This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
It’s pretty much a full schedule with 12 games on the schedule, eight of which feature inter-conference play.
The Jets will be the only team playing the second game of a back-to-back, although none of the 24 teams will be in action on Friday. The Canucks and Wild matchup should certainly draw a lot of attention for fantasy; These are two teams with elite talent – Elias Pettersson and Kirill Kaprizov among them – with really terrible defense (Canucks) or really terrible goaltending (Wild), ensuring a lot of scoring opportunities. Both teams are off to horrendous starts and gave up a combined 39 goals in seven games.
GOALIES
Igor Shesterkin, NYR vs. SJ ($8,800): The most expensive goalie of the night in what should be the most lopsided matchup. The Sharks have zero points through five games while the Rangers rank third with 17 goals scored.
Linus Ullmark, BOS vs. ANH ($8,500): Ullmark has emerged as the superior goalie so far in a competition for playing time with Jeremy Swayman. The Ducks offense has improved this season but their defense remains a big headache, which is good for Ullmark because it gives the Bruins a chance to provide a ton of goal support.
Logan Thompson, VEG vs. WPG ($8,100): Thompson has been fantastic through three games and despite the loss in his last start still managed to make 37 saves. It should be a close match, but the Jets are playing the second half of a back-to-back and the Knights will have the last change on home ice.
VALUE PLAYS
Marcus JohanssonWSH at OTT ($4,000): Note Lars Eller will be their No. 1 center with Evgeny Kuznetsov serving a suspension at even strength, but where Alex Oveckin does a lot of his scoring is on the power play. That’s where Johansson comes in, who’s taken Kuznetsov’s spot and also collected two assists against the Canucks last game.
Eeli TolvanenNSH at CBJ ($4,600): It looks like Tolvanen is now a fixture on the second line with Ryan Johansen and Nino Niederreiter. Tolvanen has always had a very good shot and he’s using it more with at least one shot in each of his past three games.
LINE STACKS
Penguins vs. Kings
Sidney Crosby (C – $9,600), Jake Guentzel (W – $8,400), Rickard Rakell (W – $4,600)
Rakell’s a bit of a laggard with only one goal so far this season, but the points should come soon with the number of scoring chances he’s been generating. Crosby and Guentzel, meanwhile, remain one of the best tandems in the league facing a team with suspect goaltending.
Rangers vs. Sharks
Vincent Trocheck (C – $5,600), Artemi Panarin (W – $9,000), Alexis Lafreniere (W – $5,100)
This should be a very popular stack because people don’t realize how great of a fit Trocheck has been, and how much better Lafreniere looks this season. The Rangers offense should terrorize a Sharks defense that’s thin and goaltending that’s non-existent most nights.
Hurricanes at Oilers
Sebastian Aho (C – $8,000), Teuvo Teravainen (W – $6,300), Seth Jarvis (W – $5,900)
Teravainen’s off to a slow start but hopefully that cold streak snaps against the Oilers, who have another goalie headache on their hands. The Canes will most likely face the struggling Jack Campbell after Stuart Skinner started the previous game and lost.
DEFENSEMEN
Rasmus DahlinBUF at CGY ($6,600): Dahlin has three goals and four points in what is shaping out to be a big breakout season playing on the top pairing. At this salary, Dahlin is a value play for the amount of offense he can generate.
Miro HeiskanenDAL at TOR ($5,700): Usually, Heiskanen is the first name that comes to mind among players who are better at real-life hockey than in fantasy. That hasn’t been the case early this season, however, with Heiskanen scoring two goals and three points. Against a team with some goaltending woes, it’s hard to pass up Heiskanen’s talent.
Calen Addison, MIN vs. VAN ($4,200): Addison will continue to be an excellent value play among defensemen as long as he stays in this salary range. He scored three assists and five shots in his previous game against the Avs and entrenched himself as the team’s top power-play quarterback.
The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it is possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire.