This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
The NHL heads into the weekend with five games Friday night. Here are a handful of recommendations to consider while assembling your DraftKings lineups.
GOALIE
James Reimer, FLA vs. ANA ($7,100): Florida is stretching the most out of an injury-depleted roster, having won three consecutive home games. Meanwhile, Anaheim hasn't played a game in the Eastern time zone since Dec. 22 and is starting off a six-game road trip Friday, so this has the potential to be a tough schedule spot for the Ducks. Reimer has been inconsistent of late, but his .934 save percentage and 2.20 GAA through his past nine games has been fueled by five outings with two or fewer goals allowed. He checks out as a contrarian flier with sneaky upside.
CENTER
John Tavares, NYI at DET ($7,200): Currently clicking offensively (eight goals, 14 points and 39 shots through his past nine games), Tavares has a chance to fly under the radar with Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby also in the player pool. Detroit has allowed the most goals per game (2.96) of all teams in action Friday and owns an underwhelming team save percentage of .894 over the past 15 games. This sets up as a ripe matchup for Tavares to stay hot.
Jordan Staal, CAR vs. EDM ($4,500): While he can be a volatile fantasy asset, Staal has five goals and 18 points through his past 20 home games. He also receives power-play looks and draws a favorable matchup Friday. The Oilers enter on the wrong end of back-to-back road games after getting shut out Thursday and have allowed the fourth-most high-danger scoring chances per 60 minutes (11.8). Additionally, No. 1 Cam Talbot will likely hand the crease over to Laurent Brossoit (just seven career starts) on Friday.
WING
Taylor Hall, NJD vs. CGY ($6,100): The Flames have won just one of their past six road games (18 goals allowed), and Hall is reasonably priced as New Jersey's top scorer. He's also eyeing positive regression in the goals column; Hall has just three tallies on 60 shots (5.0 shooting percentage) over his past 23 games.
Leon Draisaitl, EDM at CAR ($6,000): The 21-year-old forward has hit the scoresheet in eight of his past 10 games for five goals and 12 points. He's also thrived on the power play this season with nine tallies and nine assists, and Draisaitl has combined with Connor McDavid for 3.16 goals per 60 minutes at five-on-five. Carolina has allowed 24 goals through its past six games, too, so there's no need to fear the matchup.
Elias Lindholm, CAR vs. EDM ($4,100): As noted, Edmonton sets up as a nice opportunity for Carolina's skaters, and Lindholm has found his offensive form of late. Over his past 12 games, the 22-year-old forward has three goals, 13 points and 34 shots. Additionally, Lindholm has shown exceptional five-on-five chemistry with Jordan Staal (3.81 goals per 60 minutes) this season; the duo checks out as a nice value stack.
DEFENSE
Nick Leddy, NYI at DET ($4,800): This is a soft price for Leddy. He sports an 11th-ranked 1.5 points per 60 minutes among all defensemen with at least 1,000 minutes this season. The rearguard has also been in the midst of a terrific stretch – he has three goals, 11 points and 21 shots while averaging 23:18 of ice time (3:07 on the power play) over his past 10 games.
Keith Yandle, FLA vs. ANA ($4,500): Now that he's beginning to show better offensive form with 10 points and 33 shots over his past 16 games, Yandle checks out as a modestly priced, yet potentially highly rewarding target Friday. After all, even with his unimpressive numbers this season, Yandle still ranks seventh among all defensemen with at least 6,000 minutes in points per 60 minutes (1.59) over the past four years.
