This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
There is a single NHL game Friday night. The Sabres host the Devils at 7 p.m. ET. For DFS purposes, you have a budget of $110 for five players. Your Superstar earns you 1.5 times the points. Here's a Friday lineup I like.
SUPERSTAR
Tage Thompson, BUF vs. NJD ($27): Thompson missed a chunk of time with injury, and his puck luck has been of the bad variety this season, which means he won't hit 47 goals and 47 assists again. However, who would quibble with 22 goals and 23 assists in 62 contests, with a whopping 220 shots on net at that? Over his last 14 games he's tallied six goals and six helpers and put 50 shots on target. Jake Allen got off to a hot start with the Devils, but he has a .900 save percentage over this last four seasons, so I don't expect that to continue.
FLEX
Jesper Bratt, NJD at BUF ($25): The Sabres play Saturday. Because of that, there is expectation that Devon Levi will be in net Friday, saving Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen for the Maple Leafs on Saturday. If so, Bratt will see a goalie with a 3.16 GAA and.898 save percentage. The Swede had 73 points in each of his prior two seasons, and he already has 72 this year. That includes 25 power-play points, and the Sabres have the 20th-ranked penalty kill.
Nico Hischier, NJD at BUF ($22): Bratt's center on the first line and on the top power-play unit? That would be Hischier. He has two three-point games in his last four outings. On top of that, the one-time first-overall pick has 53 shots on target over his last 15 contests, so he may be primed to pelt the Sabres' goalie, who may be the unproven Levi.
Luke Hughes, NJD at BUF ($21): As a rookie, Luke has done a passable imitation of his brother Quinn. He's averaged 3:28 per contest with the extra man and has 22 power-play points. The Sabres, as I noted, have the 20th-ranked penalty kill, so that bodes well for the young defenseman.
Erik Haula, NJD at BUF ($15): I didn't set out to lean so heavily on the Devils, but the way the salaries have been set by Yahoo led this to be the best lineup I could land on. Intermediate production has yielded 14 goals and 19 assists in 67 games for Jersey, which is solid. Right now, though, he's centering the second line, and he has Jack Hughes on his wing. Putting the puck on Hughes' stick tends to bode well.
