This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
Goals won't be easy to come by in Friday's six-game slate, as only two of the league's top nine offenses are in action along with six bottom-nine units. Still, there are promising individuals to be found on every team from both season-long and daily fantasy standpoints. Recent trends and team role are both strong indicators of future success, and those two factors along with others are used in this preview of Friday's fantasy implications.
Featured Matchups
Red Wings (PP:30, PK:17) at Sabres (PP:8, PK:30), 7:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Jared Coreau (5-1-1, 3.04, .901), Robin Lehner (10-12-5, 2.54, .920)
Key Injuries:Josh Gorges (hip), Dmitry Kulikov (back), Johan Franzen (concussion), Darren Helm (shoulder), Jimmy Howard (knee), Niklas Kronwall (groin)
Something's bound to give in this clash of the league's worst power-play unit and worst penalty kill. Coreau will be hard-pressed to keep up his winning ways given the surprising amount of support he has received from the 23rd-ranked Red Wings offense, while Lehner is still sitting on just 10 wins despite ranking a respectable 13th in save percentage. Detroit's Gustav Nyquist comes in hot with three goals and three assists in his past four games, and Buffalo's Evander Kane has been a one-man wrecking crew with three goals and 22 shots in his past five. Both make for strong plays against beatable opponents.
Canadiens (PP:9, PK:23) at Devils (PP:26, PK:11), 7:30 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Carey Price (21-9-4, 2.35, .920), Cory Schneider (14-14-7, 2.69, .910)
Key Injuries:David Desharnais (knee), Brendan Gallagher (hand), Andrei Markov (lower body), Yohann Auvitu (lower body), Andy Greene (upper body), John Moore (concussion)
These two goaltenders have been trending in opposite directions of late. While Price has just three wins and 35 goals allowed in his past 10 appearances, Schneider has regained his strong form of old with four wins and only 14 goals allowed in his past eight. Nobody on the Devils has even cracked 30 points yet, but blueliner Damon Severson could be a cheap source of offense against the struggling Price given that he's tied with Travis Zajac for the team lead with 19 assists. If you're not afraid of Schneider, Paul Byron and Arturri Lehkonen are both affordable options skating in offensive-minded top-six roles.
Panthers (PP:25, PK:7) at Canucks (PP:29, PK:22), 10:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Roberto Luongo (13-12-5, 2.45, .920), Ryan Miller (13-10-3, 2.54, .917)
Key Injuries:Aleksander Barkov (undisclosed), Nick Bjugstad (lower body), Jonathan Huberdeau (achilles), Alex Petrovic (ankle), Jannik Hansen (knee), Jayson Megna (illness)
Luongo will be motivated to perform well against his former team, and doing so shouldn't be difficult considering the Canucks rank 25th with just 2.35 goals scored per game. Florida's injury issues have granted some players increased opportunities, as evidenced by Jared McCann's position on the first line and Reilly Smith's role on the top power-play unit. Vincent Trocheck also won't lack for chances against the subpar Canucks defense considering his 21:37 of ice time per game ranks third among NHL forwards behind only Patrick Kane and Ryan Kesler.
Other Matchups
Blackhawks (PP:15, PK:28) at Bruins (PP:17, PK:2), 7:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Corey Crawford (17-10-3, 2.54, .919), Tuukka Rask (22-10-4, 2.11, .919)
Key Injuries:Matt Beleskey (knee)
This battle of All-Star netminders is likely to be a low-scoring affair, though Chicago's inability to kill penalties does open the door for Bruins power-play points leaders Torey Krug (13) and Brad Marchand (12).
Penguins (PP:3, PK:25) at Hurricanes (PP:21, PK:1), 7:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Matt Murray (15-4-1, 2.46, .917), Cam Ward (18-13-6, 2.42, .912)
Key Injuries:Bryan Bickell (illness), Eddie Lack (concussion), Matt Cullen (foot), Kris Letang (lower body)
Ward will be making his 21st consecutive start as he anchors Carolina's top-ranked penalty kill against a third-ranked Penguins power play that will be missing Letang for weeks to come following last Saturday's knee injury.
Predators (PP:[power-play rank], PK:[penalty-kill rank]) at Oilers (PP:[power-play rank], PK:[penalty-kill rank]), 9:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Pekka Rinne (16-12-6, 2.36, .921), Cam Talbot (24-12-6, 2.42, .918)
Key Injuries:Andrew Ference (hip), Darnell Nurse (ankle), Iiro Pakarinen (leg), Roman Josi (undisclosed), P.K. Subban (upper body), Colin Wilson (undisclosed)
Rinne will likely be in net for the second game of a back-to-back with Juuse Saros having gotten the nod Thursday in Calgary. Considering Rinne has allowed just 10 goals in his past six starts, it's best to holster Edmonton's expensive weapons in daily formats.
Recommended Pickup
Ryan Ellis, D, NSH - Ellis has filled the void left by Subban's and Josi's injuries wonderfully, skating north of 24 minutes eight times in the past 10 games while flashing more offensive upside with two goals on 11 shots in three games since Josi went down. While Subban's impending return will scare some potential suitors off, Ellis' heavy usage and offensive capabilities still warrant a pickup if he's available in your league. He's well on his way to double-digit goals with seven already, and has excellent potential in the plus-minus category given his high ice time for a team that has been getting terrific play in net of late.
