This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
There are four games on the NHL slate Friday. Tampa Bay travels to Carolina, Chicago is in Winnipeg, San Jose hosts Vancouver and St. Louis plays in Las Vegas. Below, you'll find suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
GOALIES
Connor Hellebuyck, WPG vs. CHI ($8,400): Hellebuyck was stellar Wednesday in shutting out the high-flying Oilers, as he turned aside all 30 shots in a 6-0 win. Hellebuyck won the Vezina Trophy last season and looks to be picking up where he left off in 2023-24. Hellebuyck faces the lowest-scoring team from last season as the Blackhawks managed to score only 179 goals in 82 games.
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TB at CAR ($7,600): Throw out last season's stats when discussing Vasilevskiy as the Lightning netminder missed the first six weeks of the 2023-24 season after undergoing back surgery at the end of training camp. He still managed to start 52 of the Lightning's last 62 games, going 30-20-2 with a 2.90 GAA and a .900 save percentage. Expect a lot better numbers than that this season as he had all summer to prepare. Vasilevskiy is a top-five goalie – and perhaps better than that – in the NHL.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Aatu Raty, VAN vs. PHI ($2,500): Raty is slated to start on the third line, alongside Nils Hoglander and Conor Garland. Raty picked up an assist in Wednesday's 6-5 overtime loss to Calgary and is well worth taking a chance on against the Flyers.
Matvei Michkov, PHI at VAN ($3,000): The much-anticipated debut of Michkov will occur Friday as the Flyers open their season in Vancouver. The ultra-talented Michkov had three goals and seven points in four preseason games, after striking for 19 goals and 41 points in 47 games with HC Sochi of the KHL in 2023-24. This could be the last time you can play Michkov for so cheap.
Nikita Kucherov, TB at CAR ($9,000): If you are going cheap with Raty and Michkov, you could certainly afford Kucherov, who led the NHL in scoring last season with 144 points, including 100 assists. Kucherov was a stud last season against the Hurricanes, picking up two goals and five assists in two regular-season contests.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Jets vs. Blackhawks
Mark Scheifele (C - $5,600), Kyle Connor (W - $6,700), Gabriel Vilardi (W - $4,900)
The Jets' top line had two goals and two assists in the win over Edmonton on Wednesday. Scheifele had a goal and an assist while Connor had a goal and Vilardi chipped in with a helper. This is a top-10 line in the NHL. Facing the lowly Blackhawks in the Jets' home opener increases their value. The trio combined for 81 goals and 88 assists in 186 games last season with Scheifele leading the way with 72 points in 74 contests. The trio is inexpensive but worth playing.
Golden Knights vs. Blues
Jack Eichel (C - $8,200), Mark Stone (W - $6,100), Ivan Barbashev (W - $3,900)
The Golden Knights' top line exploded against the highly-regarded Avalanche on Wednesday, combining for four goals and seven assists in an 8-4 win. Barbashev had two goals and four points, while Stone had a pair of markers and one assist. Eichel set up four goals in the easy win. The line is capable of another outburst Friday against the Blues, who were in San Jose on Thursday in the first of back-to-back games and could be tired playing in their third game in four nights.
DEFENSEMEN
Josh Morrissey, WPG vs. CHI ($5,700): Morrissey started the season off in fine fashion with a pair of assists in a 6-0 win over Edmonton. Morrissey has been a stud offensively in the last two seasons, picking up 76 points in 2022-23, and then scoring 69 points last season, including 19 points on the power play. Morrissey is a top-10 fantasy defenseman in the NHL at this time.
Shayne Gostisbehere, CAR vs. TB ($2,700): Gostisbehere is slated to start the season on the top power-play unit in Carolina after doing the same with the Red Wings last season. Gostisbehere had 10 goals and 56 points with Detroit, including two markers and 27 assists with the man advantage. Gostisbehere will play alongside Andrei Svechnikov, Martin Necas, Seth Jarvis and Sebastian Aho on what should be a great power-play unit. Gostisbehere is very inexpensive for a player of his offensive skill.
Philip Broberg, STL at VGK ($2,900): Broberg picked up a goal in his debut for the Blues on Tuesday. The defenseman was drafted eighth overall in 2019 by the Oilers but was never good enough to stick around with them. He signed a big contract with the Blues in the offseason as a restricted free agent that the Oilers did not match. Broberg has lots of offensive upside and will quarterback the Blues' second power-play unit.
