This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
It's the final day of November. We're a couple months into the NHL season now. Friday brings us five more games. If you are looking to put together a daily fantasy lineup, consider this group of players that I'm recommending in tonight's slate.
GOALIE
Curtis McElhinney, CAR vs. ANA ($7,500): Last year, the 34-year-old McElhinney stunned by putting up a 2.15 GAA and .934 save percentage, way above his career numbers. Regression was expected. Now, McElhinney is with the Hurricanes and has a…2.12 GAA and .930 save percentage? That seems unsustainable, but the Ducks have only scored 2.22 goals per game, so perhaps the regression won't start here.
CENTER
Nicklas Backstrom, WAS vs. NJD ($7,500): Backstrom has had at least 50 assists in each of his last five seasons, and he already has 22 in 24 games this year. He's been hot recently as well, as he has 15 points in his last 13 contests. The Devils, meanwhile, have a 3.30 GAA as a team, bottom 10 in the NHL.
Carl Soderberg, COL vs. STL ($4,300): The Avalanche's top line gets all the love, and with good cause, but don't ignore Soderberg. He has eight goals and nine assists, and eight of his points have come with the extra man. St. Louis has a 3.35 GAA and .892 save percentage as a team, and neither of its goalies is skewing those numbers. Both Jake Allen and Chad Johnson have struggled.
WING
Matthew Tkachuk, CGY vs. LOS ($6,500): Tkachuk has started 60.2 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, second highest among Flames forwards. He's also averaged 3:15 per game on the power play and notched nine points with the extra man. The Kings have the 28th-ranked penalty kill, and on top of that, they will be on the road for their second game of a back-to-back.
Tom Wilson, WAS vs. NJD ($5,200): Wilson returned from his (well-deserved) suspension, was placed right back on a line with Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom, and starting tearing it up offensively. Through eight games he has six goals and six assists. Now he will look to stay hot against a Devils team with a 3.30 GAA.
Sam Reinhart, BUF at FLA ($5,100): Reinhart, the second-overall pick in 2014, has been overlooked a bit in his career, but last season he had 50 points, including 21 on the power play. This season, he's skating on a line with Jack Eichel and Jeff Skinner, and he's tallied 19 points in 26 games. James Reimer will be in net for the Panthers, and in his last six games he has a 3.83 GAA and .888 save percentage.
DEFENSE
Dougie Hamilton, CAR vs. ANA ($5,400): Hamilton has been putting a ton of shots on net. He's already registered 86 shots on goal through 24 games. The 25-year-old has only eight points, but he's notched at least 42 points in each of his last four seasons. Meanwhile, the Ducks have been quite lenient with allowing shots. They've given up 35.9 pucks on goal per contest.
Samuel Girard, COL vs. STL ($4,300): Girard's minutes are up in his second season, as he's averaged 20:08 per game in ice time. Tyson Barrie has been out with an injury, and if he misses Friday's game, Girard's role will be even larger. The 20-year-old has shown offensive potential, as he has 12 points on the year. This is certainly a favorable matchup for the young defenseman, as the Blues have a 3.35 GAA.
