SLATE PREVIEW
There are four games in the NHL on Friday. Ottawa visits Vegas, a tired New Jersey team hosts the Islanders, Nashville travels to Chicago and Pittsburgh plays in Edmonton. Below, you'll find suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
GOALIES
Juuse Saros, NAS at CHI ($8,000): Saros finally picked up his first win of the season Tuesday as he stopped all 33 Boston shots in a 4-0 victory. He's a top-five goalie, even if his current stats don't show it. The Blackhawks aren't great on offense with only 18 goals so far, and that's reason enough to select Saros.
Adin Hill, VGK vs. OTT ($7,900): Hill is off to a mediocre start going 2-2-0 with a 3.81 GAA and .851 save percentage. He hasn't played the last two games after giving up four goals on Oct. 17. Hill went 19-12-2 with a 2.71/.909 line last season, and I look for a performance close to those stats when he faces the Sens on Friday.
VALUE PLAYS
Dawson Mercer, NJ vs. NYI ($4,400): Mercer has posted two goals and an assist in 10 games, which is surprisingly well ahead of last year when he was held scoreless over the opening 10 outings. Mercer skates on the second line with Nico Hischier and Timo Meier while seeing second-line power-play duty. He's a solid addition to fill out your fantasy lineup.
Thomas Novak, NSH at CHI ($4,600): Novak has potted three goals centering the third unit and second man-advantage. He registered 43 points in 51 games during 2022-23, and followed that up with 45 across 71 last season.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Oilers vs. Penguins
Connor McDavid (C - $9,200), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (C - $6,800), Zach Hyman (W - $7,000)
The Oilers' top line has been stuck in neutral for most of the early going - especially Hyman, who hasn't yet found the scoresheet. McDavid is off to a slow start - at least for him - with eight points in seven games while Nugent-Hopkins has assists in each of his last two to give him three overall. It may seem like taking this trio isn't a great idea due to their high combined salaries, except for the fact McDavid is the best player in the league and Hyman combined for 70 goals over the last regular season and playoffs. Pittsburgh comes in ranked 31st in GAA, so maybe Friday is the night this line finally breaks out together.
Predators at Blackhawks
Filip Forsberg (W - $8,600), Ryan O'Reilly (C - $6,700), Gustav Nyquist (W - $5,300)
The Predators are getting great performances from their lead unit. While Nyquist has struggled a bit by only picking up a goal and an assist, Forsberg and O'Reilly have combined for four goals and eight helpers. Forsberg and O'Reilly also line up on the top power play while Nyquist is currently on the second group.
DEFENSEMEN
Evan Bouchard, EDM vs. PIT ($7,000): Bouchard, like most of his Oiler teammates, hasn't produced many points so far with a goal and assist after a huge previous campaign where he went off for 82 points. Bouchard may be able to record some offense against the Pens as he provided two assists in two games against them last season.
Roman Josi, NSH at CHI ($7,900): Josi has been a top-three offensive defenseman the last three seasons with a combined 240 points. He's posted five assists to start, including three while up a man. Josi can also provide sufficient stats in other categories, so he's generally a safe DFS bet.
