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The advanced stats that I use and reference in this article come from naturalstattrick.com.
NHL Schedule for Friday, October 11th
AWAY – the opening line | O/U | HOME | TIME – EST |
Florida | 5.5 | Buffalo -105 | 7:00 PM |
Anaheim | 6.5 | Columbus -145 | 7:00 PM |
NY Islanders | 6.5 | Carolina -170 | 7:30 PM |
DraftKings & FanDuel Centers
Jack Eichel – BUF vs FLA – $8,100
Eichel is a contender again for the nightly shot bonus. His projections suggest upwards of four shots and 1.25 real points per game. Florida gives up over 35 shots per 60 in the early going and Buffalo can easily generate that kind of shot volume. This is the kind of short slate where you want players who can put the pucks on goal. Eichel has seven real-world points on the young season and has a stackable winger in Victor Olofsson, to boot. Eichel’s price will be high at $8,400 on FanDuel. Thankfully, there are alternatives like Boone Jenner and even Sebastian Aho (middle and upper-middle pricing).
Jordan Staal – CAR vs NYI – $4,200
Staal has played much better the past two games and has three points in that span. Shot volume was never much of a strong suit but the center is averaging 2.25 shots per game and two high-danger scoring chances a night on the season. The Islanders are not the same team as last year and will give up more shots closer to the net. That plays into Staal’s hands.
The good news tonight is that value can be found almost anywhere. Players like Staal are out there and pricing is soft in places. Even Marcus Johansson is solid value up against Florida. He is a center on DraftKings, by the way.
DraftKings & FanDuel Wingers
Mike Hoffman – FLA @ BUF – $7,000
Hoffman has to be considered a moderate-risk GPP play that almost needs to be used for contrarian purposes. He has points in all three games for Florida this season and is capable of hitting the shot bonus, as well. Overall, he has six real-world points in the early going. Buffalo may have a tough time containing him and the Florida power-play. More penalties in this game will mean more goals. That is great for Hoffman owners.
Any part of Florida’s PP1 stack can be used to differentiate lineups a bit.
Nick Foligno – CLB vs ANA– $4,400
Anaheim has some interesting plays but Foligno, because of injuries, has been pressed into top-six playing time for Columbus again. He is a streaky player but can excel against tough-nosed teams like the Ducks. His deceptive ability on the power play has been resourceful as well. Foligno has points in his previous two contests and for his price, remains a good one-off or stacking option on Friday night.
DraftKings & FanDuel Defensemen
Dougie Hamilton – CAR vs NYI – $6,300
The good news for Hamilton owners is the equal power-play time structure used by Rod Brind’amour and Carolina. As a result, Hamilton has five points in four games and is fantasy relevant once more. His ability to block shots makes him a contender for the blocks bonus and he can average over three shots a game, as well. It is a little difficult to find good peripherals across the board but they do exist. Jaccob Slavin and Keith Yandle could be other good choices from this tier tonight.
Noah Dobson – NYI @ CAR – $2,900
Taking a swing with Dobson cannot hurt because of his punt price across all platforms. He is receiving his nine-game stint and game one showed some definitely glimpses of talent. It was not just the assist and three shots on goal that caught our attention. The calmness with handling the puck and rushing up ice was noticeable. He can stretch defenses a bit and that is not easy to do against Carolina’s.
DraftKings & FanDuel Stacks
BUF 1 – Olofsson – Eichel – Reinhart
This is the most expensive stack of the night and chalky. However, it can be used in places or in parts. Florida’s bottom pairings are among the worst in the league in allowing scoring chances and goals. Now, if one does not want to spend over $20,000, there are alternatives. One can step down to Buffalo’s second line, Florida’s second line, or even the top Columbus line against Anaheim.
CAR 2 – Svechnikov – Staal – McGinn
It is okay to take the lower-priced stack here on Friday night. Shots per 60 here are extremely strong with this group and at times, better than the top line. Spending a little less to hopefully get a bit more could work as Sebastian Aho has been a bit cold to start the season where Staal has not been.
ANA 1 – Shore – Getzlaf – Terry
Columbus expects to be picked on because of their goaltending and lack of chemistry among their defensive corps. There are two schools of thought. Look into Anaheim’s second line with Rickard Rakell and Jakob Silfverberg or this line with value wingers and a mid-priced Ryan Getzlaf. The money does not hurt much here and they do generate some solid chance per 60 metrics in a small sample size.