DraftKings NHL: Friday Breakdown

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Published on March 3, 2023

SLATE PREVIEW

There are five games in the NHL on Friday. A tired Seattle team plays the rested Blue Jackets in Columbus. Montreal will also be tired after playing LA on Thursday, as they cross the city to play in Anaheim. In other action, Winnipeg travels to Edmonton, Carolina is in Arizona and New Jersey takes on Vegas. Below, you'll find suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.

GOALIES

Sam Montembeault, MON at ANA ($7,500): Montembeault has alternated wins and losses over the last four games, playing great in the wins and rather poorly in the losses. He stopped 65 of 70 shots in the two wins over the Islanders and New Jersey and gets a good matchup Friday against the Ducks. Montembeault is 12-12-2 with a 3.31 GAA and .905 save percentage this season. The Ducks enter the game as the second-lowest scoring team in the NHL, averaging 2.50 goals per game. It's a great spot for Montembeault to pick up his 13th win of the season.

Frederik Andersen, CAR at ARI ($8,500): Andersen gets a great matchup against the depleted Coyotes, who have lost Nick Bjugstad, Jakob Chychrun and Shayne Gostisbehere via trade in the last few days. Andersen has lost his last two starts, but has not allowed more than three goals in any of his last five games. Andersen is 14-6-0 with a 2.50 GAA and .903 save percentage this season. The Coyotes are the fifth-lowest scoring team in the NHL, averaging only 2.67 goals per game.

VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS

Trevor Zegras, ANA vs. MON ($5,500): Zegras has five goals and 10 assists in his last 16 games, giving him 20 goals and 52 points in 62 games. He has been a force on the power play, scoring four times and adding 10 assists. He had two assists in his lone game against Montreal this season.

Dawson Mercer, NJ at VGK ($4,200): Mercer has a seven-game goal scoring streak on the line as he has found the back of the net nine times in the seven contests. Mercer has 14 points in his last nine games, including a four-point effort Wednesday in Colorado. Overall, Mercer has 20 goals and 43 points in 60 games as he bested his career high in points set last season, when he had 42 points in 80 games.

Nino Niederreiter, WPG at EDM ($3,700): Niederreiter was dealt to the Jets from Nashville on Monday and was scoreless in his first game with his new club. Before the trade, he had a three-game goal scoring streak, scoring four times. He has 18 goals and 28 points in 57 games this season. Niederreiter is seeing second line action with Adam Lowry and Nikolaj Ehlers, as well as first power play duty, alongside Blake Wheeler, Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor and Josh Morrissey.

FORWARD LINE STACKS

Oilers vs. Jets

Connor McDavid (C-$9,900), Zach Hyman (W-$7,200), Leon Draisaitl (W-$8,100)

McDavid leads the best line in hockey. He has been white-hot of late (and that's saying something) as he became only the fifth player in NHL history to score multi-goals in five straight games. He has an eight-game point streak, scoring 10 goals and adding 11 assists, giving him 52 goals and 66 assists in 62 games. He is only five points away from tying his career high in points set last season. Draisaitl is second in scoring with 36 goals and 90 points, 28 in arrears of the great McDavid. Hyman is also having a career season with 29 goals and 71 points, both career bests. This is one outstanding line and worth taking Friday. The trio have combined for 54 goals and 67 assists on the power play, the best power play in the NHL.

Hurricanes at Coyotes

Sebastian Aho (C - $6,700), Andrei Svechnikov (W -$6,400), Seth Jarvis (W - $4,300)

This is a lot less expensive line than the Oilers' trio. Aho has 25 goals and 52 points in 52 games, going pointless in his last two games. Svechnikov is also pointless in his last two games and has 21 goals and 51 points this season. Like the others, Jarvis has not picked up a point in his last two games but had five goals and seven points in his previous four contests. He has 13 goals and 31 points in 59 games. The Hurricanes have a great matchup versus the lowly Coyotes, who have just 51 points in 61 games, only five points ahead of the last place Blue Jackets. Look for all three to snap their mini-slumps.

DEFENSEMEN

Brent Burns, CAR at ARI ($6,200): Burns has benefitted from his first season in Carolina, scoring 12 goals and adding 33 assists in 59 games after a couple of average seasons in San Jose. Burns has points in six of his last seven games, scoring twice and adding six assists. He has two goals and 15 assists on the power play this season.

Juuso Valimaki, ARI vs. CAR ($4,100): Valimaki has taken over quarterbacking the Arizona power play as Jakob Chychrun and Shayne Gostisbehere have been dealt to Ottawa and Carolina respectively this week. Valimaki had a pair of assists Wednesday in a 4-2 loss to Dallas, and has two goals and 22 points in 57 games this season. Valimaki has always been highly regarded as an offensive defenseman, but never had a real chance in Calgary where Rasmus Andersson was always ahead of him on the depth chart, as well as the power play.

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.