This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
We're ending the typical work week this Friday with five NHL games. Of course, March Madness proper starts today as well (no disrespect to the play-in games), so you might be a bit distracted. Nevertheless, get a DFS lineup in before the first NHL game starts at 7:00 p.m. EDT.
Let's break things down!
SLATE PREVIEW
If you are looking for goals, you'll want to keep an eye on the game between the Blues and Sharks. They are both in the bottom 10 in GAA, though neither is in the top 10 in goals scored. On that front, we do have Washington, Toronto, and Vegas.
GOALIES
Marc-Andre Fleury, VGK at LOS ($8,400): This may seem obvious, but it's particularly obvious Friday. You only have 10 starters to choose from, and there aren't a lot of obvious matchups to target. Fleury has been fantastic, posting an 1.88 GAA and .933 save percentage. The Kings have only averaged 28.6 shots on net per contest, so Fleury should be able to manage the opposition
Carey Price, MON vs. VAN ($8,200): This could actually be a good day for offense, as no team in the bottom 10 in goals scores is in action. The Canucks are the closest to that unfortunate distinction, and right now Elias Pettersson is out with an upper-body injury. Price has been reminding us of his Vezina-winning form recently, as he has an 1.85 GAA and .938 save percentage over his last seven starts.
Ilya Samsonov, WAS vs. NYR ($7,700): I'm not over the moon about Samsonov, but I wanted to recommend another goalie to provide you with a third option. Since returning from the COVID-19 list, Samsonov has won all five of his starts and posted a 2.22 GAA and .921 save percentage. The Rangers have been middle-of-the-pack offensively, and are coming off a game where they scored nine goals, which is why I don't love this matchup. However, the Russian netminder has clearly been red hot and he gets the offensive support to pick up wins.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Tyler Toffoli, MON vs. VAN ($7,300): Thatcher Demko has played some great hockey recently, but he's needed to. The Canucks have allowed 33.7 shots on net per game, second highest in the NHL. Toffoli leads the Canadiens in shots on net, having put 94 shots on goal in 29 games. Plus, there's the whole thing about 13 of Toffoli's 27 points coming in matchups with his former team in Vancouver.
William Nylander, TOR vs. CGY ($5,900): Nylander is riding a four-game point streak, giving him 24 points on the season. He's also started 62.8 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, second highest on the Maple Leafs. Jacob Markstrom got off to a good start to the season, but he has a .903 save percentage now after posting an .887 save percentage over his last six starts.
Johnny Gaudreau, CGY at TOR ($4,900): Gaudreau has completely flipped things around from last year, as he has a 20.3 shooting percentage this season after having an 8.6 shooting percentage last season. It probably helps that he's averaged a whopping 4:08 on the power play, and that's help him tally 12 points with the extra man. Toronto's penalty kill is hovering just above the bottom 10, but since returning from a four-game absence Frederik Andersen has a 3.30 GAA and .887 save percentage in six games.
Daniel Sprong, WAS vs. NYR ($3,000): Sprong has recently seen himself get some playing time on Washington's second line, which means getting to have Evgeny Kuznetsov as his center. He's also managed four points in his last five contests, though he's found himself fortunate to see his lone shot on goal go in on multiple occasions in that time. Still, the Rangers are dealing with issues with their coaching staff related to COVID-19, and Igor Shesterkin seems likely to miss this game. That would likely mean Alexandar Georgiev (3.00 GAA, .897 save percentage) in net for New York.
STACKS
Blues at Sharks
Brayden Schenn (C - $5,600), Vladimir Tarasenko (W - $5,400), Jordan Kyrou (W - $4,500)
Defensive issues for the Sharks? Some things never change. The Sharks have a 3.52 GAA, second highest in the league. They are allowing 32.3 shots on net per contest, which has not made things easy for their goalies. Considering that their best goalie, Devan Dubyk, has a .904 save percentage, that's not a good thing. Schenn doesn't have a point in his last two games, but before that he had a seven-game win streak where he had five power-play points. Tarasenko just returned from a lengthy injury, and while I was skeptical at first he has four points and 11 shots on goal in five games. Kyrou doesn't have the same track record, but the 22-year-old has seen his ice time increase by over four minutes per game and he has 21 points in 29 contests.
Sharks vs. Blues
Logan Couture (C - $6,300), Evander Kane (W - $7,000), Kevin Labanc (W – $4,600)
Hey, why not flip this matchup around? The Blues have seen their GAA rise to 3.24, bottom 10 in the NHL. Jordan Binnington's career has been on a downward trajectory since his incredible rookie campaign. He had a .927 save percentage that year, a .912 save percentage last year, and a .904 mark this season. The Blues also have the worst penalty kill of all the teams in action Friday. These three aren't just San Jose's top line. They are also the three forwards on their top power-play unit. Couture has tallied 13 goals this year, while Kane has 12 on a whopping 90 shots on net. Labanc hasn't been as good as his two linemates, but he has 12 points over his last 12 contests.
DEFENSE
Morgan Rielly, TOR vs. CGY ($5,500): Rielly is probably never going to score 20 goals again, as he has only three goals this year. However, the defenseman is doing plenty to boost Toronto's offense. He has 20 assists, including 10 on the power play. The Flames have a 3.03 GAA, but over his last nine games Jacob Markstrom has a 3.73 GAA.
Vince Dunn, STL at SAN ($3,600): Dunn has always been a solid contributor on the blue line, as the 24-year-old has had at least 23 points in every season of his career. This year he has nine points, but he's also started 64.9 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone. That's second highest on the Blues. As I mentioned, the Sharks have a 3.52 GAA, which makes this an enticing matchup for a player on a manageable salary.
Noah Hanifin, CGY at TOR ($2,800): Hanifin was recently moved to the top power-play unit for the Flames. He's averaged over two minutes per game with the extra man in those contests and he's also on a two-game point streak. Frederik Andersen had been a consistent goalie for a few years, but the last couple of seasons he's been consistent in a bad way. The Dane has a 2.85 GAA this season, just as he did last season.
