This article is part of our FantasyDraft NHL series.
The last weekend of March begins Friday with six NHL games on the slate. Here are some recommendations for your daily fantasy lineup.
GOALIE
Colorado Avalanche, COL vs. CHI ($16,400): The Blackhawks, who are on the second night of a back-to-back, are 14-19-5 on the road. Meanwhile, the Avalanche are 26-11-2 at home. Colorado also has an impressive 2.46 GAA at home. Now, Semyon Varlamov did miss the Avalanche's game Wednesday with an illness but presuming he's good to go this matchup looks nice.
CENTER
Nicklas Backstrom, WAS vs. CAR ($13,200): Backstrom has a whopping eight assists in his last three games, giving him 46 helpers on the season. The Hurricanes have a 3.21 GAA and a woeful .887 save percentage since the All-Star break. Carolina also has the 25th-ranked penalty kill, and Backstrom has 24 power-play points.
Nazem Kadri, TOR at NYI ($12,200): Kadri has tallied seven points in his last nine games, six of which have been goals. That gives him 30 goals on the season for the second year in a row. The Islanders have a 3.58 GAA, which is highest in the NHL. At home, that number jumps up to 3.74.
WING
Mikko Rantanen, COL vs. CHI ($13,200): Sure, Rantanen is scoreless in his last three games, but in the eight previous outings he tallied a whopping 16 points. He also has 31 power-play points in 76 games this season. Not only are the Blackhawks on the second night of a back-to-back, but they have a 3.45 GAA in road games. That's second highest in the NHL.
J.T. Miller, TAM at NYR ($13,000): Miller has been looking good since moving from the Rangers to the Lightning. In 14 games with Tampa, he's notched 14 points. Speaking of the Rangers, they have a 3.16 GAA and have allowed 35.1 shots on net per game. However, since the All-Star break, those numbers are 3.56 and 37.3 respectively.
Jesper Fast, NYR vs. TAM ($9,100): Fast, who is currently skating on the top line for the Rangers, has 10 points in his last 10 contests. He will try and stay hot against a Lightning team on the road for the second night of a back-to-back. Tampa has struggled since the All-Star break, posting a 3.41 GAA in that time. Since Andrei Vasilevskiy started Thursday, Peter Budaj (3.77 GAA, .876 save percentage) is expected in net.
DEFENSEMEN
Tyson Barrie, COL vs. CHI ($11,700): Barrie has averaged 3:46 per game on the power play and notched 26 points with the extra man in 63 games. The Blackhawks, for their part, have the 26th-ranked penalty kill since the All-Star break. Chicago also has a 3.61 GAA in that time, and it is on the road for the second night of a back-to-back as well.
Jake Gardiner, TOR at NYI ($10,200): Gardiner has six points in his last eight games, giving him 46 points total. He's also averaged 2:03 per game with the extra man and tallied 12 power-play points. The Islanders as previously noted, have a league-high 3.58 GAA. On top of that, though, they have the 30th-ranked penalty kill.
