This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
Special teams production figures to play a major role in Friday's five-game slate, with six top-10 power-play units in action along with five of the 10 most effective penalty kills. Scoring with the extra man carries a disproportionate amount of value for both season-long and daily fantasy players, so pin-pointing the right buttons to push is even more important than usual. This preview should help clear up some of those questions while shining a light on which stars are primed to perform and which ones have the odds stacked against them.
Featured Matchups
Blackhawks (PP:15, PK:27) at Red Wings (PP:30, PK:13), 7:30 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Corey Crawford (26-13-3, 2.55, .918), Petr Mrazek (15-18-7, 2.99, .901)
Key Injuries:Scott Darling (hand), Johan Franzen (concussion)
If there was ever a time for Detroit's league-worst power play to connect, this matchup with a Blackhawks team that has killed off just 77.2 percent of opposing opportunities would be it. With Thomas Vanek now in Florida, Frans Nielsen (11) and Henrik Zetterberg (10) are the only Red Wings with double-digit power-play points left. Nielsen's minus-17 rating makes him a risky play against this superior opponent, but the reward is there for those in search of a streamer or cheap daily play. Crawford will likely be starting this second leg of a back-to-back with Darling out for at least another two weeks, while 31-year-old Jeff Glass would make his NHL debut should Chicago opt to give Crawford the night off.
Wild (PP:6, PK:7) at Panthers (PP:24, PK:1), 7:30 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Darcy Kuemper (7-3-3, 3.22, .905), James Reimer (12-10-5, 2.52, .919)
Key Injuries:Roberto Luongo (lower body), Mathew Dumba (illness)
Devan Dubnyk got the nod Thursday in Tampa Bay, so a Panthers offense that has mustered 2.79 goals per contest in 14 games since Jonathan Huberdeau made his season debut gets to avoid a date with the Vezina candidate. Aleksander Barkov has gone without a goal on 13 shots over his past five games after potting seven in his previous eight, but has a terrific opportunity to end that drought against a goalie that allowed at least four goals in two of his three February appearances. While Mikael Granlund (six goals, 12 assists), Mikko Koivu (two goals, 12 assists) and Nino Niederreiter (eight goals, six assists) have all found tremendous success on the power play, Florida's top-ranked penalty kill is likely to slow them down in that regard after denying 86.4 percent of chances to date.
Ducks (PP:16, PK:6) at Blues (PP:5, PK:8), 8:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Jhonas Enroth (0-3-1, 3.94, .872), Jake Allen (24-18-3, 2.57, .908)
Key Injuries:John Gibson (lower body), Nick Ritchie (neck), Clayton Stoner (abdomen), Antoine Vermette (suspension), Robby Fabbri (knee)
With Jonathan Bernier making his seventh consecutive start in place of the injured Gibson on Thursday, Enroth is expected to make his Ducks debut here. His numbers from six appearances with the Maple Leafs aren't pretty, but the 28-year-old Swede did post career-bests with a 2.17 GAA and .922 save percentage in 16 outings with the Kings last season. The Blues have started to adjust to Kevin Shattenkirk's departure with consecutive wins after dropping three straight following his move to Washington, and have a golden opportunity to keep the good times rolling against this vulnerable netminder. Star St. Louis winger Vladimir Tarasenko scored his 29th goal Tuesday after going a season-worst five games without a point, and could be well worth his high daily price as he chases a third consecutive 30-goal campaign.
Other Matchups
Sabres (PP:1, PK:29) at Blue Jackets (PP:8, PK:10), 7:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Robin Lehner (18-19-8, 2.67, .920), Sergei Bobrovsky (35-13-4, 2.05, .931)
Key Injuries:Dmitry Kulikov (upper body), Kyle Okposo (ribs), Ryan Murray (lower body)
Bobrovsky comes into this one riding a three-game shutout streak. Buffalo boasts the league's top power-play unit, but the Sabres' weak penalty kill is susceptible to exploitation by a Blue Jackets team that has excelled in every facet of the game.
Penguins (PP:2, PK:18) at Oilers (PP:9, PK:23), 9:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Matt Murray (25-8-3, 2.39, .923), Cam Talbot (33-19-7, 2.40, .919)
Key Injuries:Andrew Ference (hip), Trevor Daley (knee), Patric Hornqvist (concussion), Kris Letang (upper body), Olli Maatta (hand), Bryan Rust (arm)
Even in its injury-ravaged state, Pittsburgh's top-ranked offense figures to trouble Talbot. Connor McDavid holds a four-point advantage over both Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin for the league lead, but will have his work cut out for him against the goalie with the league's seventh-best save percentage in Murray.
Recommended Pickup
John-Gabriel Pageau, C, OTT - Pageau has taken advantage of Kyle Turris' (finger) absence, with goals in each of his past three games. While he has been stuck in a bottom-six role behind Turris and Derick Brassard for most of this campaign, the 24-year-old pivot has the skill to dangle with the big boys. Pageau scored 19 goals last season, and much of his reduction in production has to do with a decline in shooting percentage to 6.6 percent after he converted at 12.6 percent over his first two full NHL campaigns. He'll likely get bumped off the second line once Turris makes his return, but Pageau is a good stop-gap for those looking for short-term center help.
