This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
It's a three-game night in the NHL on Friday, which means your player pool on DraftKings is shallow. The Coyotes are the only team faced with a back-to-back situation, and all three bouts feature Eastern Conference teams facing Western Conference squads. Here are a handful of players to consider utilizing in your lineups for Friday's contests.
GOALIE
Pekka Rinne, NAS at DET ($7,800): Detroit owns a 12.4 shooting percentage (eighth in the NHL) to go with a league-low 23.4 shots per game to start the season. Puck luck has been on the Wings' side early, as they finished last season with a 23rd-ranked 2.55 goals per game. Rinne is coming off a 35-save performance against Dallas, and despite his underwhelming .920 save percentage at five-on-five last year, he's in a favorable spot to post another solid outing in this matchup against Detroit's overachieving offense.
CENTER
Brock Nelson, NYI vs. ARI ($4,300): Arizona has been giving up goals in bunches to start the season (5.0 per night), and the Coyotes enter on the wrong end of back-to-back road games with backup goalie Louis Domingue scheduled to start. Nelson has been one of the lone bright spots for the Islanders to start the campaign. He's coming off his second consecutive year of 20-plus goals and has registered a point in each outing thus far. His top-six role with power-play time makes him a high-floor option from Friday's shallow player pool.
Alexander Wennberg, CLM vs. CHI ($3,500): After finishing last season with a run of 18 points in 22 games, Wennberg has continued to frequent the scoresheet, notching a goal and two assists to start 2016-17. He's a key cog on the No. 1 power-play unit, and both of his helpers have come with the man advantage. Chicago has also struggled to limit opposing offenses thus far, allowing 15 goals through its first four games – including nine power-play tallies.
WING
Patrick Kane, CHI at CLM ($8,300): Dating back to the lockout-shortened season, Kane has 300 points with an average of 3.25 shots per game through 263 outings. His salary will climb up into the $9,000 range sooner than later, so while he's this low, it's difficult to justify fading him in such a small player pool. He's the guy you save elsewhere on to fit into your lineup.
Cam Atkinson, CLM vs. CHI ($5,300): Atkinson is coming off his finest NHL season with 27 goals and 53 points, and the result has been even more ice time to start this year – he's averaging 18:13 per night. With at least 20 goals and 200 shots in three straight campaigns, the undersized winger has developed into a consistent scorer who's a danger every night. With Chicago's aforementioned defensive shortcomings, Atkinson is a potential contrarian option with a nice floor given his role.
Tomas Tatar, DET vs. NAS ($4,600): The Czech winger has recorded five shots in two consecutive games, and he's seeing major power-play time again after contributing 34 points with the man advantage over the past two seasons. He's also projected to play with Dylan Larkin and Henrik Zetterberg, which checks out as Detroit's best trio on paper. An uptick in shot volume often leads to a breakout game sooner rather than later.
DEFENSE
Johnny Boychuk, NYI vs. ARI ($4,500): With Nick Leddy's status in question, Boychuk has a chance to see a few more minutes of ice on Friday. The veteran blueliner is a cross-category contributor, but is off to a slow start with just six shots on net and nine blocked shots over four games. Look for him to regress closer to his three-year averages of 2.3 shots and 2.03 blocked shots per game, which provides a nice fantasy floor for goals and assists to build on.
Mattias Ekholm, NAS at DET ($4,000): Averaging 24:03 of ice per night to start the season, Ekholm has continued to play a larger role that started with the Seth Jones trade last January. After his 35-point showing last year with solid peripheral contributions (114 shots and 106 blocked shots), Ekholm will remain a solid value option in daily contests until his salary rises.
