This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
It's a seven-game slate for Friday with three games featuring East Division teams playing back-to-back. The remaining four will feature all the clubs from the West. All eyes should be on the Coyotes at Golden Knights (10 p.m. EDT) and the Wild at Blues (8 p.m.). The Coyotes enter with a three-point lead on the Blues for the final playoff spot, but they also have a game in hand. Jordan Binnington made 50 (!) saves his last start. If he gets going, watch out.
GOALIES
Philipp Grubauer, COL at ANH ($8,500): Grubauer struggled in his last start, but the Wild have been the only team he's really struggled against. He's 4-1 with a .927 Sv% and 1.70 GAA when facing the Ducks, who have been outscored by the Avs by seven goals over their past two meetings.
Vitek Vanecek, WSH at BUF ($8,400): Vanecek has been excellent in his past two starts by only allowing two goals on 60 shots. The Sabres were outshot 38-27 by the Devils on Thursday and their subpar offense shouldn't pose a big challenge to the Caps. Vanecek is 4-0-1 with a .947 Sv% and 1.55 GAA against the Sabres this season.
Semyon Varlamov, NYI vs. NYR ($8,200): Varlamov has been outstanding against the Rangers with two shutouts in two contests. A third straight clean sheet is unlikely, but the Rangers are coming off a 5-2 defeat and will likely start backup Alexandar Georgiev.
Casey DeSmith, PIT at NJ ($7,900): DeSmith has not been sharp with a combined 10 goals allowed his past two starts, although he did fare well last start against the Devils by letting in just one goal. The Pens have been playing very well the last month even without Evgeni Malkin, and have only lost six times over their past 20 games.
Jordan Binnington, STL vs. MIN ($7,400): Binnington's a dicey play considering the Wild just pumped eight goals past the best team in their division and how poorly the Blues have been playing, but things are definitely looking up. Binnington was brilliant against Vegas, and there are few goalies who perform better when on their game. And in three April appearances, he's posted a .952 Sv%.
VALUE PLAYS
Colin Blackwell, NYR at NYI ($3,700): As long as Blackwell plays alongside Artemi Panarin and on PP2, he's a strong value play. He's scored five goals over his past six games, including two straight against the Pens.
Janne Kuokkanen, NJ vs. PIT ($3,600): With the Devils having to reconfigure their lineup after dealing Travis Zajac and Kyle Palmieri, Kuokkanen and Yegor Sharangovich ($4,200) flanked Jack Hughes on the top line and it paid off immediately with both wingers chipping in with three points. The Pens will be a tougher opponent than the Sabres, but it's nevertheless a favorable value pick for a first-line winger who also sees time on PP2.
Valeri Nichushkin, COL at ANH ($3,400): The most frustrating part about Nichushkin is that he doesn't score consistently… except against the Ducks. He's registered a point against them in four of six games, accounting for nearly one-third (six of 17) of his total this season.
LINE STACKS
Capitals at Sabres
Lars Eller (C - $4,300), Alex Ovechkin (W - $8,100), T.J. Oshie (W - $5,900)
Ovechkin and Oshie both scored power play goals Thursday against the Bruins while Eller also plays some power play. The Caps have unsurprisingly fared well against the Sabres this season by going 5-0-1 while Ovechkin and Oshie have combined for 11 points in 10 games.
Penguins at Devils
Jared McCann (C - $4,400), Evan Rodrigues (W - $3,200), Jason Zucker (W - $4,800)
This is a very inexpensive line stack for a trio that's been excelling. McCann was held off the score sheet Thursday, but he's filled in nicely as the Pens' No. 2 center while Rodrigues and Zucker contributed two points apiece.
DEFENSEMEN
Kris Letang, PIT at NJ ($5,900): You can't really go wrong with any of the big names tonight as they're all playing quite well, but Letang's salary is at the lower end of that spectrum and offers an enticing matchup. He's scored four points over his past two and the Pens are really hitting their stride as the playoff race heats up.
Cale Makar, COL at ANH ($5,700): Like Letang, Makar is an elite defenseman with a favorable matchup at an attractive salary relative to the rest of the players in the elite tier. Makar has notched four assists and a plus-6 rating in just three contests against the Ducks.
Mikey Anderson, LA at SJ ($3,500): Anderson's a steady defender who is playing well on a pairing with Drew Doughty. He played a season-high 28 minutes last game, and it's a good matchup against a team thin on defense even though his ice time and offensive production aren't consistent. The hope is that Anderson, who has registered 10 shots in his past four games against the Sharks, will have pucks bounce his way sooner than later.
