This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
It's a short four-game schedule for Friday. The Rangers are visiting the Sabres in the second half of their back-to-back after falling to the Devils on Thursday. Detroit will try to gain some momentum in Winnipeg after upsetting the Hurricanes yesterday. It's an important game for the Jets, who were called out publicly by Rick Bowness for the umpteenth time as they're in danger of missing the playoffs after leading the Central earlier on.
The marquee matchup will be Canucks vs. Flames. The heated rivalry will feature a Vancouver squad that's looked excellent under Rick Tocchet, while Darryl Sutter and the Flames are trying to salvage a disappointing season by catching the Jets for the second wild-card spot.
GOALIES
Jaroslav Halak, NYR at BUF ($8,200): Halak will be going for his third straight win following a shutout against the Preds and a road victory against the Panthers. The veteran netminder endured a rough start to the season, but since is 8-2-2 in 2023 and boasts a 13-4-0/.923/2.08 career line against the Sabres, who've only come out on top once from their last seven home games.
Thatcher Demko, VAN vs. CGY ($7,700): Demko allowed six goals in his previous outing against the Blues, easily his worst performance since returning from injury. However, the Canucks only lost by one thanks to their excellent goal support. Even though Calgary enters with the better record, their scoring and goaltending have recently been worse than Vancouver of late. It should be a close match since both their previous head-to-heads were decided by one goal, and the Canucks' momentum and home ice gives them the edge.
VALUE PLAYS
Vladislav Namestnikov, WPG vs. DET ($3,400): The Jets' latest desperate move to generate offense is to play Namestnikov between Nikolaj Ehlers and Blake Wheeler on the second line. He's normally a very low-ceiling offensive player and is currently mired in a five-game point drought, but he's seen an uptick in ice time and put eight shots on goal over the last two outings.
Dakota Joshua, VAN vs. CGY ($3,700): The Canucks shuffled their units ahead of Friday's matchup and have swapped out Anthony Beauvillier on their top line with Elias Pettersson for Joshua. He's performed well under Tocchet with four points in his last four games and his size will help create more room for Pettersson to generate offense with Andrei Kuzmenko.
LINE STACKS
Stars at Coyotes
Barrett Hayton (C - $5,500), Clayton Keller (W - $8,000), Nick Schmaltz (W - $6,300)
The Coyotes' top line has been one of the best stacks in DFS during the second half of the season. Not only has Hayton finally developed some offense, Schmaltz has now scored at a point-per-game pace for nearly two full campaigns. The Stars list a stronger road record than at home, but the Coyotes are also low-key excellent at home being tied for 15th in the league with 20 wins.
Canucks vs. Flames
J.T. Miller (C - $7,800), Phil Di Giuseppe (W - $4,300), Brock Boeser (W - $5,900)
Di Giuseppe has recently become a great value play carrying a top-six role with three goals and and assist across five appearances. Boeser has similarly picked up his play and has now potted a goal in three straight while recorded at least three shots in seven straight. Miller continues to be outstanding with a seven-game scoring streak and participates on the top power play with Boeser.
DEFENSEMEN
Quinn Hughes, VAN vs. CGY ($7,400): Hughes' terrific play continued with three points in his last outing, and he now ranks second in defender scoring. He boasts the highest offensive upside with Rasmus Dahlin and Josh Morrissey slumping while Miro Heiskanen just had his 12-game point streak snapped.
Moritz Seider, DET at WPG ($5,800): Seider's sophomore season hasn't been as fruitful, but he continues to log a lot of minutes and notched three assists over two games. Being paired with Jake Walman again helps a lot, and the Jets have struggled mightily in the second half of the season. Their only other meeting this season produced 12 goals in a 7-5 win for the Wings.
