It’s been a hectic, exciting time in the NHL lately thanks to the trade deadline, with teams loading up on personnel to make their final playoff push over the next two months. We’re getting five matchups on Friday’s slate, which is more than enough to work with when constructing DFS lineups. Four of the five games are relatively even, except Arizona hosting Carolina as a +295 home underdog. Only one game has zero playoff implications between the Montreal Canadiens versus the Anaheim Ducks, as the Canadiens continue their West Coast road trip.
I always like to recap how my previous recommended plays fared in the most recent Primer. Brayden Point (C – Lightning) scored Tampa Bay’s lone goal in a 4-1 loss against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night, while totaling four shots on goal. Both Ottawa Senators recommended, Thomas Chabot (D – Senators) and Brady Tkachuk (LW – Senators), netted a point during a 6-1 rout against Detroit, while Pheonix Copley (G – Kings) allowed five goals but got bailed out by the Kings’ offense in a 6-5 comeback win on the road against Winnipeg. Dylan Larkin (C – Red Wings) had an underwhelming performance without a point, while Kirill Kaprizov (LW – Wild) had high-shot volume (6) but couldn’t notch a point in a 2-1 win over the Islanders. Justin Faulk (D – Blues) netted an assist against the Kraken, and Andrei Vasilevskiy (G – Lightning) didn’t bring his A-game, allowing three goals on 40 shots but failing to get a win. Overall, it was a solid outing from all eight skaters, but we’ll look to get even more production across Friday’s board.
It’s been a hectic, exciting time in the NHL lately thanks to the trade deadline, with teams loading up on personnel to make their final playoff push over the next two months. We’re getting five matchups on Friday’s slate, which is more than enough to work with when constructing DFS lineups. Four of the five games are relatively even, except Arizona hosting Carolina as a +295 home underdog. Only one game has zero playoff implications between the Montreal Canadiens versus the Anaheim Ducks, as the Canadiens continue their West Coast road trip.
I always like to recap how my previous recommended plays fared in the most recent Primer. Brayden Point (C – Lightning) scored Tampa Bay’s lone goal in a 4-1 loss against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night, while totaling four shots on goal. Both Ottawa Senators recommended, Thomas Chabot (D – Senators) and Brady Tkachuk (LW – Senators), netted a point during a 6-1 rout against Detroit, while Pheonix Copley (G – Kings) allowed five goals but got bailed out by the Kings’ offense in a 6-5 comeback win on the road against Winnipeg. Dylan Larkin (C – Red Wings) had an underwhelming performance without a point, while Kirill Kaprizov (LW – Wild) had high-shot volume (6) but couldn’t notch a point in a 2-1 win over the Islanders. Justin Faulk (D – Blues) netted an assist against the Kraken, and Andrei Vasilevskiy (G – Lightning) didn’t bring his A-game, allowing three goals on 40 shots but failing to get a win. Overall, it was a solid outing from all eight skaters, but we’ll look to get even more production across Friday’s board.
Let’s get right into my eight favorite plays ahead of Friday’s puck drops to cash some contests!
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Recommended Plays: DraftKings
DraftKings maximum salary is set at $50,000
Boone Jenner (C – Blue Jackets): $6,300
Columbus has looked markedly better following the All-Star Break and Boone Jenner has been a consistent piece of the Blue Jackets’ offense during this stretch. He has at least 14.6 DK points in four of his previous five games played and has three goals and three assists recorded across his past five games entering Friday’s home game against Seattle. The Kraken will likely deploy Philipp Grubauer (G – Kraken) in the net, who has a 3.05 GAA and a sub-.900 save percentage in 20 starts this season. Plug Jenner in at a nice discounted value during the first game on Friday’s slate.
Jared McCann (LW – Kraken): $4,900
Staying in the Seattle vs. Columbus matchup, I like the value we’re landing with Jared McCann. McCann is fresh off of a three-point outing that included two goals against Detroit in a 5-3 win on Thursday night in the Motor City, so he’ll head south to face another struggling netminder in Elvis Merzlikins (G – Blue Jackets) on Friday night in Columbus. Merzlikins has allowed three goals in each of his past five starts and McCann has scored three goals and is riding a four-game point streak, so acquiring him at under $5,000 on DraftKings is a massive steal.
Cam Fowler (D – Ducks): $4,800
Anaheim has been among the scrappier teams in recent games, winning three of their previous four games played. Defenseman Cam Fowler has been consistently contributing to the Ducks’ offense during this stretch, netting five assists in his past five games, while being held without a point in only one of these games. Fowler isn’t a high-volume shooter but collects a couple of blocked shots per game and can pass and set up his teammates to finish plays in the offensive zone. At $4,800, I like the floor Fowler provides entering a matchup against Montreal, who will deploy Sam Montembeault (G – Canadiens), who has allowed five or more goals in two of his previous three starts.
Frederik Andersen (G – Hurricanes): $8,500
Carolina’s top netminder, Frederik Andersen, is expected to start in a road matchup against Arizona on Friday night. Andersen has struggled recently against Vegas and Anaheim, allowing three goals in each contest, resulting in an 0-2 record during this brief stretch. He’ll have a good bounce-back opportunity against the Coyotes, who have only managed to score more than three goals once in their last five games played. Carolina’s offense will need to step up a bit to give Andersen some relief in the net, however, I’m confident he’ll end the mini-slump at Mullett Arena on Friday night.
Recommended Plays: FanDuel
FanDuel maximum salary is set at $55,000
Leon Draisaitl (C – Oilers): $9,700
I’m opting to roll with the cheaper option in Edmonton’s loaded attack lines, investing in Leon Draisaitl instead of Connor McDavid (C – Oilers). You aren’t losing a ton of production with this move, as Draisaitl has a ten-game point streak entering Friday’s home game against Winnipeg. Connor Hellebuyck (G – Jets) has regressed in recent starts, allowing five goals in each of his previous two starts, so getting Draisaitl into FanDuel lineups is a great way to anchor them with a high-floor player who can also deliver a ceiling.
Troy Terry (RW – Ducks): $6,700
Another player on a point streak is Troy Terry. Anaheim has played better in recent games and Terry has consistently been pouring in goals on relatively low shot volume. He’ll enter Friday’s home game against Montreal with a four-game goal streak and the Canadiens are expected to roll out their second-string goaltender, Sam Montembeault, which means there will be ample scoring opportunities for Terry to extend his goal streak to five games. At $6,700 on FanDuel, we’re acquiring a high-floor prospect in a favorable matchup.
Vince Dunn (D – Kraken): $5,800
Vince Dunn has been on a roll within the high-octane Seattle offense, recording five points in four consecutive games leading into Friday’s road game in Columbus. At under $6,000 on FanDuel, we aren’t paying up to acquire a defenseman, who are typically low-ceiling prospects, but Dunn is attached to a talented offense, which elevates his appeal. Factor in the leaky defense and goaltending that Columbus deploys. This should be another game where Dunn finishes with at least one point and a couple of shots on goal, helping your lineups instead of hurting them like a lot of other defensemen on the slate.
Stuart Skinner (G – Oilers): $7,500
Edmonton’s goaltending has been a problem at times but 24-year-old netminder Stuart Skinner has been solid, going 16-13 as a starter, logging a 2.88 GAA, and recording a .912 save percentage. Skinner has only surrendered more than two goals once in his past five starts, which occurred against Boston, so he should be valued highly against Winnipeg, who possess a volatile offense that is no longer being bailed out by their goaltender. At just $7,500 on FanDuel, Skinner is a must-add goaltender to anchor your lineups in a game where the Oilers are favored to win outright at -155.
