This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
While Friday the 13th is traditionally associated with bad luck, there's no better way to overcome that superstition than with fantasy hockey success. You won't get any advice on how to avoid stepping on cracks or under ladders, but Friday's fantasy guidance for both season-long and daily formats can be found here. Special teams battles and contrasts in net are common themes in the three featured matchups, which are made up exclusively of Eastern Conference teams. Read on to find out what makes these factors important and much more about all seven of the night's games:
Featured Matchups
Maple Leafs (PP:6, PK:8) at Rangers (PP:4, PK:9), 7:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Frederik Andersen (17-9-7, 2.69, .918), Henrik Lundqvist (18-9-1, 2.55, .912)
Key Injuries:Nick Holden (personal), Rick Nash (groin), Marc Staal (upper body), Mika Zibanejad (leg), Joffrey Lupul (abdomen)
Only three NHL teams rank in the top 10 in both power play and penalty kill percentage, and two of them will be facing off here. The Rangers are fresh after playing just one game since Jan. 4, and will look to capitalize against the slumping Andersen, who has allowed 17 goals in his past four appearances. J.T. Miller is a prime candidate to score after piling up three goals and five assists during a five-game point streak, while linemate Michael Grabner has been even hotter with five goals and seven points in his past two appearances.
Sabres (PP:8, PK:30) at Hurricanes (PP:18, PK:1), 7:30 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Linus Ullmark, Cam Ward (16-12-6, 2.31, .915)
Key Injuries:Dmitry Kulikov (back), Robin Lehner (illness), Bryan Bickell (illness), Eddie Lack (concussion)
These teams are on opposite ends of the penalty killing spectrum, with Carolina topping the league at 88.5 percent and Buffalo ranking dead last at 73.9 percent. Ullmark is projected to make his season debut with Lehner still battling the flu and the Sabres unwilling to trust Anders Nilsson on both ends of a back-to-back. The 23-year-old netminder went 8-10-2 with a 2.60 GAA and .913 save percentage in 20 starts last season, but will have a hard time matching Ward in the veteran's 18th consecutive start. While Jeff Skinner and Victor Rask have established themselves as the Hurricanes' two primary weapons, don't overlook their linemate Derek Ryan and his four goals in the past four games.
Blue Jackets (PP:1, PK:15) at Lightning (PP:2, PK:22), 8:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Sergei Bobrovsky (26-6-2, 2.00, .931), Andrei Vasilevskiy (10-9-2, 2.97, .904)
Key Injuries:Ryan Callahan (hip), Steven Stamkos (knee)
The league's top two power play units will be facing off here, but they face radically different challenges in net. While Bobrovsky will likely be back to his dominant form after missing one game due to an illness, Vasilevskiy has been atrocious of late with 20 goals allowed during a four-game losing streak. Blue Jackets in general make for strong plays in this one against a porous Lightning team playing the second game of a back-to-back, with top scorer Cam Atkinson leading the way after piling up 20 goals and 40 points in 40 games to date.
Other Matchups
Blackhawks (PP:13, PK:27) at Capitals (PP:16, PK:3), 7:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Corey Crawford (16-8-3, 2.35, .925), Braden Holtby (20-8-4, 1.90, .932)
Key Injuries:Marcus Kruger (upper body)
Both teams feature prominent offensive stars, but goals should be scarce with Holtby ranking third in save percentage and Crawford tied for 10th.
Islanders (PP:25, PK:21) at Panthers (PP:24, PK:5), 7:30 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Jean-Francois Berube (0-2-1, 3.27, .901), Roberto Luongo (13-10-5, 2.34, .923)
Key Injuries:Aleksander Barkov (undisclosed), Nick Bjugstad (lower body), Jonathan Huberdeau (achilles), Alex Petrovic (ankle), Mikhail Grabovski (concussion), Travis Hamonic (knee)
The injury-riddled Panthers will be looking to take advantage of a third-string goaltender who's yet to notch a win this season.
Devils (PP:29, PK:14) at Flames (PP:12, PK:17), 9:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Keith Kinkaid (4-4-2, 2.74, .917), Brian Elliott (8-10-1, 2.95, .889)
Key Injuries:Ladislav Smid (neck), Yohann Auvitu (lower body), Andy Greene (upper body), Jacob Josefson (illness), John Moore (concussion)
Elliott has finally rounded into form after a disastrous start to his Flames tenure, winning five in a row before falling to the Canucks last Friday. He'll have a great opportunity to start a new winning streak against a 28th-ranked Devils offense that has mustered just 2.19 goals per game.
Jets (PP:19, PK:26) at Coyotes (PP:26, PK:28), 9:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Connor Hellebuyck (16-13-1, 2.73, .910), Mike Smith (7-11-5, 2.83, .918)
Key Injuries:Dave Bolland (back), Max Domi (hand), Martin Hanzal (upper body), Jordan Martinook (upper body), Brad Richardson (leg), Patrik Laine (concussion), Tyler Myers (lower body)
Hellebuyck had won three of his previous four appearances before a disastrous showing Wednesday against the Canadiens, and has an excellent chance to get back in the winner's circle against a Coyotes team that had dropped nine straight before beating the Islanders in a shootout Saturday.
Recommended Pickup
Tanner Pearson, LW, LOS - If Pearson got dropped in your league during his 15-game goal drought, scoop him up before it's too late. He has scored six times in eight contests since that point while firing at least three shots on goal in all but one of those eight games. The 24-year-old winger should be able to sustain that success moving forward given his top-six role and how much defensive attention his linemate Jeff Carter draws. Pearson's already just two goals shy of last season's career-high 15, and he could easily end up doubling that mark now that his confidence has returned.
