This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Friday's modest NHL slate begins at 7:00 p.m. EST and features just two games. Below, you'll find suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
Bruins-Rangers will be a rematch of Wednesday's 3-2 Boston overtime victory, while the Blues and Coyotes are scheduled to play the fifth of seven consecutive meetings between these teams. This will be the first one in Arizona after the Coyotes took three of four in St. Louis. The Bruins, Rangers and Coyotes have all been better than average defensively, but New York and Arizona are both near the bottom of the league offensively as well.
GOALIES
Jaroslav Halak, BOS at NYR ($8,400): Halak will likely get the nod here after Tuukka Rask made 33 saves on 35 shots Wednesday at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers have been fantasy-friendly opponents for goalies in the early going, ranking top five in shots per game (32.4) and bottom 10 in goals per game (2.58). New York may also be without leading scorer Artemi Panarin, who's day-to-day with a lower-body injury he suffered Wednesday.
Igor Shesterkin, NYR vs. BOS ($7,200): Shesterkin ceded the crease to Alexandar Georgiev for Wednesday's meeting between these teams, but he'll be back in there for the rematch and looking to build on his recent success. The 25-year-old Russian has won three of his last four starts while allowing only seven goals on 114 shots for a .939 save percentage over that stretch, giving him a 13-5-1 record, 2.43 GAA and .927 save percentage over the entirety of his young NHL career.
Darcy Kuemper, ARI vs. STL ($7,600): Kuemper lost the first meeting with the Blues but rebounded with a pair of victories, stopping 64 of 68 shots (.941 save percentage) in those last two games. His 2.50 GAA and .913 save percentage through 10 starts this season are right in line with Kuemper's career 2.46 and .918 marks, so he should continue to play at a high level against this familiar foe.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Christian Dvorak, ARI vs. STL ($5,000): The Blues have had no answer for Dvorak, who racked up a 4-2-6 line over the last four games in St. Louis and preceded those efforts with a two-goal game against the Ducks. The red-hot winger should be worth locking in until he shows signs of slowing down, as Dvorak's now over a point-per-game pace overall with a 7-6-13 line through 12 games.
Jake DeBrusk, BOS at NYR ($4,000): DeBrusk made an instant impact Wednesday in his return from a five-game absence due to a lower-body injury, finishing with an assist and a game-high seven shots while coming millimeters from adding a goal of his own on a shot that hit the crossbar and just barely stayed out. An encore performance would make the skilled winger — who scored 27 goals in 2018-19 — a terrific value option at $4,000.
Jordan Kyrou, STL at ARI ($5,100): Kyrou's tied for the team second on the Blues in both goals (five) and points (12), as the 2016 second-round pick is starting to come into his own at age 22. Despite his hot start, Kyrou can still be had for only $5,100.
Brendan Lemieux, NYR vs. BOS ($2,500): Lemieux's a solid cheap filler with which to round out your lineup if you're looking to lock in some of this slate's priciest options elsewhere. The rugged winger thrives in physical matchups like this one, and Lemieux dished out two helpers Wednesday. He also gets more run on the power play than your typical bottom-six winger, as Lemieux's used as the net-front option on New York's second man advantage unit.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Bruins at Rangers
Patrice Bergeron (C - $8,300), Brad Marchand (W - $7,900), David Pastrnak (W - $9,000)
This line was mostly quiet Wednesday until Bergeron and Marchand connected for the overtime winner. Pastrnak also hit the post on the power play, so this trio was inches from a bigger game. Overall, Bergeron has a 6-10-16 line in 12 games, Marchand's at 8-8-16 in 12 games and Pastrnak's at 5-3-8 in just five games played. This line has as much upside as any combination league-wide, and that rings especially true in a slate consisting of only two games.
Blues at Coyotes
Ryan O'Reilly (C - $6,100), David Perron (W - $5,900), Ivan Barbashev (W - $2,500)
Perron and O'Reilly are St. Louis' top two scorers, while Barbashev's a solid value option as long as he remains on this line. O'Reilly's 5-7-12 line has him tied with Kyrou for second on the team in both goals and points, and that production includes four goals and an assist over the last four games against Arizona. Perron leads the team with 13 points and is one of the three Blues sitting one goal off Brayden Schenn's team-leading six. Barbashev was moved to this line last game and dished a helper. He's still searching for his first goal this season but combined for 25 over the previous two campaigns, so the Moscow native has some scoring touch.
Rangers vs. Bruins
Mika Zibanejad (C - $5,300), Pavel Buchnevich (W - $4,800), Chris Kreider (W - $4,600)
This could be a good time to buy low on the Rangers' top line, which is due for a breakout performance. Zibanejad needed just 57 games last season to post a spectacular 41-34-75 line, but the career 12.6 percent shooter is toiling along at just 2.6 percent at the moment, resulting in a paltry 1-2-3 line. He was robbed a couple times by Rask on Wednesday and had four shots, so it feels like Zibanejad is close to breaking through, as he now has 23 shots over the last seven games with nothing to show for those chances. Buchnevich is also shooting at a career-low percentage, though hit 9.7 percent mark is reasonable and has resulted in a 3-5-8 line through 12 games. Kreider has topped 20 goals in four of the past five seasons and has already lit the lamp four times in the early going, including twice on the power play.
DEFENSEMEN
Charlie McAvoy, BOS at NYR ($5,100): McAvoy has an eight-game point streak going, having mustered 11 points over that stretch. Boston's top all-around defenseman should continue to get plenty of opportunities to produce, as McAvoy often shares the ice with the Bruins' elite top line.
Jakob Chychrun, ARI vs. STL ($5,000): Chychrun's breaking out at age 22, with a 3-7-10 line through 12 games, including two goals and two assists in the last two. The well-rounded defenseman showcased tantalizing shooting ability with 12 goals last season, and he has added some playmaking to his skill tree, putting Chychrun in position to easily surpass his career high of 26 points, even in a shortened season.
Colton Parayko, STL at ARI ($5,400): Parayko took some time to adjust to his increased defensive responsibilities in the wake of Alex Pietrangelo's offseason departure, but Parayko's offensive game has returned recently, as he has a 1-4-5 line and 16 shots over his last six games. The workhorse defenseman should continue his strong recent play here.
Adam Fox, NYR vs. BOS ($5,200): Fox is turning into an all-around stud in his sophomore season. The Harvard product has a 1-6-7 line through 12 games while adding 26 shots and 30 blocks, including four apiece Wednesday against the Bruins.
