This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Friday's modest NHL slate has three games on the schedule after 7:00 p.m. EST. Below, you'll find a breakdown of the action and suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
The Avalanche and their league-best offense are the obvious team to build around against the league-worst Coyotes defense, and Colorado might be the largest favorite we've seen all season in this home game. The second and third-highest scoring offenses in the league will also be in action, as the Panthers host the Stars and the Wild hosts the Ducks. Minnesota's game only has an over/under of 5.5 goals, while the other two both come in at 6.5.
GOALIES
Darcy Kuemper, COL vs. ARI ($8,400): Kuemper should get plenty of goal support, and he's also likely to limit the offensive production from his former team. The Coyotes score the second-fewest goals per game (2.18), while Kuemper boasts a 16-5-1 record, 2.86 GAA and .905 save percentage with the Avalanche. He's the chalk play in net.
Sergei Bobrovsky, FLA vs. DAL ($8,200): All Bobrovsky does is win, as he's 17-3-3 with a 2.55 GAA and .919 save percentage. He's been especially effective on home ice, where Bob is 13-1-0 with a 2.47 GAA and .927 save percentage. Jake Oettinger ($7,600) has played well in the opposing net, but Bobrovsky's the goalie to target in this game given Florida's incredible performance on home ice this season.
Anthony Stolarz, ANH at MIN ($7,700): Stolarz has some against-the-grain appeal in what's expected to be a low-scoring affair in Minnesota. He's been saddled with back-to-back losses, but Stolarz was solid in both games and has an excellent 2.29 GAA and .929 save percentage to go with his 6-4-1 record this season. With John Gibson still in COVID-19 protocols, Stolarz should continue to man the crease against a Wild team that could be without a few key contributors due to injury and illness.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Nazem Kadri, COL vs. ARI ($6,700): With all of the Avalanche's star power, it's Kadri who leads the team in points with a 13-35-48 line in 30 appearances. He's eight points clear of second-place Mikko Rantanen over the same number of games, yet Kadri's significantly more affordable than the likes of Rantanen and Nathan MacKinnon. Deploy Kadri with confidence as part of an Avalanche stack or a stand-alone option on home ice against the lowly Coyotes.
Clayton Keller, ARI at COL ($4,900): Keller has been hot for a while now, which is a big part of why the Coyotes have at least been competitive in a lot of their games recently after a historically terrible start to the season. The 23-year-old winger already has a 65-point season under his belt, and Keller could challenge or even surpass that mark despite a slow start if he can keep up his recent pace, as he's produced a 9-11-20 line over past 18 contests.
Sonny Milano, ANH at MIN ($4,500): Milano's a nice value pick at $4,500. He's skating on the top line and No. 1 power-play unit, and Milano has made the most of those assignments recently with a point in each of the past two games and three of the last four. Overall, the 25-year-old winger has already set a new career high in points with a 9-16-25 line through 34 games.
Marcus Foligno, MIN vs. ANH ($2,800): You'll need to find enticing bargain options to fit some of this slate's top stars, and Foligno certainly qualifies as the former. He has a 14-8-22 line in 33 games, putting him on pace to top 30 goals, yet the physical winger can still be had for just $2,800. Foligno's showing no signs of slowing down, as he lit the lamp in the Wild's last game and has marked the scoresheet in two straight.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Avalanche vs. Coyotes
Nathan MacKinnon (C - $9,100), Mikko Rantanen (W - $8,200), Andre Burakovsky (W - $4,800)
Don't overthink this one. Lock in Colorado's top line in this highly favorable matchup and figure out how to fit these guys under the salary cap later. Both MacKinnon and Rantanen are producing well above a point-per-game pace, as the star center has a 6-29-35 line in 23 contests and the standout winger boasts a 16-24-40 line in 30 appearances. Burakovsky's extremely affordable by comparison, but he's no slouch himself, with a 13-14-27 line in 31 games played, including a 6-6-12 output over the past nine. The sky's the limit for this trio against an 8-23-3 Coyotes team that's allowing a league-high 3.71 goals per game.
Panthers vs. Stars
Aleksander Barkov (C - $7,000), Sam Reinhart (W - $5,500), Carter Verhaeghe (W - $4,300)
Florida gets offensive production up and down the lineup, but the team's top line has been by far its hottest recently. Barkov has a 3-3-6 line in his last three games, including two goals and an assist against the Stars on Jan. 6. Reinhart also has a three-game point streak going and a two-goal, one-assist game over that stretch en route to a 2-4-6 line. Verhaeghe has been less consistent on offense, but his 10-18-28 line in 35 games includes a pair of multi-point performances in his last four games to go with a pair of five-shot performances in those four contests.
Stars at Panthers
Roope Hintz (C - $6,500), Jason Robertson (W - $6,900), Joe Pavelski (W - $6,200)
Dallas' top line has been rolling all season, and this trio has been especially effective recently. Hintz's 14-12-26 line in 31 appearances comes despite a painfully slow start, as he's produced a 14-11-25 line over the past 21 games. Robertson's 13-19-32 line in 27 games includes a 5-7-12 output during his active eight-game point streak. Pavelski has an even more impressive seven-game point streak going, as he's produced a 6-7-13 line over that stretch to bring his season line to 15-20-35 in 33 contests. For all their offensive capabilities, the Panthers rank in the middle of the pack defensively, allowing 2.92 goals per game.
DEFENSEMEN
Cale Makar, COL vs. ARI ($7,400): Sticking with the theme of targeting Colorado's top players, Makar's an integral part of any Avalanche stack. The pricey blueliner has been worth paying up for lately, with a 2-4-6 line over his last three games driving Makar's season output to 16-18-34 in 29 games. He has already opened up a four-goal cushion over Roman Josi for the league lead in goals among defensemen despite playing seven fewer games, and the gulf between Makar and everyone else should only keep growing. Fellow Colorado defenseman Devon Toews ($5,500) is also above a point-per-game pace with 24 in 22, making him an appealing alternative if you can't quite afford Makar.
Aaron Ekblad, FLA vs. DAL ($6,200): Ekblad has a pair of three-point performances in his last three games, including one against the Stars. He also stuffs the stat sheet even when he's not scoring, with at least three shots in three of his last four games and five blocks in two of those four games. Ekblad's also third among defensemen with 10 goals in 35 games and fifth with 32 points.
Matt Dumba, MIN vs. ANH ($4,500): Dumba has been doing some heavy lifting on the beat-up Minnesota blue line recently, averaging over 26 minutes of ice time over the past five. He dished a helper in the Wild's last game, and is averaging half a point per game despite a 4.2 shooting percentage that's well below his career mark of 7.3. At $4,500, Dumba has much more upside than downside given his current role in the high-powered Wild offense.
Dysin Mayo, ARI at COL ($2,700): If you're looking to take a flier on an affordable blueliner, Mayo could be your guy. The rookie has just two goals and an assist in 29 NHL games, but he's growing more comfortable at the highest level. Mayo has a pair of standout offensive performances in his last five games, notching an assist and six shots in one and a goal in another. Perhaps facing an Avalanche team that's allowing the second-most fantasy points to defensemen will help Mayo produce another offensive outburst.
