 for the heavily favored Golden Knights. The center has a 7-13-20 line in 33 appearances this season.
Kevin Labanc, SJ vs. LA ($4,800): Labanc's got a budding hot streak going, with a goal and two assists in his last two games. With a role on the top line and first power-play unit, the Brooklyn-born winger's a solid value option at $4,800.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Capitals at Sabres
Evgeny Kuznetsov (C - $5,100), Alex Ovechkin (W - $9,100), T.J. Oshie (W - $5,300)
Washington's top players are primed for success against the Sabres, who have won only nine of 39 games this season. Kuznetsov has slowed down a bit after an extended hot streak, but he still has a robust 5-9-14 line in his last 16 games. Ovechkin ranks fifth league-wide with 20 goals and has added 15 assists in 36 games. Oshie has been this line's hottest member of late, producing a 5-4-9 line in his last eight games.
Avalanche at Ducks
Nathan MacKinnon (C - $8,900), Mikko Rantanen (W - $7,800), Gabriel Landeskog (W - $7,100)
Locking in this whole line is almost prohibitively expensive, but committing to one or two of these guys should be worth it against a Ducks team that's allowing 3.23 goals per game — fifth-most in the league. MacKinnon's thrusting himself firmly into the Hart Trophy conversation, though he still has a lot of ground to make up on Connor McDavid. The star center has been held off the scoresheet only once in his last 15 games, mustering a 10-15-25 line during this torrid stretch. Despite MacKinnon's recent hot streak, Rantanen's having arguably a better overall season. He leads the Avalanche with 22 goals, and Rantanen's 46 points in 39 games have him just one back of MacKinnon's 47 points in 35 appearances. Like MacKinnon, Landeskog has gotten on a roll recently, with an 8-11-19 line over the last 12 games.
Wild at Blues
Victor Rask (C - $3,100), Kevin Fiala (W - $5,500), Nick Bonino (W - $3,500)
Against a Blues team that's 1-6-1 in its last eight games, this line offers nice value to complement some of the expensive top-line options from other games. Fiala's riding a seven-game point streak and coming off a hat trick against the Avalanche, giving him a 5-6-11 line during this streak. Rask has reached the 45-point mark twice and is coming off a three-assist effort, and Bonino's still due for some positive regression. After scoring at least 17 goals three times in the previous four seasons, Bonino has potted only four due to an 8.3 shooting percentage, which is his lowest since 2011-12.
DEFENSEMEN
Cale Makar, COL at MIN ($5,700): Makar's an appealing option as only this slate's eighth-most expensive blueliner. He's playing at a point-per-game pace in 27 this season, including a 1-4-5 line over an active four-game point streak. Makar should stay hot against the lowly Ducks.
Kris Letang, PIT at NJ ($6,200): Letang has 10 points in his last eight games and ranks third on the team behind Crosby and Jake Guentzel in both points (32) and power-play points (12). The Devils allow the second-most fantasy points to defensemen, so Letang should keep rolling in this favorable matchup. If you can't afford Letang, Mike Matheson ($3,600) — who has a 2-4-6 line in his last five games — is a nice consolation prize.
Jared Spurgeon, MIN at STL ($5,100): Spurgeon is quickly making up for a slow start, with a 1-5-6 line in his last five games and 3-6-9 line in his last nine after mustering only six points in his first 28 appearances. Keep riding the four-time double-digit goal scorer while he's hot, especially against a Blues team that's in free fall.
Vince Dunn, STL vs. MIN ($3,800): The Blues have struggled recently, but Dunn has actually played pretty well of late. He has a 2-2-4 line in his last eight games and has put multiple pucks on net in all but one of those games for a total of 22 shots. Dunn's decent offensive skills make him a solid value option here.
