This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
There are six games in the NHL on Friday, and daily players have oodles of high-end talents available throughout the player pool. However, the center position isn't as plentiful as usual and there are a handful of daunting matchups, so we've got to spend our money carefully. That said, here are a handful of options across multiple price ranges to consider while assembling your DraftKings lineups.
GOALIE
Braden Holtby, WAS at BUF ($7,900): The math here is simple: The Sabres own the fewest goals in the league (54), and they've been particularly poor in front of their home fans, scoring just 23 times in 13 games. Even with Jack Eichel back, they don't present a major challenge for Holtby, who just made 31 saves to beat them in overtime Monday. The victories may not be flowing in quite as rapidly as they did last year, but Holtby's ratios are actually marginally better than the ones he posted in his 2015-16 Vezina-winning campaign.
CENTER
Connor McDavid, EDM at MIN ($8,300): Hope McDavid's ownership is down with Edmonton playing its second road game in consecutive nights and the Wild being a tough matchup. After all, Minnesota is allowing a league-low 2.04 goals per game. Still, McDavid stands well above the remainder of the center options, and his 3.66 points per 60 minutes pace the league among skaters with at least 500 minutes. He's matchup-proof.
Drake Caggiula, EDM at MIN ($3,100): Center-center stacks are rare, and they're a solid path to differentiating your lineups. Caggiula counts as a pivot for DraftKings purposes, but he was locked to McDavid's flank Thursday, and the rookie has a goal and three assists over his past four games. Using Caggiula helps mitigate McDavid's hefty salary, too.
WING
Brandon Saad, CLM at DET ($6,200): Among skaters with 400 minutes, Saad's 3.0 points per 60 minutes rank 12th in the league. He's also received elevated minutes of late, averaging 19:39 (2:29 on the power play) over his past three games; Saad has responded by registering four points and 14 shots on net during the span. This is a cushy salary -- and a solid matchup against the banged-up Wings -- for a high-floor, high-ceiling asset.
Robby Fabbri, STL at NJD ($4,600): Not only is Fabbri coming off Thursday's two-point showing, he spent nearly the entire game with Vladimir Tarasenko. That duo has only clicked for 2.64 goals per 60 minutes at five-on-five, but the skills mesh. They've also joined with third wheel Jori Lehtera to average 9.75 scoring chances per 60 minutes at five-on-five.
Jason Zucker, MIN vs. EDM ($4,400): Locked into a top-six role of late and chipping in plenty of offense (two goals, seven points, 14 shots and a plus-6 rating over seven games), Zucker presents value Friday. He owns a sixth-ranked 2.79 points per 60 minutes at five-on-five among skaters with at least 300 minutes this year, and the Oilers are allowing the third-most high-danger scoring chances per 60 minutes in the league (11.64).
DEFENSE
Duncan Keith, CHI vs. NYR ($5,400): Between his high shot volume (2.2 shots per game) and big minutes (26:08 with 3:44 of power-play time per game), Keith brings a high floor upon which he's capable of building plentiful offense. He's been pretty reliable in that regard, too. Keith has a 12th-ranked 1.55 points per 60 minutes among defensemen with at least 4,000 minutes over the past four years, and the Rangers aren't a tough matchup, either. New York has allowed the eight-most high-danger scoring chances per 60 minutes (10.72), after all.
Dmitry Orlov, WAS at BUF ($4,100): With Matt Niskanen (upper body) out, look for Orlov to see an uptick in playing time Friday. The 25-year-old Russian has a solid 1.24 points per 60 minutes over the past two seasons, which rank 33rd among all defenseman with at least 1,500 minutes. He also provides a decent fantasy floor with 40 shots and 29 blocked shots through 25 games this year.
