This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
Kick off your weekend with six NHL games and a little daily fantasy action. There are three teams playing road games on the second night of a back-to-back, which could certainly impact your fantasy decisions. We're here to help make those decisions easier with some value picks for Friday night's FanDuel hockey action.
GOALIE
Braden Holtby, WAS at BUF ($9,600): Last year's Vezina winner is the most expensive goalie on Friday's slate, but sometimes it's worth paying up. The Sabres are dead last in the league in goals per game, averaging a paltry 2.08. Even though they've gotten a boost with the return of Jack Eichel, they still won't be too big a worry for Holtby, who has a 2.18 GAA and a .923 save percentage. The Caps haven't been winning at their usual rate thanks to some offensive inconsistency, but their plus-7 goal differential compared to Buffalo's minus-13 bodes well for their chances of getting a win.
CENTER
Alexander Wennberg, CLM at DET ($5,700): The Blue Jackets are third in goals per game and first on the power play, and Wennberg has been a big reason for both of those. He's mid-breakout with 22 points in 24 games, and fully half of those have come with the extra man. The Wings are 17th in goals allowed per game, but remember that Jimmy Howard, who is close to returning but has no definitive timeline, has a 1.82 GAA and .940 save percentage. Petr Mrazek, on the other hand, has been inconsistent, resulting in a 2.84 GAA and a .908 save percentage. Detroit has been a very different team with Mrazek in net this season.
Travis Zajac, NJD vs. STL ($5,100): The Blues are one of those teams on the latter end of back-to-backs Friday. That could mean Carter Hutton, who has an .888 save percentage, in net. Zajac has 11 points in his last eight games, and the veteran center is on pace for his highest shot total since 2009-10. He also comes at a reasonable price, especially if Hutton does end up playing.
WING
Artemi Panarin, CHI vs. NYR ($7,200): The Rangers will play in Chicago on Friday after playing in Winnipeg on Thursday. They've saved Henrik Lundqvist for their matchup with the Blackhawks, but King Henrik has a decidedly un-kingly .902 save percentage in his last eight games. Panarin is playing even more minutes – and more on the power play – than he did in his rookie season. He also has 10 goals in 28 games despite his shooting percentage being lower than it was last year, when he scored 30.
Jaden Schwartz, STL at NJD ($6,200): Schwartz has been quite the busy bee recently, as he's put 25 shots on net in his last six games and has been rewarded with a pair of two-goal games in that span. The Devils will have backup Keith Kinkaid in net for this tilt; while he has a .928 save percentage in six games this season, his career mark of .912 is much less formidable. New Jersey also just gave up five goals to Montreal on Thursday, and that was with Cory Schneider in goal. With Schwartz averaging the highest ice time of his career (19:39), he'll have plenty of chances to put the puck in the net against Kinkaid.
Nino Niederreiter, MIN vs. EDM ($4,300): The Oilers are another team playing on back-to-back nights, as they faced off with Philly on Thursday. Cam Talbot is getting the start, but after a red-hot opening run, his numbers have fallen off to mediocrity (2.61 GAA, .914 save percentage). Meanwhile, Niederreiter – who's hit the 20-goal mark in his last two seasons – has five points in his last five games. DraftKings has a stat called "Opponent Rank vs. Position," and by that measure, the Oilers are the best matchup possible for Niederreiter. Combine that with his price, and Niederreiter looks like a great value.
DEFENSEMEN
Ryan McDonagh, NYR at CHI ($5,300): The Blackhawks still have the league's worst penalty-kill percentage, and McDonagh just picked up his fifth power-play point Thursday. He's playing well over three minutes per night with the extra man – the most he's played since 2012-13, when he had 13 power-play points. McDonagh has been unlucky to have only netted one goal, as his shooting percentage is the worst of his career; he's put 47 shots on goal while blocking 50 shots, which gives him a nice fantasy floor.
Seth Jones, CLM at DET ($5,000): Injuries have limited Jones to 18 games, but he's come up big when healthy, and he's healthy now. He's averaging 23:40 per night, and he's taken 33 shots on goal while blocking 35. Jones is on pace for a career high in shots, which makes sense, considering that he's 22 and the Jackets trust him more than the Predators ever did. The Wings are all banged up, so they make a soft target for Jones and his mates.
