FanDuel NHL: Friday Targets

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Published on January 28, 2022

SLATE PREVIEW

There's not a whole lot to choose from with only five games and three of them – Detroit at Pittsburgh, Colorado at Chicago and Boston at Arizona – are potential blowouts. The Wild face a tough test against Igor Shesterkin and the Rangers, even though they're on the second game of a back-to-back. The Capitals will also meet a big challenge against the Stars in Dallas having gone 3-6-2 while only averaging a little over two goals with a paltry 9.7 power-play percentage in 2022.

GOALIES

Igor Shesterkin, NYR vs. MIN ($8,500): Shesterkin might be the best goalie in the league and the Rangers are at home, but the Wild present a hard matchup with six wins from their past 10 contests while boasting a top-five offense led by a top-10 scorer. No one else on this list is in Shesterkin's tier in terms of ability, but they face potentially much easier opponents.

Darcy Kuemper, COL at CHI ($8,300): It probably shouldn't be surprising, but the Avs rank first on the road in average goals. The Blackhawks had been reeling before a wild 8-5 win against the Wings, but prior to that lost 2-0 to the Avs with Pavel Francouz in net.

Tuukka Rask, BOS at ARI ($8,100): The Coyotes are starting Scott Wedgewood instead of Karel Vejmelka, so the odds of an upset are exponentially smaller. However, Rask is still trying to find his rhythm having alternated wins and losses and being either very good or not so much. The Coyotes offense doesn't seem to have the ability to break out only potting four or more goals eight times this season.

Jake Oettinger, DAL vs. WSH ($7,500): This could be a solid value play because the Stars are excellent when they have their top line and they've been dominant on home ice all year. Washington has faltered quite a bit partly due to poor goaltending, and expected starter Oettinger should be the favorite even though the Caps' goalies list higher salaries.

VALUE PLAYS

Nick Schmaltz, ARI vs. BOS ($5,100): Schmaltz has notched three points in two of his past five and represents a bargain should Rask log another subpar start. He's not the most reliable scoring center, but has managed 13 points from 16 outings.

Daniel Sprong, WSH at DAL ($3,900): Sprong is skating on a line with Nicklas Backstrom, though his minutes continue to be low. He snapped a five-game goal drought against the Sharks, so maybe that'll get him going. The Stars have been more consistent of late, but expected starter Oettinger has also been a little shaky aside from his win over the Flyers.

LINE STACKS

Stars vs. Capitals

Roope Hintz (C - $7,900), Jason Robertson (W - $8,500), Joe Pavelski (W - $8,400)

Pavelski is truly an ageless wonder and this might be one of the NHL's top-10 trios. The Stars' 3.58 GF/GP at home ranks sixth in the league, and this unit has combined for 45 percent (54 of 120) of all the goals scored by the club.

DEFENSEMEN

Cale Makar, COL at CHI ($7,500): It seems irresponsible to pick Makar, but there's no one else in the same tier with Adam Fox potentially unavailable. The Avs are rolling over everyone in the league while the star blueliner produced an assist during a 2-0 win in their last meeting.

Jared Spurgeon, MIN at NYR ($5,800): Shesterkin is tough to beat, though Spurgeon has recently been unstoppable with four points in two games since returning from injury. He's not valued like an elite defenseman, but certainly has been playing like one while logging a significant role.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire.