This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
There are two games in the NHL on Friday. Toronto returns home to host Florida, down 3-1 in the best-of-seven series, while the hometown Golden Knights will face Edmonton with the series even at 2-2. Below, you'll find suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
GOALIES
Stuart Skinner, EDM at VGK ($7,900): Skinner was great in the Oilers' 4-1 win Wednesday over the Golden Knights, tying the best-of-seven series at 2-2. Skinner – a Calder Trophy finalist this season – improved his record to 5-4 in the playoffs with the victory Wednesday. He has given up 30 goals on 254 shots in the postseason, which is weak, but that can be blamed on two bad performances. He has given up 11 goals on 113 shots versus Vegas in Round 2, as he has been bad in his two losses – nine goals on 56 shots, and great in the two victories, giving up two goals on 57 shots. Skinner was terrific in 50 regular-season games, going 29-14-5 with a 2.75 GAA and .913 save percentage.
Joseph Woll, TOR vs. FLA ($8,200): Woll was a solid wall in Game 4, stopping 24 of 25 shots in the Maple Leafs' 2-1 win, the first playoff start in his young career. Ilya Samsonov (upper body) is unavailable for Game 5 and the Maple Leafs will not turn to Matt Murray who is healthy but hasn't seen any game action since April 4. So the puck is in Woll's court and he likely will not give up the net the rest of Round 2. Woll was 6-1-0 with a 2.16 GAA and .932 save percentage in the regular season.
VALUE PLAYS
Jonathan Marchessault, VGK vs, EDM ($5,500): Marchessault has been very good the last three games, scoring twice in Game 3 and adding 19 shots on goal over the three contests. Marchessault has two goals and four points in nine playoff games. He had 28 goals and 57 points in 76 regular-season games and is on the first unit, as well as the first power play.
Alex Kerfoot, TOR vs. FLA ($3,600): Kerfoot is a nice addition if you are spending big money on your top line. He had the all-important overtime winner in Game 4 of the opening round as Toronto knocked off the Lightning. He has a goal in four games versus Florida as well. Kerfoot had 10 goals and 32 points in 82 games this season.
Anthony Duclair, FLA at TOR ($4,800): Duclair saw his three-game point streak versus the Maple Leafs come to an end Wednesday. He has a goal and two assists in four games versus Toronto, taking full advantage of his blazing speed to garner plenty of scoring chances. He had a goal and an assist in six playoff games in the opening round versus the Bruins. Duclair missed a sizable portion of the regular season recovering from offseason Achilles surgery scoring twice and adding seven assists in just 20 games. A better indication of what he is capabilities are, occurred in the 2021-22 season, when he managed 31 goals and 58 points in just 74 contests.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Oilers at Golden Knights
Connor McDavid (C-$9,800), Leon Draisaitl (C-$9,300), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (W-$7,400)
McDavid and Draisaitl are the two best players in the NHL. They were held off the scoresheet Monday for the first time in the playoffs and came back Wednesday as McDavid had two assists while Draisaitl had one helper in a 4-1 home ice win. McDavid has 17 points in 10 games – second only to Draisaitl who has 18 points including 13 goals. They were one-two in regular-season scoring as McDavid had 153 points while Draisaitl had 128. Nugent-Hopkins picked up his first goal of the playoffs Wednesday, as well as adding an assist. Nugent-Hopkins has eight points in 10 postseason games after an outstanding regular season, where he had 37 goals and 104 points, including 53 points on the power play.
Maple Leafs vs. Panthers
Auston Matthews (C - $9,400), Mitchell Marner (W -$8,000), Calle Jarnkrok (W - $3,400)
Matthews saw his eight-game point streak in the playoffs come to an end Sunday and was held off the scoresheet once again Wednesday as well. He has five goals and 11 points, as well as 41 shots on goal in 10 postseason contests. Matthews has been the most consistent Maple Leafs scorer in the postseason. Marner got off to a great start against Tampa Bay in the opening round, picking up 10 points in his first four games. He had only two assists in five subsequent games, but snapped out of it in Game 4 on Wednesday with the game-winning goal and an assist. Jarnkrok played his best hockey this season with Matthews and Marner and is back on the first line, giving you outstanding value at his price. Jarnkrok has a goal and two assists in the playoffs. The Maple Leafs are in a must-win situation Friday and need their top line to win and make things interesting for Game 6 in Florida on Sunday.
DEFENSEMEN
Shea Theodore, VGK vs. EDM ($5,300): Theodore will add to his responsibilities as fellow defenseman Alex Pietrangelo will miss Friday's game due to a suspension for his slash on Edmonton's Leon Draisaitl on Wednesday. Theodore has four assists in eight playoff games this season, after a solid 2022-23 campaign where he had eight tallies and 33 assists in just 55 games.
Brandon Montour, FLA at TOR ($6,700): Montour was held off the scoresheet Wednesday for the third game in a row. He has been fabulous in the playoffs with six goals and nine points in 11 games, leading all Panther blueliners. Montour had a career year in 2022-23, scoring 16 times and adding 57 assists as he took over from Aaron Ekblad as the Panthers' top offensive defenseman. Montour had three tallies and 33 points with the man advantage this season. He is due.
