This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
There are four games on the NHL schedule. Carolina plays in Washington, Dallas hosts Pittsburgh, Colorado entertains Columbus and Seattle travels to Arizona. Below, you'll find suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
GOALIES
Alexandar Georgiev, COL vs. CLS ($8,500): Georgiev leads the NHL with 35 wins. His peripherals have been mediocre as he has a 2.83 GAA and a .902 save percentage, but he has played well enough to garner the wins for a very good Colorado team. Georgiev faces a weak Blue Jackets on Friday. They are averaging 2.90 goals, 24th in the NHL.
Connor Ingram, ARI vs. SEA ($7,400): Ingram is tied for the NHL lead in shutouts with six. The Arizona netminder has played quite well this season, going 19-18-3 with a 2.87 GAA and a .908 save percentage, as he has taken over as the No. 1 goaltender, ahead of Karel Vejmelka. Ingram will face the Kraken, who are averaging 28.7 shots on goal, 23rd in the NHL.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Matty Beniers, SEA at ARI ($4,200): Beniers has not had a good second season in the league. He won the Calder Trophy in 2022-23 with 57 points, but has regressed this season, managing only 10 goals and 28 points in 62 games. He has two goals and four points in his last seven games, so there has been some improvement on his offensive output. Beniers garnered a pair of assists in his only game versus Arizona this season.
Logan Cooley, ARI vs. SEA ($3,500): Cooley is having a fairly good rookie season in the NHL, scoring 13 times while adding 19 assists in 69 appearances. He has five goals in his last 11 outings, so he has been showing some improvement. Cooley has three goals and eight assists on the power play and has a low price, making him an attractive option in DraftKings on Friday.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Avalanche vs. Blue Jackets
Nathan MacKinnon (C-$10,300), Mikko Rantanen (W-$8,000), Valeri Nichushkin (W-$7,200)
The top line in the NHL goes against one of the weaker teams in the NHL on Friday. MacKinnon has 117 points – a career high – and he still has 13 games left in the season. He has to be considered the front-runner for the Hart Trophy as he has been the best player in the league this season. His sidekick Rantanen, is also having an outstanding season with 93 points. MacKinnon sits second in scoring, behind Nikita Kucherov, while Rantanen is sixth. The third member of the unit, Nichushkin, returned to action after missing 22 games while he was in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. The 29-year-old Russian has three goals and seven points in five games since he was activated Mar. 8. Nichushkin has 49 points in 45 games this season. The line is well worth selecting, despite the high salaries.
Stars vs. Penguins
Jason Robertson (W-$6,700), Roope Hintz (W-$6,600), Joe Pavelski (W-$6,200)
This is a much less expensive option in DraftKings on Friday. Robertson has points in nine of his last 10 games, scoring five times while adding eight assists. While he will not come close to 2022-23's breakout campaign in which he had 109 points, Robertson does have 24 goals and 70 points in 70 games. Hintz has back-to-back 70-plus point seasons in his last two seasons. He is closing in on a third year but has to pick up the pace as Hintz has 57 points in 68 games. Pavelski is 39, but he is still capable of putting up good numbers. The winger has seven points in his last six games, giving him 24 goals and 58 points in 70 appearances. All three also star on the first power play, combining for 23 goals and 33 assists with the man-advantage.
DEFENSEMEN
Justin Schultz, SEA at ARI ($3,600): Schultz has a great price and is currently quarterbacking the first power play as Vince Dunn is out of action with an upper-body injury. Schultz has six goals and 20 points in 57 games, including six power-play assists.
Brady Skjei, CAR at WAS ($4,700): Skjei has three assists in his last three games and has tied his career high in points with 39. He leads all Carolina defensemen in points – Brent Burns is two back – and also has a career high this season in power play points with 10. Skjei is reasonably priced if you need some cap room elsewhere.
