This article is part of our FantasyDraft NHL series.
In my part of the country, Friday is going to be freezing cold. It's the perfect excuse to stay inside and watch some NHL action. With Ottawa's and Colorado's afternoon game in Sweden not included in the daily fantasy slate, there are six games worth of players to choose from. Here are some of the players I would try to choose.
GOALIE
Columbus Blue Jackets, CLM vs. CAR ($14,500):Sergei Bobrovsky has a 2.37 GAA and a .921 save percentage, and last season he won the Vezina with a 2.06 GAA and a .931 save percentage. The Hurricanes have put a lot of shots on net this year, but they have only averaged 2.62 goals per game. Given how cheap the Jackets are Friday, it's definitely worth hoping Bob can stifle Carolina.
CENTER
Mark Scheifele, WPG at VGK ($14,400): The Golden Knights are still stuck starting fourth-string netminder Max Lagace. To nobody's surprise, he hasn't been up to the task thus far (3.87 GAA, .866 save percentage). Scheifele has been on a tear recently, as he has six goals and four assists over his last five contests. His shooting percentage will go down, but he notched 32 goals and 50 assists last season, so he'll still be racking up plenty of points.
Vincent Trocheck, FLA at BUF ($12,300): Buffalo has a 3.53 team GAA, and last season they gave up the most shots on net per game. Trocheck has 16 points through 14 games, including four on the power play. He's averaged 4:00 per game with the extra man, which bodes well for future power-play success.
WING
Nikolaj Ehlers, WPG at VGK ($13,800): Ehlers already has eight goals through 14 games, and you have to like his chances of potentially improving upon that total in this game. As noted earlier, Vegas is starting their fourth-stringer Lagace in net. It was always expected that the Golden Knights would struggle as an expansion team, and that has certainly been the case since Lagace took over. Until their goalies get healthy, this is a matchup to be all over.
Alexander Radulov, DAL vs. NYI ($12,400): Radulov is currently enjoying a six-game point streak wherein he's notched nine points total. Six of those points have come with the extra man, and in his first year with Dallas Radulov has averaged 2:58 in power-play time per game. The Islanders have a team GAA of 3.13 (and a team save percentage of .902) and they've allowed 32.1 shots on net per contest.
Kyle Okposo, BUF vs. FLA ($8,300): Okposo is off to a slow start, but he had 19 goals and 26 assists in 65 games with the Sabres last year. As for this season, he has a 3.4 shooting percentage that is going to improve. This could definitely be the game where that happens. The Panthers have a league-worst 4.14 team GAA, and they have also allowed a league-high 38.1 shots on net per contest. Okposo could definitely find some redemption here and, at this price, he's definitely worth betting on.
DEFENSEMEN
John Carlson, WAS vs. PIT ($10,100): This marquee matchup doesn't have quite the same panache this season, but both of those teams have struggled defensively, which could bode well for fantasy purposes. Carlson has averaged 14.12 fantasy points per game, second-most of any defenseman playing Friday. He has 11 points even though he only has one goal on 55 shots. His 1.8 shooting percentage is going to improve, and then his fantasy output could be even better.
Torey Krug, BOS at TOR ($9,400): The young Maple Leafs may be a year older, but they haven't gotten better defensively yet. Toronto has a team GAA of 3.53, and a team save percentage of .892. The Leafs have also allowed 32.6 shots on goal per tilt, which is the same average they had last season. Krug is currently sporting a five-game point streak and he's started 62.2 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone. That's the most of any Boston defenseman.
