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NHL DFS: Friday picks and fades

chris morgan
·5 min read

We're heading down the stretch of the NHL season. Soon teams will have a single-digit number of games left in their campaign. Friday brings us five more games. Here are some players to target, and others to avoid, to maximize your DFS possibilities.

GOALIE

Spencer Knight, FLA vs. BUF ($34): I'm thinking Knight may get a start, given that in two of Florida's last three games he's had to spell Sergei Bobrovsky after "Bob" got pulled. Over his last 10 appearances Knight has a 2.33 GAA and .917 save percentage. The Sabres are bottom 10 in goals per game, and also on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back. Given Florida's league-leading offense, I fully expect whoever is in net for the Panthers to get the win.

GOALIES TO AVOID

Ville Husso, STL vs. MIN ($25): Husso's last two starts have been great. They've also been against the Kraken and Coyotes. The Wild are a different story. They are fourth in the league at 3.61 goals per game.

CENTER

Sam Bennett, FLA vs. BUF ($22): Bennett has career high numbers across the board. Goals and points, sure, but also shots on net and ice time, showing he's not just getting luckier, he's actively more involved. He's also now centering a line with Jonathan Huberdeau and Claude Giroux. Buffalo is in the bottom 10 in both GAA and shots on net allowed per game, and again it is on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back.

CENTER TO AVOID

Sebastian Aho, CAR vs. NYI ($26): Like the Sabres, the Hurricanes are on the second night of a back-to-back. They may be at home, but this isn't an easy matchup for Aho and company. Even if Ilya Sorokin isn't ready to return from injury, Semyon Varlamov has a 2.46 GAA and .929 save percentage over his last 10 games.

WING

Valeri Nichushkin, COL at WPG ($22): It's already been declared that Nichushkin will be back in the lineup after missing Colorado's last game with an illness. The Russian has nine points and 30 shots on net in his last nine games. Connor Hellebuyck has faced a lot of shots, so even when he plays well he tends to let a couple pucks past him. Case in point, the American goalie has a .911 save percentage in his last 20 games, but a 3.09 GAA.

Anders Lee, NYI at CAR ($18): The Hurricanes are the best-defensive team in the NHL, but I am willing to take a shot on a hot player against a team on the second leg of a back-to-back. Lee has nine goals and nine assists in his last 18 games. He's also started 61.5 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, second highest on the Islanders.

New York Islanders left wing Anders Lee (27) sets up for a face-off during the first period of an NHL hockey game
Anders Lee is worth the risk on your NHL DFS lineups tonight. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

WINGS TO AVOID

Blake Wheeler, WPG vs. COL ($20): Wheeler has racked up assists, and you may chalk up the fact he only has 12 goals to his 8.8 shooting percentage. However, twice in his career he's finished with a lower save percentage than that on the season, so it may not be bad puck luck. Darcy Kuemper's play has really helped to power the Avalanche this season, as he has a 2.40 GAA and .925 save percentage.

Alex Killorn, TAM vs. BOS ($14): Frankly, and surprisingly, right now I give the Bruins the edge defensively in this matchup. Not only have they only allowed 28.7 shots on net per game, but Jeremy Swayman has been outperforming Andrei Vasilevskiy. Boston's netminder has a 2.28 GAA and .918 save percentage.

DEFENSE

Devon Toews, COL at WPG ($22): Toews has notched seven points in his last five games, giving him 53 points in 59 outings this season. While Cale Makar is the really power-play weapon, Toews also has 11 points with the extra man. The Jets have the 27th-ranked penalty kill, and they also allow 32.9 shots on net per game.

MacKenzie Weegar, FLA vs. BUF ($21): Weegar has a three-game point streak wherein he's tallied five points. What's particularly interesting is that a guy who previously never played on the power play averaged 3:03 with the extra man in those games and notched two power-play points. That could be a game changer, especially since the Sabres have the 26th-ranked penalty kill.

DEFENSE TO AVOID

Victor Hedman, TAM vs. BOS ($27): Hedman is an elite defenseman, but that means he carries an elite salary. The Bruins aren't an easy matchup, which will make it hard for Hedman to pay out at that salary. Boston has the eighth-ranked penalty kill, has only allowed 28.7 shots on net per contest, and Swayman has a 2.28 GAA and .918 save percentage.

Justin Faulk, STL vs. MIN ($17): Faulk has provided a respectable 35 points to the Blues, even though he's only averaged 1:28 per game on the power play. However, given that the Wild have been pretty much swapping starts since the Marc-Andre Fleury trade, I expect Cam Talbot in net for this one. Talbot has been hot, as over his last nine starts he has a 2.08 GAA and .930 save percentage.