DraftKings NHL: Friday Breakdown

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Published on October 28, 2022

SLATE PREVIEW

There are six games in the NHL on Friday. The Bruins play in Columbus and played Thursday, while the Canucks host Pittsburgh after winning their first of the season Thursday. The Jets play their second game in two nights as they travel to Arizona for the Coyotes home opener. Vegas hosts Anaheim, while Colorado is on the road in New Jersey. The Islanders are in Carolina to complete the schedule. Below, you'll find suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.

GOALIES

Frederik Andersen, CAR vs. NYI ($8,100): Andersen is off to another good start as he is 3-1-0 with a 2.26 GAA and a .913 save percentage. He is expected to tend the net Friday against the Islanders who aren't considered a high-scoring team.

Karel Vejmelka, ARI vs. WPG ($7,500): Normally I would not go with Vejmelka as the Coyotes are going to be a bottom-dweller this season but this is their home opener at Arizona State University's Mullett Arena that seats just over 5,000. It should be a raucous crowd. The Jets played the Kings in LA on Thursday and should be a tired team. I'm throwing out Vejmelka's record this season as he is 1-3-0 on the road, as he is more than capable of coming up huge in the home opener.

VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS

Charlie Coyle, BOS at CLS ($3,100): Coyle is off to a good start with two goals and four points in eight games after he scored Thursday in a 5-1 win over Detroit. Coyle centers the third line but also sees time on the second power play as he is averaging 2:05 with the man-advantage, a career high.

Dylan Guenther, ARI vs. WPG ($2,700): Guenther is off to a nice start as a 19-year-old after he was drafted ninth overall in the 2021 Draft. He has two goals and an assist on the road as the Coyotes will become the final team to stage a home opener Friday. Both his goals have come on the power play.

Danton Heinen, PIT at VAN ($3,300): Heinen has moved to the second line in place of the injured Jason Zucker (undisclosed), playing alongside Evgeni Malkin and Jeff Carter. Heinen has three goals and six points in seven games and is seeing second unit power play time. Heinen is a great price against the Canucks.

FORWARD LINE STACKS

Avalanche at Devils

Mikko Rantanen (W-$7,100), Nathan MacKinnon (C-$8,600), Artturi Lehkonen (W-$5,200)

This is a good time to take the trio as their value has dropped in the last week and they are due. Rantanen is pointless in his last three games after putting up nine points in his first four contests, while MacKinnon has 10 points in seven games. Lehkonen has taken over duties on the top line with Gabriel Landeskog out of action after knee surgery and has five points in seven contests. The line can break out at any time and will likely face Mackenzie Blackwood who has an .871 save percentage in five games this season.

Devils vs. Avalanche

Jesper Bratt (W - $5,700), Jack Hughes (C -$6,200), Yegor Sharangovich (W - $3,700)

Bratt had 73 points in a breakout campaign last season and he picking up right where he left off as he has three goals and 12 points in seven games. Hughes has five points in seven games but is coming off a two-point night Tuesday in a 6-2 win over Detroit. Sharangovich is on a three-game points streak and has four points in his last five games. The trio are an inexpensive stack Friday.

Penguins at Canucks

Rickard Rakell (W-$4,800), Sidney Crosby (C-$7,900), Bryan Rust (W-$5,600)

Crosby is off to an amazing start with four goals and 11 points in just seven games. Rust has been strong as well, scoring three times while adding three assists. Rakell has three goals and a solitary assist. The Penguins take on the Canucks who will be a tired team after playing in Seattle on Thursday. Vancouver has given up 38 goals in only eight games, so this is a great spot to load up on Penguins.

DEFENSEMEN

Cale Makar, COL at NJ ($7,400): The best defenseman in the NHL has yet to pick up a goal after leading all defensemen last season with 28. Makar does have seven assists in seven games this season after a Norris Trophy winning campaign in 2021-22 when had 86 points in 77 games. It could be a high-scoring affair against the Devils who have scored 23 goals in seven games while allowing 22.

Nate Schmidt, WPG at ARI ($2,600): Schmidt was pointless in his first six games of the season before he found the back of the net Thursday. He is averaging 1:51 of power play time this season and while he has yet to pick up a point with the man-advantage this season, he had 11 points on the power play in 2021-22. If you are looking for an inexpensive defenseman, Schmidt and/or Valimaki should be on your team.

Juuso Valimaki, ARI vs. WPG ($2,500): Valimaki missed the first two games of the season due to visa work issues. He has power play points in each of his last two games while quarterbacking the second unit for the Coyotes. Valimaki was always highly-regarded but injuries and a lack of playing time in Calgary hurt his cause. He has a new home on the blue line in Arizona and is seeing his playing time go up every game. He is averaging 3:18 of power play time in his four games this season.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Michael Finewax plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: finny_flyers, DraftKings: michaelfinewa-19CVH.