This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Friday's NHL slate will begin a little later than usual at 8:00 p.m. EDT and has five games on the docket. Below, you'll find a breakdown of the action and suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
While there are no overwhelming favorites in Friday's slate, the Jets, Ducks and Oilers are all expected to take care of business on home ice against the Blackhawks, Coyotes and Rangers, respectively. The games in Winnipeg and Edmonton are tied for the highest over/under at 6.0 goals. Predators-Canucks and Devils-Kings matchups, both of which are expected to be competitive, round out this slate.
GOALIES
John Gibson, ANH vs. ARI ($7,900): Gibson's shutout of the Devils in his last start improved his record to 4-2-2 with a tidy 2.57 GAA and .917 save percentage. He should build on that strong start against a visiting Coyotes team that's still without a win at 0-9-1. Arizona's status as the league's last winless team isn't undeserved, as the Coyotes have been outscored by a laughable 41-13 margin thus far.
Thatcher Demko, VAN vs. NSH ($7,700): Like Gibson, Demko's off to a strong start, as he's earned his 4-3-1 record, 2.48 GAA and .923 save percentage with some spectacular stops. The visiting Predators are right in the middle of the pack offensively at 2.90 goals per game, so Demko's poised for another solid performance on home ice.
Mackenzie Blackwood, NJ at LA ($7,300): After being removed from IR recently, Blackwood could make his season debut for the Devils. Given the team's improved defense this season, the talented 24-year-old goalie, who boasts a career save percentage of .911, should be in for his best season yet. A matchup with a Kings team that's scoring just 2.60 goals per game should allow Blackwood to get off to a strong start.
Igor Shesterkin, NYR at EDM ($7,500): Locking him in would certainly be risky, but if anyone can stymie the star-powered Edmonton attack, it's Shesterkin. He's playing as well as any goalie in the league, papering over a lot of the Rangers' deficiencies in front of him en route to a 5-1-2 record, 1.85 GAA and .943 save percentage.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Patrick Kane, CHI at WPG ($6,700): Kane's red-hot, even if the Blackhawks as a team aren't. He has 20 shots over the past three games and a 4-2-6 line in the last two alone. With a 5-6-11 line in seven games overall, Kane's still an elite scoring winger, and the Jets will have a hard time containing him, regardless of Winnipeg goalie Connor Hellebuyck's (illness) availability.
Mark Scheifele, WPG vs. CHI ($5,400): Despite currently occupying a middle-six role after missing five games due to a positive COVID-19 test, Scheifele's a terrific value at just $5,400 against a 1-8-2 Chicago team that's allowing 3.82 goals per game -- second-most in the league. He has three points in three games this season, putting him on a point-per-game pace or better for a sixth consecutive season. Rarely will you see such a productive player available at such a value, especially in a highly favorable matchup.
Matt Duchene, NSH at VAN ($5,100): Duchene looks rejuvenated after a couple down years to open his Nashville tenure. Signed to a big contract to work as a top-six center, Duchene's finally giving the Predators the production they were hoping for, though it's coming from the right wing position. He has a 3-5-8 line over his last five games, having scored at least 19.3 fantasy points in four of those. Keep locking Duchene in while he's hot.
Alex Iafallo, LA vs. NJ ($5,000): Iafallo has quietly put together an impressive four-game point streak, during which he has three goals, three assists and 18 shots. With a 4-5-9 line through 10 games and locked into a top-six role, the 27-year-old winger's on pace to blow by his 2019-20 career high of 43 points.
Chris Kreider, NYR at EDM ($6,100): In addition to leading the Rangers with seven goals through 10 games, Kreider also leads them with 30 shots. He should continue to put rubber on the cage frequently against an Oilers team that's allowing a league-high 34.9 shots on goal per game, giving Kreider a decent floor even if he doesn't score.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Jets vs. Blackhawks
Pierre-Luc Dubois (C - $6,300), Kyle Connor (W - $7,900), Evgeny Svechnikov (W - $2,700)
Winnipeg's top line should continue to find success against a Blackhawks team that has been outscored 42-25 thus far. Connor and Dubois have been two of the most productive forwards across the league, with 7-7-14 and 7-4-11 lines, respectively. They're two of 11 players tied for third in the NHL with seven goals. The affordable Svechnikov has chipped in a goal and two assists, and locking him in will maximize your upside with this line while also leaving enough cap space to pursue expensive stars, like the one that centers the line below.
Oilers vs. Rangers
Leon Draisaitl (C - $8,600), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (W - $5,900), Kailer Yamamoto (W - $2,900)
It's amazing how Draisaitl flies under the radar due to playing on a team with Connor McDavid, but Draisaitl has actually overtaken McDavid for the league points lead thanks to a casual 4-3-7 line over the past two games. The German forward is also only one goal off Alex Ovechkin's league lead, as Draisiatl now sports a 9-11-20 line to McDavid's 7-12-19 but remains $800 cheaper than his teammate. Neither Draisaitl nor McDavid have been able to keep pace with Nugent-Hopkins in the assists category, as RNH leads the league with 13 helpers. Like the Jets line above, this one is rounded out by an affordable winger, and Yamamoto is waking up offensively with goals in consecutive games following a seven-game drought to open the season.
Ducks vs. Coyotes
Ryan Getzlaf (C - $5,100), Adam Henrique (W - $5,600), Troy Terry (W - $5,200)
Anaheim's far from an offensive powerhouse, but any NHL team can become one for a night when the Coyotes come to town, as Arizona's off to a historically bad start and getting outscored 4.1-1.3 on average. Terry surprisingly leads the Ducks in both goals (seven) and points (12), having amassed all of that production over an active nine-game point streak. Getzlaf ranks third on the team with 10 points, trailing only Terry and defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk (11). Henrique's 4-5-9 line has him hot on Getzlaf's tail in the points category, and he's also tied with Rickard Rakell for second on the team with four goals.
DEFENSEMEN
Kevin Shattenkirk, ANH vs. ARI ($6,400): Shattenkirk has a 3-8-11 line through 11 games and is showing no signs of slowing down, with five points over an active four-game point streak. While he almost certainly won't sustain this pace, Shattenkirk doesn't necessarily have to slow down much, as he has five 40-point seasons under his belt and has scored as many as 56. There's little reason to think his momentum will come to a halt against the lowly Coyotes.
Shayne Gostisbehere, ARI at ANH ($4,600): The Coyotes are bound to win one sometime, and even if they don't get it here, they're at least capable of keeping it competitive against a Ducks team that's been languishing near the bottom of the standings in recent seasons. Gostisbehere leads the team with five points through 10 games, and the former 65-point scorer as a member of the Flyers has nice offensive upside for a $4,600 defenseman.
Ty Smith, NJ at LA ($2,700): Smith burst onto the scene with an impressive rookie season last year, racking up 23 points in 48 games, but a delayed start to his year coupled with New Jersey's offseason overhaul of the blue line has made the 2018 first-round pick an afterthought so far this year. That could change in this game, as Smith will have more opportunities to shine while Dougie Hamilton nurses a lower-body injury. Hamilton's absence will open up more power-play time for Smith, as well as more offensive-zone starts at even strength. The risk-reward is where you want it to be at just $2,700.
Nate Schmidt, WPG vs. CHI ($4,700): Schmidt has quietly accrued eight assists through his first nine games with the Jets, including five on the power play. He's on pace to blow past his 2017-18 career high of 11 power-play points, and doing so would likely help Schmidt top his personal best of 36 points from that season. Schmidt has also blocked at least one shot in every game this season, so he's providing value on both ends.
