This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Thanks to Daylight Saving Time we will be springing forward at the end of Saturday. Before that, though, there are four NHL games in the evening that are included on the daily fantasy hockey slate. Some of the players look quite intriguing to me. Here are a handful of them.
GOALIE
Roberto Luongo, FLA vs. NYR ($8,500): Luongo's return has been a huge blessing for the Panthers, as the veteran netminder has a 7-1-1 record, 2.31 GAA, and .934 save percentage in nine games since rejoining the lineup. The Rangers are, shall we say, heading in the opposite direction. Since the All-Star break they rank 30th in goals per game (2.17) and dead last in GAA (3.67). You've got to love the chances of Luongo picking up another win.
CENTER
Mikko Koivu, MIN at EDM ($5,000): Prior to Friday, Koivu has a five-game point streak wherein he's tallied seven points total. The Oilers have a 3.50 GAA since the All-Star break, which is only "bested" by the Rangers. Edmonton also has the league's worst penalty kill. Koivu, for his part, has 14 power-play points in 67 games.
Ryan Strome, EDM vs. MIN ($3,700): Strome has never quite lived up to being the fifth-overall pick in 2011, but he's been playing like a high draft selection recently. In his last 10 games he's tallied five goals and four assists. The Wild are going to be on the road for their second game in as many nights. They had a league-high 3.59 road GAA heading into Friday's game, and having to play on a back-to-back isn't going to help their road struggles.
WING
Mikael Granlund, MIN at EDM ($6,700): Granlund has a four-game point streak and has tallied 13 points over his last nine contests. More importantly, given this matchup, he's notched 18 points with the extra man. As previously noted the Oilers have the worst penalty kill in the NHL, so any power-play time could lead to fantasy success.
Viktor Arvidsson, NAS vs. NJD ($6,600): Arvidsson is building off his breakout 2016-17 with 25 goals on 206 shots through 65 games. He also has six multi-point games in his last 10 contests. The Devils have allowed 34.6 shots on net per game on the road, and Cory Schneider has struggled since returning from injury. Through three games he has a 3.11 GAA and an .887 save percentage.
Milan Lucic, EDM vs. MIN ($4,900): There's no getting around the fact the Oilers have basically two above-average forwards (Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl) and then they fall off a cliff, especially on the wing. The one thing Lucic has going for him is that he skates on a line with the aforementioned McDavid and Draisaitl. Well, he has one other thing going his way: Minnesota has the league's worst road GAA and it is on the road for the second night of a back-to-back. At this price, it's worth taking a shot on the one-time promising forward.
DEFENSE
Aaron Ekblad, FLA vs. NYR ($5,200): Ekblad has tallied five points in his last six games. Overall, he's notched 13 goals on 163 shots in 65 contests. As noted earlier, the Rangers have a league-high 3.67 GAA since the All-Star break. On top of that, New York has given up 37.7 shots on net per game.
Darnell Nurse, EDM vs. MIN ($4,600): Nurse hasn't been scoring a lot recently, but he does have 17 shots on goal in his last four games. If he can keep that up against a Wild team that is woeful on the road, and on the second night of a back-to-back, it could lead to a point or two for the defenseman. If you are looking for a little more fantasy value on top of that, Nurse has blocked 124 shots.
