This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
Fridays are usually quiet, but there are five games on the slate and there's a bit of excitement just to see what Connor McDavid will do against the Sabres goaltending, who have allowed a league-worst 19 goals in four November contests. The Oilers (-178), however, aren't even the biggest favorites of the night. That honor belongs to…
*drumroll*
… the Blackhawks (3-9-2) as -210 favourites to defeat the Coyotes (1-11-1), who are on pace to be the worst team in NHL history.
GOALIES
Jack Campbell, TOR vs. CGY ($8,600): It'll likely be backup Daniel Vladar at the other end of the ice after Jacob Markstrom lost to the Habs on Thursday. Goals have suddenly become hard to come by for the Flames, who only scored a combined three against the Habs and Sharks after putting six past the Rangers. Campbell's been fantastic this season and is coming off a 36-save shutout win over the Flyers.
Frederik Andersen, CAR vs. PHI ($8,000): Andersen's play has understandably tailed off because no goalie stays unbeaten for a full season. He allowed seven goals against Chicago and Florida, but the team bounced back with a strong performance against the Lightning by limiting them to 18 shots and only one goal. The Flyers have scored three times or fewer in every game this month and were shut out by the Leafs Wednesday.
Stuart Skinner, EDM at BUF ($7,900): The Oilers won't have to worry about getting enough goal support for Skinner, right? He looked decent in his last start with 35 saves despite allowing three goals and getting tagged with a loss. The one improvement Buffalo made this season was their overall offense, but their defense and goaltending has looked almost non-existent. This matchup is potentially high-scoring and the Sabres don't really have a decent chance of winning.
Marc-Andre Fleury, CHI vs. ARI ($7,400): Fleury has really picked it up of late, but unfortunately the defense in front of him hasn't. He made 42 saves and allowed two goals in a win over his former team, and there are already three players in the league – Leon Draisaitl, McDavid, and Alex Ovechkin – who've recorded more points than the Coyotes have goals.
Elvis Merzlikins, CBJ vs. WSH ($7,200): Merzlikins has been excellent and kept the Avs to two goals on 36 shots during his last start. The Caps have been good, but their goaltending – other than Zach Fucale's shutout in his NHL debut – has been mostly poor. Don't underestimate the Jackets' ability to provide goal support as they're 11th averaging 3.10 goals, not far behind the fifth-place Caps at 3.38.
LINE STACKS
Oilers at Sabres
Connor McDavid (C - $9,900), Zach Hyman (W - $7,000), Jesse Puljujarvi (W - $5,800)
This will be a very popular line stack. Expected starter Dustin Tokarski has won once in six appearances and allowed 13 goals across his past three.
Blue Jackets vs. Capitals
Cole Sillinger (C - $4,400), Yegor Chinakhov (W - $3,000), Jakub Voracek (W - $4,400)
This represents a great value stack and one that's interesting to watch. All three are working on multi-game point streaks and coming off strong performances in a two-game series against the Avs. Sillinger produced four points on 10 shots while Chinakhov added two helpers in the second contest. Voracek and Sillinger work with the first PP unit while Chinakhov headlines the second unit with Gustav Nyquist. Expected starter Ilya Samsonov lasted just 25 minutes in his last outing before getting pulled.
VALUE PLAYS
Alex Kerfoot, TOR vs. CGY ($3,900): If John Tavares doesn't play, look for Kerfoot to move up the depth chart. He's racked up five points in his last five games and normally only kills penalties, but given his recent play he might earn some time on the power play.
Dylan Strome, CHI vs. ARI ($3,600): If Strome can't find the scoresheet against the Coyotes, he might as well spend the rest of the season in the press box. The former 50-point contributor has zero goals on nine shots over seven outings, and hopefully a matchup against the league's worst team and his former employer should snap him out of his funk.
Seth Jarvis, CAR vs. PHI ($3,200): The Canes are stacked so Jarvis' role will continue to be limited, but he logged a season-high 15 minutes against the Panthers and has also recorded at least one shot on goal in each of the last three matchups. The Flyers' goaltending can be Jekyll and Hyde, but the Canes should have the clear advantage regardless.
DEFENSEMEN
Seth Jones, CHI vs. ARI ($6,600): Of all the Blackhawks' woes this season, Jones should be the least of their worries. The team defense is concerning, but he's looked excellent offensively with 12 points and will be looking to extend his point streak to six. Jones is reliable and a great matchup for fantasy purposes, especially against the league's second-worst PK.
Darnell Nurse, EDM at BUF ($6,200): The worry is the Oilers would get out to a big lead and then rest some of their top skaters in the second game of a back-to-back. But unless that happens, look for Nurse to continue seeing plenty of minutes. Of note, he ranks sixth in the NHL in shots among defensemen.
Oliver Kylington, CGY at TOR ($4,000): The Flames may be a little fatigued playing consecutive nights, but Kylington's play has been hard to ignore. He's failed to score a point just once in his past eight outings and has provided more offense from a blue line that has only managed three goals.
