FanDuel NHL: Friday Targets

FanDuel NHL: Friday Targets

This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.

SLATE PREVIEW

It's a late start with all games starting no earlier than 8 p.m. ET. The Rangers and Devils are the only Eastern Conference teams on the road and they'll be facing the Oilers and the Kings, who have both won three straight.

GOALIES

Eric Comrie, WPG vs. CHI ($8,200): Comrie will get the start if Connor Hellebuyck is unavailable due to illness. The Blackhawks are the league's second-worst team while the Jets have gone 4-0-1 after a 0-2-1 start. The salary is a little high for an unproven backup in Comrie, but anything but a poor performance should net him a victory.

Thatcher Demko, VAN vs. NSH ($7,800): Demko was so good against the Rangers he only needed one hand to make saves. In what may be a goaltending battle, he's been one of the league's best goalies. The Canucks allow a lot of shots, so Demko gets the saves while their offense started to come alive in their last meeting with the Blueshirts.

John Gibson, ANH vs. ARI ($7,500): Gibson has won two straight, including a shutout against the Devils. The Coyotes sit last in both goals and goals allowed per game. There shouldn't be any surprises in this one, especially with the Ducks ranking 10th in scoring.

Jonathan Quick, LA vs. NJ ($7,000): Quick has taken two consecutive outings, so he may get his third straight start as Cal Petersen tries to get back on track. Dougie Hamilton and Jack Hughes will not be in the Devils' lineup and they've lost four of their past six.

VALUE PLAYS

Kaapo Kakko, NYR at EDM ($4,100): Kakko is playing on a line opposite Artemi Panarin, but he's also been very quiet with no points in six games. The Oilers are likely playing third-string Stuart Skinner and also allow the most shots per game.

Barrett Hayton, ARI at ANH ($3,600): Hayton's now the top pivot in Arizona almost by default, with the other choices pretty much being Johan Larsson and Jay Beagle. It's not a favorable matchup because Arizona just isn't very good. But unless Gibson shuts them out, Hayton has a decent chance as any Coyote to score a point.

Alexander Holtz, NJ at LA ($3,000): The Devils' top pick in 2020 has a chance to make his NHL debut after getting called up Thursday. He's a pure shooter and has scored five goals in four AHL contests. The Kings are missing top defenseman Drew Doughty, and Holtz plays will surely get power play time if he takes the ice.

LINE STACKS

Ducks vs. Coyotes

Ryan Getzlaf (C - $4,700), Adam Henrique (W - $5,400), Troy Terry (W - $5,200)

Even if Karel Vejmelka is outstanding, the odds are still overwhelmingly against the Coyotes as they allow a league-high 4.10 goals per game with a league-low 62.5 percent efficiency on the penalty kill. Terry's riding a nine-game point streak and Getzlaf's on four while Henrique had his three-match run snapped last time out.

Jets vs. Blackhawks

Pierre-Luc Dubois (C - $5,500), Kyle Connor (W - $8,800), Evgeny Svechnikov (W - $3,500)

Connor and Dubois have both potted seven goals and lead the team with 14 and 11 points, respectively. Svechnikov doesn't offer the same upside because he's not as talented and doesn't earn a big power-play role, but his salary keeps the value of this line stack down.

DEFENSEMEN

Quinn Hughes, VAN vs. NSH ($6,300): Hughes may offer the same kind of offensive upside as Roman Josi or Adam Fox, even though he's valued in a lower tier. He's scored five points in his past six games and this will be the Canucks' fifth straight at home, where they've started to look far more comfortable. Vancouver's also third in penalties drawn, which will give Hughes plenty of time on the power play.

Tyson Barrie, EDM vs. NYR ($5,500): As long as you're sharing the ice with Connor McDavid, you have a chance. Barrie has now notched five points in his past six after a slow start and the Oilers' man-advantage is converting nearly half their opportunities. Igor Shesterkin might put a damper on things, but the Oilers have racked up at least five goals six times this season.

Evan Bouchard, EDM vs. NYR ($4,300): Bouchard's a bargain buy because he plays a lot of ice time relative to his DFS salary. He's averaged well over 22 minutes over his past five being paired with Darnell Nurse and has registered two assists and nine shots during that span.

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's 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.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jason Chen
Jason won the 2021 FSWA Hockey Writer of the Year award, and was also a finalist on 2019. He joined RotoWire in 2013. Jason has also written for Yahoo Sports, CBS Sports, The Hockey News, The Hockey Hall of Fame's Legends Magazine, and Centre Ice Magazine.
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