This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
There are two games in the NHL on Friday. A tired New Jersey team is in St. Louis, while Buffalo entertains Philadelphia. Below, you'll find suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
GOALIES
Devon Levi, BUF vs. PHI ($8,100): Levi will get his first start in seven games as he suffered a lower-body injury versus the Flames on Oct. 19. Levi had started the first four games of the season, going 1-3-0 with a 3.26 GAA and .892 save percentage. He is the Sabres' goaltender of the future and gets a good opportunity Friday as he takes on the Flyers at home. Philadelphia has scored 32 goals in 10 games this season and are 4-5-1, including 1-2-1 on the road.
Akira Schmid, NJ at STL ($7,800): Schmid is expected to get the start as Vitek Vanecek has played three straight games, including Thursday's 5-3 win over Minnesota. Schmid enters the game with a 1-1-0 record, giving up 10 goals on 73 shots. He was outstanding last season, going 18-9-5 with a 2.13 GAA and .922 save percentage, so the talent is there. Schmid will face the Blues, who are the second-lowest scoring team in the NHL, finding the back of the net only 15 times in eight games.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Sean Couturier, PHI at BUF ($4,800): After missing all of last season recovering from back surgeries (as well as 53 games in 2021-22) Couturier has picked up where he left off with two goals and six assists in 10 games. The 30-year-old plays on the top line as well as seeing first unit power-play time. He remains a good value Friday.
Pavel Buchnevich, STL vs. NJ ($4,700): Buchnevich has played in six games this season, scoring once and adding an assist. Both points were in the same game Oct. 24 in Winnipeg and Buchnevich has been held off the scoresheet in each of his last three games. But the Russian winger is too good to ignore as he has 143 points in 136 games over the last two seasons. He is playing on the top line with Robert Thomas and Kasperi Kapanen and is seeing second unit time on the power play.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Devils at Blues
Jack Hughes (C-$9,600), Tyler Toffoli (W-$7,700), Timo Meier (W-$5,300)
Hughes is the star of the Devils and is a top-five player in the NHL. He leads the league in scoring with five goals and 20 points in nine games, after a two-assist effort Thursday in a 5-3 win over the Wild. Toffoli has not missed a step after an offseason trade from Calgary where he had 34 goals and 73 points. Toffoli has seven goals and 11 points in nine games thus far. Meier is the third member of the line and is on a six-game points streak with two goals and six assists.
Sabres vs. Flyers
Tage Thompson (C - $7,700), Jeff Skinner (W-$7,000), Brandon Biro (W - $4,000)
The Sabres have switched their lines up of late and Thompson finds himself playing with the rookie Biro. Thompson has really picked up the pace of late, after starting the season with a goal in his first six games. Thompson has four goals and eight points in his last four games to lead the Sabres. Skinner continues to play with Thompson on the first power play. Skinner has a six-game points streak in which he has four goals and five assists to give him five goals and 10 points in 10 games. Biro picked up his first two goals of the year in his season debut Wednesday as he is replacing the injured Zach Benson (lower body) who is out week-to-week. The trio make a great stack Friday with only two games on the NHL schedule.
DEFENSEMEN
Rasmus Dahlin, BUF vs. PHI ($6,500): Dahlin is showing that last season's 73 points was no fluke. The talented defenseman has two goals and nine points in 10 games this season, including three assists on the power play as he quarterbacks the first unit.
Cam York, PHI at BUF ($4,100): York has a goal and two assists in 10 games. The defenseman was selected 14th overall in the 2019 Draft and is considered the quarterback of the future for the Flyers power play. He is averaging 2:57 of action with the man-advantage and while he is off to a slow start, York is worth looking at with only two games scheduled.
