This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
Friday's slate starts a little later than usual at 8 p.m. EST with only the West and North Divisions in action. Pay close attention to Golden Knights at Blues (8 p.m.) with Marc-Andre Fleury landing on the COVID protocol list yesterday. Their only meeting this season was a 5-4 win for the Blues after the Knights forced OT with a third-period comeback.
The Kings are in a similar situation with both of their top goalies unavailable, which means Troy Grosenick has to try and beat the Avalanche (9 p.m.) for the second straight time despite only winning two games over his career.
The toilet bowl for the worst game definitely goes to the Sharks and Ducks (10 p.m.), but bad hockey can be fun to watch and all three of their previous meetings were decided by one goal.
GOALIES
Philipp Grubauer, COL vs. LA ($8,400): Grubauer faced 14 shots in each of the two games against the Coyotes and remains one of the best in the league this season. The Kings have been surprisingly good, but their sub-50 percent possession numbers suggest their play isn't sustainable and they'll be playing a relatively inexperienced third-string minor leaguer in net. In other words, Grubauer doesn't have to be sharp to win.
Mike Smith, EDM vs. OTT ($8,200): Expect a better effort after a 7-1 shellacking, but the Sens just don't have the personnel to keep the Oilers' offense in check. That should give Smith plenty of goal support, but he's also been mainly effective (.927 Sv%, 3 GA in 2 GP) despite the odd stinker. He's allowed three goals or more against three teams this season (Vancouver, Toronto and Winnipeg) while going 2-0 with two goals versus the Sens.
Kaapo Kahkonen, MIN vs. ARI ($7,800): Kahkonen's been the league's best as he searches for his ninth straight win, and the Coyotes are coming off two very uninspired offensive efforts having finishing with a total of 28 shots. He should be a very popular pick.
Jordan Binnington, STL vs. VGK ($7,600): Binnington hasn't been reliable for most of the season by going 2-3-1 in seven games against the California teams while lasting just 30 minutes on Feb. 27. What is in his favour is the Knights' uncertain goaltending, as they'll have to turn to Oscar Dansk or Logan Thompson.
VALUE PLAYS
Kailer Yamamoto, EDM vs. OTT ($4,600): It gets harder to find good value plays as the season goes on because players settle into their roles, but Yamamoto's been the big beneficiary with the Oilers stacking their top line. He was held without a point in his last game, but that shouldn't last long playing with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Note that this contest is the only one with an O/U set at 6.5 according to FanDuel Sportsbook and it's a good bet the Oilers will do most of the scoring.
Andreas Athanasiou, LA at COL ($3,800): AA has charged up his offense recently by scoring a goal in two straight games. Although it was against the Ducks, Athanasiou continues to get top-six minutes and some power play time. His tendency to shoot first also provides a nice floor and he's only failed to register a shot in three games this year.
LINE STACKS
Golden Knights at Blues
Chandler Stephenson (C - $4,700), Max Pacioretty (W - $7,900), Mark Stone (W - $7,300)
It won't matter much who the Blues start in net, as it's unlikely they'll be able to keep the Knights off the board. Stone has been remarkable all season, but Stephenson being on PP1 adds a lot of value to this stack. Also, the Blues' PK comes in ranks 27th.
Blues vs. Golden Knights
Brayden Schenn (C - $6,500), David Perron (W - $7,200), Mike Hoffman (W - $5,100)
The thinking is that this game will feature more than a few goals. Schenn (six-game point streak) and Perron (seven-game point streak) have been excellent of late. And while Ryan O'Reilly's line is also worthy of stacking against a team that will be playing their third-string goalie, wingers Jordan Kyrou and Vladimir Tarasenko have been relatively quiet.
Wild vs. Coyotes
Nick Bjugstad (C - $4,200), Kirill Kaprizov (W - $5,500), Mats Zuccarello (W - $5,200)
If you can skip Bjugstad, do it – he's a huge drag on offense. The center to go with is Joel Eriksson Ek ($6,500), who plays with Kaprizov and Zuccarello on PP1.
Avalanche vs. Kings
Nathan MacKinnon (C - $8,400), Mikko Rantanen (W - $8,000), Gabriel Landeskog (W - $6,600)
MacKinnon didn't score a goal last time but still managed 10 shots, thereby generating nearly one-quarter of all the Avs' attempts. Landeskog also finished with a goal on seven shots, so it's obvious the Avs live and die with this line. All three players skated over 20 minutes with only Nazem Kadri and Andre Burakovsky going over 17.
DEFENSEMEN
Drew Doughty, LA at COL ($6,400): Doughty continues to dominate the season with four points over his past three games to bring his total to 22 points. It's slim pickings tonight, so he stands heads and shoulders above the rest.
Tyson Barrie, EDM vs. OTT ($5,500): Barrie is frustrating because he can be so inconsistent, but he's been consistently excellent against the Sens having notched a goal and seven assists across four matchups. The big bonus has been his willingness to shoot the puck registering 18 shots in his past three.
Samuel Girard, COL vs. LA ($5,200): Both Girard and Devon Toews ($4,700) are decent picks, with Girard getting the edge because he quarterbacks PP1. The Kings' PK ranks eighth, so it'll be a tougher challenge than the Coyotes. But overall, it's still a favorable matchup since Girard and Toews are both well over 60 CF% at 5v5 over their past six games according to Natural Stat Trick.
Erik Karlsson, SJ at ANH ($4,500): Karlsson looks better after returning from injury having produced a goal and three assists from his past six games. It's modest, but it's the same production as Brent Burns who's available at a sizable premium.
