This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
There are only two games in the NHL on Friday. Following a 4-2 loss in St. Louis on Thursday, the Golden Knights travel to face the rested Stars in Dallas. The second bout is between the Avalanche and Devils in Denver.
Not only are the Golden Knights playing their second road game in consecutive nights, they're also struggling along an underwhelming stretch -- 7-8-3 -- with just 2.63 goals per hour. Additionally, it'll likely be Malcolm Subban ($7,500) starting for Vegas, and the backup owns a discouraging .902 save percentage and 2.97 GAA through 33 appearances over the past two seasons. Dallas, on the other hand, has won three straight and allowed just three goals during the mini surge to improve to an elite 17-4-2 since late October.
The Devils have lost six consecutive games, scored the fewest goals per hour on the road while also sporting the second worst goal differential this season. New Jersey has also allowed 3.92 goals per 60 minutes overall -- the second most in the league. It checks out as a cakewalk matchup for the Avs, and Colorado has been dominant on home ice with a 9-3-2 record and 4.0 goals per game. The Avalanche are also cruising along an active 12-3-1 stretch and Mikko Rantanen ($7,300) and Gabriel Landeskog ($6,100) both missed considerable time during the run.
GOALIES
With two goals or fewer allowed in each of his past six starts, Ben Bishop ($7,700) is rolling along an impressive 4-1-1 stretch with a .954 save percentage and 1.48 GAA. Additionally, the Golden Knights are playing their second road game in consecutive nights and a sizeable underdog. Expect Bishop to be the highest owned goalie because of the salary difference between him and the Avalanche netminders.
Turn to Philipp Grubauer ($8,400) or Pavel Francouz ($8,400) confidently with Friday's noted soft matchup against the Devils. Gruabuer has been out all week after sustaining a hamstring injury during Saturday's road win over Boston, but a favorable layup against New Jersey is an ideal setup to ease him back into action. If Francouz receives the nod, he's topped 25 DraftKings points in two of his past three starts and sports a respectable 10-5-2 record and .914 save percentage for the campaign.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
With a nine-game goal drought, Tyler Seguin ($6,900) is ripe for improved puck luck. He's registered 36 shots during the stretch to drive his shooting percentage down to an unsustainable 5.2 mark, especially considering he recorded a 10.6 mark over the previous four years and skates atop the depth chart in all offensive situations.
This is a reasonable salary to take a low-priced flier on Nikita Gusev ($3,900). The Russian has recorded a respectable nine points -- one goal -- through his past 14 contests while averaging 3:01 of power-play time per game. Sticking with potential statistical correction in the shooting-percentage column, Gusev also owns a 2.9 mark during the 14-game stretch.
Producing at a point-per-game pace through his past eight outings, Reilly Smith ($5,000) well on his way to the fifth, 50-point showing of his career. He's recorded three tallies, five helpers and 21 shots during the noted stretch, and the veteran winger continues to skate in a top-six role and receive power-play time.
After producing 135 points -- 53 goals -- through 135 games over the past two seasons, Mark Stone's ($5,700) current run of three tallies and five helpers over his past 19 outings has his salary down. He's another option to consider from the Golden Knights.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Checking the Avalanche line combos will be critical ahead of Friday's contest. Nathan MacKinnon ($8,200), Gabriel Landeskog ($6,100) and Mikko Rantanen ($7,300) have shared the ice for 2337:13 over the past three years and scored 5.39 goals per hour. However, Joonas Donskoi ($4,800) and Andre Burakovsky ($4,700) flanked MacKinnon last time out with Nazem Kadri ($5,200) centering Landeskog and Rantanen, so there is uncertainty. Additionally, while there's definitely appeal to fading Colorado's go-to scorers with a contrarian lineup, there might not be many goals in the Dallas-Vegas bout.
Sticking with the Avs, it's not out of the question to load up all six -- or at least four or five -- of Colorado's top forwards and go cheap throughout the remainder of your lineup. You can even include Ben Bishop ($7,700) and stay under the salary cap.
Roope Hintz ($4,700), Alexander Radulov ($5,300) and Joe Pavelski ($4,400) are an affordable stack who've generated an impressive 15.2 high-danger scoring chances per 60 minutes at even strength this year, but only scored 2.17 goals with a 7.4 shooting percentage. Considering how dangerous the three are, and that they found the scoresheet last time out, Hintz, Radulov and Pavelski are worth a look against Vegas.
As good as Colorado has been, the Avs have had some slip ups defensively (11 games with three goals or more allowed), and New Jersey's loaded up their top line again with Jack Hughes ($4,100) centering Taylor Hall ($5,900) and Kyle Palmieri ($5,200). The trio have recorded a respectable 4.35 goals and 17.38 high-danger scoring chances per hour and project to skate together in all situations. It's also worth noting the Avs have multiple key defensemen out of the lineup.
DEFENSEMEN
While Samuel Girard's ($3,700) numbers don't jump off the page (three assists through his past 14 outings), he's projected to quarterback the No. 1 power-play unit and has averaged 22:15 of ice time through the past five games because of an injury-depleted Colorado blueline corps. His low salary is also an attractive addition to an Avs stack.
The Stars are winning through defensive play more than goal scoring, so John Klingberg's ($4,900) upside is slightly capped. However, he's locked in as Dallas' top offensive defensemen in all situations and has recorded a respectable six points, 19 shots and 14 blocks since returning from a lower-body injury.
Sami Vatanen's ($4,000) role on the No. 1 power-play unit and affordable salary make him a potential target Friday. He's having his best offensive season -- 1.04 points per 60 minutes -- since the 2014-15 campaign, and as noted, the Avs aren't always the most defensively responsible. For what it's worth, the RotoWire Lineup Optimizer prefers P.K. Subban ($3,900).
Despite receiving no power-play time, Ryan Graves ($4,200) has still contributed three goals, three assists, 19 shots and 18 blocks through his past eight contests. It's a bit of an out-of-nowhere uptick in production from the 24-year-old defenseman, but the results are noteworthy and warrant mention, nonetheless.
The Golden Knights utilize two balanced power-play units, and Shea Theodore ($4,700) and Nate Schmidt ($4,400) quarterback their respective groups. Theodore has now gone eight consecutive games without a point despite his role, including startying 58.2 percent of his five-on-five shifts in the offensive zone. Schmidt, on the other hand, enters Friday's contest with a two-game assist streak and 10 helpers through his past 13 outings.
