This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
It's a busier than usual Friday with eight games and plenty of teams completing their back-to-backs, including the Penguins and Blue Jackets playing each other in one of the league's more underrated rivalries.
GOALIES
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TB at ANH ($8,600): The Ducks have lost four straight and nine of their past 11, including two consecutive shutout losses. Now they face the league's best goalie against the two-time defending champs with only two key players – Ondrej Palat and Erik Cernak – missing from the lineup.
Ilya Sorokin, NYI vs. ARI ($8,400): With the Isles rotating goalies, it'll probably be Sorokin who gets the start and he'll be gunning for his fourth straight win. The Coyotes have been impressive lately with two in a row, but the Isles have lost just once over their past six contests and seem to be turning a corner.
Sergei Bobrovsky, FLA at VAN ($8,200): The Canucks will likely be without top scorer J.T. Miller and top goalie Thatcher Demko, and already missed captain Bo Horvat last time out against Nashville. The Panthers are coming off a 6-0 win against the Oilers, and the league's No. 1 team should have no problems against a bubble playoff team missing many key players.
Casey DeSmith, PIT at CBJ ($8,000): The all-time series is 36-17-0 in favor of the Pens and the Jackets only scored twice against Philly last night, so it should negate some of the poor performances DeSmith has put in this year resulting in a .888 Sv% and 3.47 GAA. He's allowing almost one more goal per game compared to last season, though the Pens clearly have the upper hand and their head-to-heads tend to feature a lot of goals with at least four in seven of their past 11 meetings.
Jordan Binnington, STL at SEA ($7,900): The Kraken's subpar home performance – they're 8-12-2, even with the recent win – is well-known, while the Blues are on a roll having only been defeated three times since Dec. 19. Binnington and backup Ville Husso have recently split the starts, so except the former to get the nod even though the latter may be the better option.
Marc-Andre Fleury, CHI vs. MIN ($7,500): The Hawks have quietly gone five games over .500 under Derek King, and they're on a roll with victories in four of their past five. It's also a series that the Blackhawks have recently dominated by taking four of their last five meetings all with narrow margins. It seems the Wild's chances of winning at far better at home where they're 12-3-1, and they'll host Chicago tomorrow.
VALUE PLAYS
Anton Lundell, FLA at VAN ($5,700): The Canucks' depth at center will be very thin if Horvat and Miller are unavailable. So even after they manage to shut down Aleksander Barkov and Sam Bennett, they'll still have to contend with Lundell, who could easily be a No. 2 center on other teams. He should have the clear advantage over Sheldon Dries, Jason Dickinson and Juho Lammikko, the Canucks' projected three centers behind Elias Pettersson.
Vladislav Namestnikov, DET vs. DAL ($4,400): Namestnikov has the good fortune of playing on the top line with Lucas Raymond and Dylan Larkin. They'll likely face Jake Oettinger, who has struggled of late. The Stars' road woes are well-documented and narrowly escaped Buffalo with a 5-4 decision, giving a chance for Namestnikov to extend his point streak to three.
Zach Parise, NYI vs. ARI ($3,800): Parise draws the prime assignment with Anders Lee and Mathew Barzal. Even though the Coyotes' goaltending has recently performed well, the odds are in the Isles' favor. Parise has only notched one goal this season, but has collected three assists across four contests and seems to excel playing higher in the lineup.
LINE STACKS
Canucks vs. Panthers
Aleksander Barkov (C - $9,100), Carter Verhaeghe (W - $5,700), Sam Reinhart (W - $6,800)
Reinhart has always relished facing his hometown team having produced eight goals and 11 points in 11 games. The Canucks will be very shorthanded and have trouble defending fast teams, which probably means Barkov and the Panthers will dominate.
Stars at Red Wings
Roope Hintz (C - $7,400), Joe Pavelski (W - $7,900), Jason Robertson (W - $8,300)
This is basically the only line that can score for the Stars, and they got two more from Robertson against the Sabres - one which was the eventual winner. Dallas struggles on the road, but maybe that will change since they've won eight of their past 10 meetings with the Red Wings since 2010.
Blues at Kraken
Robert Thomas (C - $5,500), Jordan Kyrou (W - $7,700), Brandon Saad (W - $5,200)
This unit was surprisingly held off the scoresheet in a win against the Leafs that featured 11 goals, but they should be a solid play against one of the league's worst home teams. They're the Blues' "third line" by name only, but can be quite explosive on offense. The Blues boast five players who have posted double-digit goal totals, including all the members of this trio.
DEFENSEMEN
Aaron Ekblad, FLA at VAN ($7,100): The Panthers should trounce the Canucks, so pile on with Ekblad as he's enjoying a Norris-caliber season with 35 points. Their job should be relatively easier against the shorthanded Canucks, and they should dominate much of the puck possession. Their previous meeting was a 5-2 win for the Panthers where Ekblad provided three points.
Torey Krug, STL at SEA ($5,300): Krug gets overlooked, but he does a little bit of everything for the Blues. He's averaging over 20 minutes per outing and recently had a six-game point streak snapped, but went right back with an assist, three shots and three blocks in his next appearance.
Dysin Mayo, ARI at NYI ($4,100): The puck's bouncing in for Mayo, who has now managed a point in consecutive games after scoring against the Devils. He's skating on the top pair with Shayne Gostisbehere, who's been Arizona's top D-man this season. The Isles are very stingy, but Mayo may be a good value play on a team currently playing arguably at its best.
