This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
This Friday is tied for the busiest of the season so far, with 12 teams taking the ice. The night's most anticipated matchup features the Capitals and Blackhawks, who have both been playing elite hockey of late. Most fans will be focusing on that game, but a lot of sneaky value can be found in other matchups around the league, as long as you know where to look. Below, you'll find the day's top short and long-term recommendations, as well as some words of caution regarding situations to avoid:
Featured Matchups
Kings (PP:[28], PK:[24]) at Senators (PP:[25], PK:[11]), 7:30 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Jeff Zatkoff (0-3-0, 4.38, .839), Craig Anderson (6-3-0, 2.31, .927)
Key Injuries:Marian Gaborik (foot), Tom Gilbert (suspension), Jonathan Quick (groin), Andrew Hammond (lower body), Chris Neil (upper body), Chris Wideman (upper body)
Zatkoff has been out since Oct. 18 with a groin injury, and saw veteran Peter Budaj play well enough in that time to maintain the starting job while Quick's out for the next 2-3 months. A strong start here would go a long way toward getting Zatkoff back in the mix for a potential timeshare, but the likeliest scenario involves the slumping Ottawa offense breaking out against a goaltender that had been awful prior to going down. The Senators have been held to two or fewer goals in seven consecutive games, and have just two players with at least nine points this season. One is star blueliner Erik Karlsson, and the other is surprising third-liner Ryan Dzingel, who has ridden a team-high 29.4 percent shooting percentage to five goals already.
Capitals (PP:[24], PK:[15]) at Blackhawks (PP:[15], PK:[30]), 8:30 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Braden Holtby (6-3-1, 2.19, .920), Corey Crawford (7-3-1, 1.91, .939)
Key Injuries:Artem Anisimov (upper body), Tyler Motte (lower body), Trevor van Riemsdyk (upper body)
Washington's power play is off to a slow start after finishing in the top five every season since 2012-13, but a date with Chicago's league-worst penalty kill could be exactly what Alex Ovechkin and company need to get going. Ovechkin is currently tied for the team lead in power-play goals with Marcus Johansson at two apiece, while T.J. Oshie has Washington's only other man-advantage tally. Those three have combined for 19 goals overall, while nobody else on the team has more than two. The buy-low window on defenseman John Carlson is closing, as he has four points in the past four games after picking up just one in his first eight. Chicago has used a much more balanced scoring approach, with veteran Marian Hossa and youngster Richard Panik joining all three members of the Patrick Kane-Artem Anisimov-Artemi Panarin line with at least five goals apiece. Holtby just had a four-game winning streak snapped while Crawford is currently in the midst of a six-game unbeaten run, making this the premier showdown of the night.
Stars (PP:[19], PK:[27]) at Oilers (PP:[10], PK:[4]), 9:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Kari Lehtonen (1-4-2, 3.28, .878), Cam Talbot (8-4-1, 2.49, .921)
Key Injuries:Cody Eakin (knee), Ales Hemsky (hip), Jiri Hudler (illness), Mattias Janmark (knee), Patrick Sharp (concussion), Jason Spezza (lower body), Mark Fayne (undisclosed), Andrew Ference (hip), Iiro Pakarinen (leg), Kris Russell (undisclosed)
Edmonton should be able to feast on the injury-riddled Stars' poor defense and goaltending, but Dallas still has the offensive firepower to turn this one into a high-scoring affair all around. The Stars have some unusual players in top-six roles, including Patrick Eaves skating on the first line with Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn. It's hard not to at least luck into points alongside those two stars, making him a strong play as long as he stays there. Their second line of Antoine Roussel, Radek Faksa and Brett Ritchie has just 12 combined points, but all three will be given more ice time and offensive opportunities than usual. The Oilers continue to roll three scoring lines, giving them plenty of secondary scoring behind superstar Connor McDavid. Patrick Maroon has been thriving alongside McDavid and Jordan Eberle, and is tied for the team lead with five goals.
Other Matchups
Devils (PP:[18], PK:[17]) at Sabres (PP:[11], PK:[18]), 7:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Cory Schneider (5-3-2, 2.27, .928), Robin Lehner (4-4-2, 2.19, .929)
Key Injuries:Zach Bogosian (knee), Jack Eichel (ankle), Tyler Ennis (undisclosed), Ryan O'Reilly (upper body), Jon Merrill (finger)
Scoring should be at a premium in this one given that both teams sport a goaltender in the top 10 in save percentage.
Jets (PP:[21], PK:[19]) at Avalanche (PP:[13], PK:[20]), 9:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Michael Hutchinson (2-3-1, 3.19, .896), Calvin Pickard (3-1-0, 2.08, .923)
Key Injuries:Blake Comeau (groin), Bryan Little (lower body), Shawn Matthias (lower body), Drew Stafford (upper body), Mark Stuart (upper body)
Winnipeg's top-heavy scoring system has been effective, with Mark Scheifele and Patrick Laine ranking right among the league leaders. They don't make for strong daily plays against Pickard, though, and neither do fellow high-scoring Jets Nikolaj Ehlers, Blake Wheeler and Dustin Byfuglien. The young Avalanche netminder is starting to put serious pressure on Semyon Varlamov for the starting gig, and could take over soon unless the veteran Russian turns things around.
Flyers (PP:[2], PK:[21]) at Maple Leafs (PP:[6], PK:[8]), 7:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Michal Neuvirth (4-2-0, 3.56, .859), Frederik Andersen (5-3-3, 3.41, .897)
Key Injuries:Andrew MacDonald (lower body), Matt Hunwick (lower body), Joffrey Lupul (abdomen)
Philadelphia will look to continue its power-play dominance against a Maple Leafs team that has been strong on special teams all season. Both goaltenders have been trending up of late after slow starts, so offense may not be as easy to come by as their poor numbers indicate.
Recommended Pickup
Patrick Eaves, RW, DAL - As was mentioned in Dallas' game analysis, Eaves has been playing in a first-line role due to injuries. That makes him well worth a short-term add, especially since the veteran has already produced three goals and five assists in 12 games this season. His long-term outlook isn't as bright, but Eaves should still be serviceable as long as he maintains a top-six role. The boost of adding a player skating alongside Seguin and Benn is worth it in almost every format, and you can take a wait-and-see approach on whether to drop him should he move down the lineup.
