This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Friday's NHL slate consists of five games after 7:00 p.m. EDT. Below, you'll find a breakdown of the action and suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
Friday has a notable dearth of bad teams to pick on. Seven of the top 11 teams in the league standings will be in action, and of the remaining three teams, the Islanders and Jets are two of the top performing non-playoff teams. That leaves the Sabres as Friday's weak link, and while Buffalo has played better of late, most lineups will likely be built around Florida's league-best offense at home against the Sabres in a game with a slate-high over/under of 7.0 goals. The Hurricanes and Lightning are both clear home favorites against the Islanders and Bruins, respectively, while the Avalanche are favored in Winnipeg. A Wild-Blues tossup rounds out the action.
GOALIES
Darcy Kuemper, COL at WPG ($8,200): Kuemper has been busier recently, but the heavy workload hasn't affected his performance, as he's won each of his last three starts despite facing 40-plus shots in each of those three games. Zooming out a little further, he's 6-1-1 with just 14 goals allowed over his past eight outings heading into this clash with a Jets team that's scored only 10 goals in its last five games.
Linus Ullmark, BOS at TB ($7,800): Ullmark has won each of his last five starts, while the Lightning haven't won any of their last three games. Given that context, he's a nice against-the-grain option here. During that five-game winning streak, Ullmark has allowed just nine goals, boosting his season record to 22-9-2 along with a 2.63 GAA and .911 save percentage.
Semyon Varlamov, NYI at CAR ($7,300): Varlamov has been excellent while Ilya Sorokin recovers from an upper-body injury. In four starts since Sorokin got hurt, Varlamov's 3-1-0 with just eight goals allowed and single-game save percentages of .925 or better in every outing. Carolina's likely to control possession against the defensive-minded Islanders, which should allow the affordable Varlamov to continue piling up saves in what's likely to be a lower-scoring game.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Nikolaj Ehlers, WPG vs. COL ($6,500): Ehlers has some against-the-grain appeal in this daunting matchup against the Avalanche. The winger has been consistently productive of late, notching 9.3 fantasy points or more in 12 of his last 13 games. Ehlers has an 8-6-14 line over that span to go with 51 shots. Considering all the shots Colorado has allowed recently, Ehlers shouldn't have trouble generating chances in this one.
Sebastian Aho, CAR vs. NYI ($6,300): Aho's a solid pick at $6,300 against an Islanders team that includes his far less accomplished namesake. The Carolina version is coming off a two-goal game that raised his season output to 33-39-72, and Aho is locked into a spot on the top power-play unit while also centering the top line for one of the league's top teams.
Mats Zuccarello, MIN at STL ($5,100): Zuccarello has been outplaying his valuation all season, with a 21-50-71 line in 61 games. The diminutive winger's role on the top line and top power-play unit across from Kirill Karpizov should allow Zuccarello to keep producing in this big game against the Blues.
Robert Thomas, STL vs. MIN ($4,700): Thomas has been locked in during his seven-game point streak, producing a 4-8-12 line while notching either a goal or multiple points in each of the seven games. He'll look to keep rolling in what could be a first-round playoff preview against the Wild. This game could well decide which team has home-ice advantage in that series, as the Blues currently sit one point back of Minnesota.
Erik Haula, BOS at TB ($3,400): Haula has four goals in his last four games and a 5-6-11 line over the past eight. He won't have David Pastrnak (undisclosed) on his line for this one, but Pastrnak's absence didn't stop Haula from lighting the lamp in his previous game, so Boston's affordable second-line center's a low-risk, high-reward option at $3,400.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Panthers vs. Sabres
Aleksander Barkov (C - $8,100), Anthony Duclair (W - $4,200), Carter Verhaeghe (W - $3,600)
Florida's top line should continue to produce against a Buffalo team that's playing its second game in as many nights and allowing 3.50 goals per game. Barkov has been particularly hot lately, mustering multiple points in each of his past six games en route to a 6-6-12 line over that stretch. The star center leads the Panthers with 34 goals in just 57 appearances, while Duclair's second on the team in goals with a 28-24-52 line in 62 games. All three members of this line are among the Panthers' top five healthy players in points, with Verhaeghe sitting one point back of Duclair with a 21-30-51 line in 69 games. Players on pace for 60 points like Verhaeghe are rarely available for as little as $3,600.
Avalanche at Jets
Nathan MacKinnon (C - $8,200), Mikko Rantanen (W - $6,700), Andre Burakovsky (W - $3,200)
Colorado's missing a couple of prominent forwards due to injuries, but the Avalanche still have two of the league's most productive players on the top line. MacKinnon's 24-50-74 line in just 54 games is good for an average of 1.37 points per game, which is seventh-most in the league. Rantanen leads the team in points with a 35-49-84 line in 67 games, and that rate of 1.25 points per game is 14th league-wide. The affordable Burakovsky's unsurprisingly flourishing in a top-line role alongside these two stars, with a 1-3-4 line during his three-game point streak and four shots on goal in each of those games.
Sabres at Panthers
Tage Thompson (C - $6,100), Alex Tuch (W - $5,300), Jeff Skinner (W - $5,200)
There should be enough goals to go around for both sides in this game, as the Panthers have allowed 15 goals in their last three games (yet still won them all). This line has powered the Sabres to a 6-2-3 line in the past 11 games. Thompson's 4-2-6 line during his current four-game point streak has his season output up to 32-25-57. Tuch has added a 2-5-7 line in his last six games, while Skinner's enjoying a resurgent campaign with a 29-24-53 line and has matched Thompson with a four-game, six-point streak of his own.
DEFENSEMEN
MacKenzie Weegar, FLA vs. BUF ($5,800): With Aaron Ekblad (lower body) done for the regular season, Weegar has taken over as the top offensive option on Florida's blue line. Weegar has five points in his last three games, including a goal and an assist in Buffalo, and he should continue to play a prominent role in the high-powered Panthers attack.
Noah Dobson, NYI at CAR ($5,500): Dobson has blossomed into one of the league's most underrated offensive defensemen, compiling a 10-30-40 line in 67 games. Carolina makes it tough on opposing blueliners, but with the Islanders riding him for over 22 minutes in five of their past seven games, Dobson should get plenty of opportunities to produce value. He'll likely play a workhorse role until the Islanders are mathematically eliminated from playoff contention.
Mikhail Sergachev, TB vs. BOS ($4,700): Speaking of workhorse defensemen, Sergachev's played at least 22 minutes in eight consecutive games. The Lightning are slumping but are capable of breaking out at any moment, and in the meantime, Sergachev's well-rounded contributions give him a high floor. He's recorded multiple shots in seven of those eight games and multiple blocked shots in each of the past five.
Samuel Girard, COL at WPG ($2,700): Girard's back at long last for the Avalanche, as he'll make his return from a lower-body injury after missing exactly one month. With 59 points in 104 games since the start of last season, Girard offers excellent offensive upside for a $2,700 defenseman. Lock him in before his valuation bounces back up.
