This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
It's a five-game slate for Friday with three games beginning at 7 p.m. EDT and then the Blues at Sharks at 9 and Golden Knights at Kings at 10.
GOALIES
Ilya Samsonov, WSH vs. NYR ($8,600): The Capitals looked solid against the Islanders on Tuesday to take first place in the division by limiting them to just 22 shots. That bodes well for their matchup against the Rangers, who are coming off a 9-0 drubbing of the Flyers and also lead the season series 2-0. The Caps have been outstanding of late losing just once over their past 11 while Samsonov has only allowed 11 goals from his past five starts. There are few options and Samsonov's salary seems a bit high, but the Caps should be favored.
Marc-Andre Fleury, VGK at LA ($8,400): The good part about playing on the Golden Knights is they often provide a lot of goal support. So even if Robin Lehner is a little rusty in his first start since early February, he should still be able to pull off the win. Vegas is 2-0 against the Kings this season with LA averaging less than three goals per game against the West's top three teams.
Carey Price, MON vs. VAN ($7,900): This is all about the goalie matchups with a back-to-back home-and-home series. If the Canucks start Thatcher Demko ($7,600), go with him. But if they start Braden Holtby, then either Price or Jake Allen will be fine. Pressure is mounting after the Habs lost three of their past four, but they're also 5-0-2 against the Canucks and their horrendous defense this season.
VALUE PLAYS
Dillon Dube, CGY at TOR ($4,400): Head coach Darryl Sutter may mix up the lines and the Leafs represent a tough matchup, but Dube has been skating on the top line and has scored three points over his past two games.
John Leonard, SJ vs. STL ($3,600): The former UMass-Amherst star is on a two-game assist streak and can finish around the net. That's key against the Blues, who have allowed 21 goals during their five-game losing streak.
Nils Hoglander, VAN at MON ($3,600): Tanner Pearson left Wednesday's contest and his status is questionable. If he misses tonight, that means Hoglander's going to receive a bigger role. The sneakier play may be Jimmy Vesey ($3,400), who was just claimed off waivers and plays a similar style to Pearson making him a possible fit on Bo Horvat's line.
Cody Glass, VGK at LA ($3,500): Glass is doing okay in Chandler Stephenson's absence, but at least he's getting the opportunities. He's only notched one goal from his last eight games, but that goal came on the power play.
Alex Galchenyuk, TOR vs. CGY ($3,000): Galchenyuk's struggled this season, which isn't all that surprising, but he's slated to play left wing with John Tavares and William Nylander and they're arguably the best linemates he's ever had. Galchenyuk is an obvious risk, but you can't beat the salary.
LINE STACKS
Canadiens vs. Canucks
Nick Suzuki (C - $5,200), Tyler Toffoli (W - $6,900), Brendan Gallagher (W - $6,200)
Noted Canuck killer Toffoli and his career numbers against them: 21 goals and 34 points in 35 games.
Golden Knights at Kings
Cody Glass (C - $3,500), Max Pacioretty (W - $7,900), Mark Stone (W - $7,600)
Expensive but worthwhile with Stone on a nine-game point streak and Pacioretty on a four-game run.
Sharks vs. Blues
Logan Couture (C - $7,000), Evander Kane (W - $7,100), Kevin Labanc (W - $4,700)
The streaky Labanc has scored three goals in four games and comes in as a decent value play when scoring. Kane has been their most consistent forward this season and it's a solid stack against a team allowing a lot of goals.
DEFENSEMEN
Jeff Petry, MON vs. VAN ($6,400): Five of Petry's 11 goals this season have come against the Canucks, who are turnover-prone and allow a ton of shots. The Habs shoot a lot from distance because their defenders are skilled at that, but Petry's also jumped up in the play quite a few times.
Shea Theodore, VGK at LA ($6,200): A three-point, six-shot effort in Theodore's last game extended his point streak to five games. He's back on track and has already accumulated two helpers in two matchups against the Kings this season. Alec Martinez ($4,300) also makes for a good choice, though he tends to offer more blocked shots – as one of the league's best in that category – than points.
Noah Hanifin, CGY at TOR ($3,800): Once again, Hanifin and Mark Giordano led the team in PP TOI among defensemen over Rasmus Andersson. Giordano boasts the track record, but Hanifin has been the better producer with two points in two games and enters with a lower salary.
