This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
There are six NHL games Friday night. Here are some players to consider heading into the trade deadline...
SLATE PREVIEW
There are quite a few teams on the second leg of a back-to-back Friday. Only two are facing each other, though, in Carolina and Washington. The Sabres and Panthers are both on the road for the second game in a row. Philadelphia has swapped from being at home to being on the road. Meanwhile, San Jose has gone from the road to being at home. That makes for a lot of interesting situations in net for DFS players.
GOALIE
Darcy Kuemper, COL at SAN ($8,300): Kuemper really doesn't like to see pucks go in his net. In four of his last 11 starts he's pitched a shutout. All in all, Kuemper has a 2.41 GAA and .923 save percentage. The Sharks are bottom five in goals per game, and also on a back-to-back of course.
Anton Forsberg, OTT vs. PHI ($7,800): Admittedly, I'm focusing a little more on Forsberg's .916 save percentage than his 2.84 GAA. That's because I don't fear the Flyers offense on the road playing the second leg of a back-to-back. This is a team that ranks 31st in goals per game, after all. Ottawa is not a good team, but Philadelphia is decidedly worse.
VALUE PLAYS
Taylor Hall, BOS at WPG ($5,600): With Patrice Bergeron banged up, Boston's second line may be the one to look toward. Hall has been on his game, tallying 13 points in his last 14 contests. Sure, 11 of them are assists, but at this point it seems pretty clear Hall isn't a goal scorer. Connor Hellebucyk has been struggling quite a bit recently. He's allowed at least three goals in each of his last nine starts.
Valeri Nichushkin, COL at SAN ($4,700): With Gabriel Landeskog out, Nichushkin is getting his chance on Colorado's top line. He's also getting more power-play time. The Russian had two points in his last game, and they both came with the extra man. San Jose will likely have Zach Sawchenko in net, and he has a 3.11 GAA and .911 save percentage.
LINE STACKS TO CONSIDER
Flames vs. Sabres: Sean Monahan (C - $2,800), Andrew Mangiapane (W - $4,000), Tyler Toffoli (W - $4,800)
The Sabres have a 3.56 GAA and have allowed 34.1 shots on net per contest. They are also on the second leg of a back-to-back. The Flames have a great top line, and you can stack them if you want to fill the margins with low-salary players. That's cool with me. However, I decided to recommend the third line in hopes of giving you more bang for your buck.
Monahan is struggling. He's been moved to centering this duo and hopefully it will get him out of his funk. We'll never get the guy who had 82 points in 78 games again, but his 7.6 shooting percentage this year is indicative of bad luck that could turn around. Mangiapane has his first 30-goal season, and he's tallied five goals in his last 11 games (to go with five assists). Toffoli has notched 12 points and 33 shots on net in his last 10 outings. That includes six points with the extra man.
Senators vs. Flyers: Josh Norris (C - $6,500), Brady Tkachuk (W- $7,100), Connor Brown (W - $4,600)
This time, I am going with a top line. The Flyers, who are on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back, have allowed 34.0 shots on net per game. They will likely be starting Martin Jones, who has a 3.42 GAA and .900 save percentage. Ottawa don't get a lot of love, but don't sleep on its first line.
Norris has 24 goals in 44 games. In his last eight games he has six goals and two assists. Tkachuk has put 208 shots on net in 57 games and has tallied 20 goals and 24 assists. Brown has 34 points in 45 games, including nine points in his last 11 contests.
DEFENSE
Rasmus Andersson, CGY vs. BUF ($5,000): Andersson's 1.8 shooting percentage has limited him to two goals, but he's still been contributing plenty from the blue line. The Swede has 35 assists in 60 games, including 10 in his last 10 games. As I noted, the Sabres have a 3.56 GAA and have allowed 34.1 shots on net per game.
Cam Fowler, ANA vs. FLA ($3,500): The Ducks have something going for them Friday, namely the fact the Panthers were in Vegas on Thursday. Fowler has also been hot, as he has 10 points in his last 14 contests. Additionally, he has 16 power-play points this season.
