This article is part of our FantasyDraft NHL series.
Friday. Rebecca Black loved it (there's a timely reference), and you can too if you do well in your daily fantasy lineup selection. There are six NHL games, giving you a solid collection of options. These are the ones that stuck out to me, though. TGIF!
GOALIE
Anaheim Ducks, ANA vs. MON ($16,900): The Canadiens are really struggling out of the gate. Montreal has scored a league-low 1.43 goals per game and it will be hard for that to change against Anaheim on the road. John Gibson has a .924 save percentage, which is the same percentage he had last season.
CENTER
Logan Couture, SAN at NJD ($13,200): The Devils will be on the second night of a back-to-back, and since Cory Schneider got injured Thursday, Keith Kinkaid will likely be playing on consecutive nights. Couture has five points in five games, which is good, but three of those have been on the power play, which is even more helpful for fantasy players. He's averaged more than three minutes per game with the extra man his last five seasons, so that sort of production is not surprising.
Aleksander Barkov, FLA vs. PIT ($11,700): Barkov is off to a slow start but that is bound to turn around. The second-overall pick in 2013 had 21 goals and 52 points last season despite only playing in 61 games. Fourteen of those points came on the power play, and Barkov has played 5:38 per game with the extra man this year. The Penguins, meanwhile, have allowed 4.14 goals per game this season.
WING
Phil Kessel, PIT at FLA ($12,500): Kessel has started 78.7 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, an incredibly high total. That's partially why he has seven points and 29 shots on goal this year. Also, let's not forget his 30 power-play points last season. The Panthers have allowed 4.00 goals per game and their goalies have a .879 team save percentage.
Jason Zucker, MIN at WPG ($10,700): Zucker's playing time has been interesting this year. He's averaged 19:16 per game thus far, almost four minutes more than his previous career high. Zucker is also getting power-play time for the first time in his career, and he has two points with the extra man. Winnipeg has given up 3.83 goals per game this year after it allowed 3.11 goals per contest last season.
Kyle Okposo, BUF vs. VAN ($8,200): A slow start has dropped Okposo's price, but that makes this a great buy-low opportunity. After all, he had 23 power-play points last year despite only playing in 65 games. The Canucks will be on the road for the second night of a back-to-back, and Vancouver had the 28th-ranked penalty kill last season.
DEFENSEMEN
Aaron Ekblad, FLA vs. PIT ($9,500): Ekblad had 225 shots on goal last season despite only playing in 68 games. He hasn't shot as much this year but he's shown that he has the ability to put the puck on the net with gusto. The Penguins allowed 32.6 shots on net per game last season, third-most in the NHL. This year, that number is up to 34.0.
Josh Morrissey, WPG vs. MIN ($6,900): The 22-year-old, who was picked 13th overall in 2013, has averaged 12.66 fantasy points per game this season. He's chipped in a bit on offense with two points and 10 shots on goal in six games, but he's also added 19 blocked shots. Minnesota was stout defensively last year, but this season they've allowed 3.75 goals and 36.5 shots on net per contest.
