This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
There are four games in the NHL on Friday. Tampa Bay visits Carolina, Winnipeg hosts Chicago, Philadelphia travels to Vancouver and St. Louis plays in Vegas. Below, you'll find suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
GOALIES
Kevin Lankinen, VAN vs. PHI ($7,700): Lankinen is set his first start for Vancouver after backing up Juuse Saros in Nashville the last two seasons. He's poised to take over the No. 1 job with the Canucks as Thatcher Demko (knee) isn't close to returning while Arturs Silovs gave up six goals on 26 shots to Calgary during Opening Night. The Flyers are better than last season, but they had trouble scoring ranking 27th overall.
Connor Hellebuyck, WPG vs. CHI ($8,000): Hellebuyck was superb in the first game by stopping all 30 Edmonton shots en route to a 6-0 win. He faces a much easier opponent Friday as the Blackhawks sat last in offense last season with only 179 goals. Hellebuyck also won the Vezina Trophy last year going 37-19-4 with a 2.39 GAA and .921 save percentage.
VALUE PLAYS
Jett Luchanko, PHI at VAN ($3,300): Luchanko should be making his NHL debut on Friday after being selected 13th overall in June. The 18-year-old comes in at a low salary and is expected to skate on the third line alongside Joel Farabee and Bobby Brink in what could be a great energy unit. Luchanko is also slated to work on the Flyers' second power play.
Nick Foligno, CHI at WPG ($4,000): It's hard to resist taking Foligno as he plays on the first trio with Connor Bedard and lead man-advantage. The veteran scored his first goal Tuesday in the Blackhawks' opener while producing 17 goals and 20 assists last season.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Lightning at Hurricanes
Nikita Kucherov (W - $9,000), Brayden Point (C - $8,200), Jake Guentzel (W - $8,000)
This is an expensive line, but it's well worth it. Kucherov led the NHL in scoring last season with 144 points, including 53 on the power play. Point racked up 46 goals and 44 assists. Guentzel signed a seven-year contract with the Lightning during the offseason and could have a career year alongside this duo. He's also recorded 234 points in 211 games the last three seasons.
Jets vs. Blackhawks
Mark Scheifele (C - $7,300), Kyle Connor (W - $7,700), Gabriel Vilardi (W - $5,800)
The Jets looked solid on Wednesday by soundly beating the Oilers. Scheifele notched a goal and assist with Connor finding the back of the net and Vilardi adding an assist. The trio played well together in 2023-24 and all three participate on the first power play. In addition to carrying the worst offense last season, the Blackhawks were also 29th in goals against. Look for another big effort from the top line.
DEFENSEMEN
Jamie Drysdale, PHI at VAN ($4,000): Drysdale has been injury-prone throughout his young NHL career as he only appeared in 42 of a possible 164 games the last two seasons, though he's fully recovered from his latest injury. He's also expected to quarterback the Flyers' lead PP, making him a valuable DFS player on Friday.
Quinn Hughes, VAN vs. PHI ($7,100): Hughes won the Norris Trophy last season with 17 goals and 75 assists. He picked up right where he left off Opening Night by registering a pair of helpers and should once again find the scoresheet versus Philly.
