This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
There are only three games in the NHL on Friday. A tired Winnipeg team, off a 4-2 win over Buffalo on Thursday, travel to Pittsburgh. New Jersey takes on the Ducks in Anaheim, while in the final game of the night, San Jose hosts Edmonton. Below, you'll find suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
GOALIES
Vitek Vanecek, NJ at ANA ($8,300): Vanecek has turned things around, winning four straight games while giving up only nine goals on 122 shots, after he was in a bit of a slump. Previously, he was 0-3-1, giving up 15 goals on 108 shots. Overall, Vanecek is 16-5-2 with a 2.37 GAA and a .913 save percentage. Vanecek takes on the Ducks, who are averaging 2.26 goals per game this season, second-worst in the NHL.
Casey DeSmith, PIT vs. WPG ($7,600): DeSmith has taken over the top job in Pittsburgh as Tristan Jarry is currently out of action with a lower-body injury. DeSmith has plenty to prove after Tuesday's debacle, when he was pulled after giving up three goals on five shots to the Canucks. DeSmith is 5-8-2 with a 318 GAA and a .904 save percentage. The good news is that he faces a tired Winnipeg squad, who are averaging 3.36 goals per game and are expected to start backup David Rittich.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Nick Bonino, SJ vs. EDM ($2,800): Bonino snapped an 11-game goalless drought Wednesday, scoring his fifth goal of the season. He has 12 points in 40 games and while he plays on the third line with Nico Sturm and newcomer Mikey Eyssimont, he also is on the second power play. You may need an inexpensive player or two, if you stack the Oilers' top line.
Alexander Barabanov, SJ vs. EDM ($4,300): Barabanov is on a six-game points streak and has six goals and 27 points in 38 games. His career-highs were set last season as he had 10 goals and 29 assists. Both marks are easily within range and he will likely surpass both shortly. Barabanov is on the second line and plays on the first power play, where he has a goal and nine points with the man-advantage.
Ondrej Palat, NJ at ANA ($3,800): Palat returned three games ago from a groin injury that sidelined him for 32 games. He has yet to pick up a point since his return, but had three goals in six games before he was injured. Palat is seeing first line time with Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt (both are part of a stack below, along with Jack Hughes) and that should help him get his offense going. He also sees second line power play time. Palat is ready to snap out of his slump, and playing against the worst defensive team in the NHL -the Ducks - won't hurt his cause.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Oilers at Sharks
Connor McDavid (C-$9,000), Leon Draisaitl (C-$7,800), Kailer Yamamoto (W-$3,600)
There are only three games on the schedule, so you should go with the best. McDavid leads the NHL in scoring with 35 goals and 79 points and is currently on a six-game scoring streak and has points in 22 of his last 23 games. Draisaitl has three goals and 12 points while Hyman has six goals and five helpers. Draisaitl has 63 points, second-best in the NHL, behind only McDavid, picking up points in 17 of his last 21 contests, while Yamamoto has points in three of his last four games. Yamamoto was placed on the top line with McDavid and Dylan Holloway and that has helped get his offense going.
Devils at Ducks
Jack Hughes (C-$7,600), Nico Hischier (C-$5,900), Jesper Bratt (W-$5,300)
The Devils have a couple of outstanding centers in Hughes and Hischier who will be the core of the team for years to come. They play together on the first power play and center the top-two lines with both being selected first overall in their respective draft years. Hughes has 26 goals and 49 points in 35 games and while he was held off the scoresheet Tuesday, he had eight goals and two assists in his previous five games. Hischier has 19 goals and 40 points in 40 games and is on an eight-game points streak with six goals and five assists. Bratt has 15 goals and 40 points in 41 games after leading the Devils in points last season with 73. Bratt was held pointless Tuesday in Carolina, snapping a five-game points streak in which he had three goals and seven points. As mentioned earlier, the Devils face Anaheim, the worst defensive team in the NHL.
DEFENSEMEN
Eric Karlsson, SJ vs. EDM ($7,300): What a season Karlsson is having. The defenseman had 10 goals and 35 points in 50 games last season. That's not bad but in no way did anyone expect Karlsson to return to his form shown in Ottawa when he had 16 goals and 82 points in 2015-16. He has 56 points in 43 games, seventh-best in the NHL and the top total for defensemen, with Josh Morrissey and Rasmus Dahlin tied for second, nine points behind. Karlsson is on pace for 106 points, which has been done only nine times, five times by Bobby Orr and four times by Paul Coffey, the last time being in the 1988-89 season. Karlsson has at least one point in 16 of his last 17 games.
Josh Morrissey, WPG at PIT ($5,800): Morrissey is also having a career year with eight goals and 47 points in 42 games, already 10 points better than his previous career high set last season. He still has 40 games left in the 2022-23 campaign and is on pace to get 91 points. The 27-year-old is seeing a career high of 3:15 on the power play, where he has a goal and 18 points with the man-advantage. If you take both Karlsson and Morrissey on your blue line, you have a powerful 1-2 punch Friday.
