NHL

​3 NHL FanDuel Studs to Target on Friday 2/25/22​

Chris Wassel  —  @ChrisWasselDFS Feb 25th, 2022
Jack Eichel's salary still doesn't match his stud-level production. Which other hockey stars can we trust on Friday's six-gamer?

Spending up in any daily fantasy lineup is how to get the superstars and the highest upside players in your lineup.

In NHL DFS, it’s different from spending up in sports like NBA or NFL. Someone can be one of the highest salaried players at his position and put up a total dud of a performance, and paying that much for him would be a huge mistake. Let’s make sure we are spending salary in the right spots when building our lineups tonight.

Friday night checks in with six games on the schedule. Here are some studs.

Jack Eichel, Center, Vegas Golden Knights

FanDuel Salary: $5,800

Jack Eichel is a stud player for the Vegas Golden Knights at a salary that is right around FanDuel's "middle class".

Keep taking the gift that keeps on giving on Friday as Eichel faces the Arizona Coyotes.

The first three games of the forward's Vegas tenure have tallied one goal and two assists. That includes an electric game his last time out against San Jose. Eichel had a goal, an assist, five shots on goal, and six scoring chances. Eichel looked like the center we remember for the Buffalo Sabres.

Yes, Arizona has been playing better of late, but they still allow 3.63 goals per game and feature a 73.2% penalty kill yielding 34.3 shots per game. If anything, regression might be due.

This matchup is a good one to stack, so Chandler Stephenson or Max Pacioretty with him are worth a look, too.

Andrei Svechnikov, Wing, Carolina Hurricanes

FanDuel Salary: $8,100

Andrei Svechnikov and the Carolina Hurricanes are hosting the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday night.

Columbus will allow goals. Their goaltenders have faced more than 37 shots per 60 minutes over the last ten contests, and they're fifth overall in goals allowed (185) this season.

The Jackets plays Carolina on the second leg of a back-to-back after playing in Florida last night. As for Svechnikov, he has cooled off a bit with just an assist and eight shots on goal in his previous two games.

This game has the feel of a prime bounce-back opportunity.

A pairing with Sebastian Aho has to be one of the prime spots of the day in NHL DFS.

Cale Makar, Defenseman, Colorado Avalanche

FanDuel Salary: $7,100

Cale Makar just wants to help everyone out -- including those who play daily fantasy on Friday night.

Makar has not scored a goal in his last nine games, but he does have nine assists in his previous six appearances. Makar's scoring pace was wild for a defenseman, so it's not surprising to see him cool down in that specific category.

The Colorado Avalanche are one of the best teams scoring goals at home. Colorado averages 4.24 goals per game at home, and they'll host a Winnipeg Jets squad that allows the eighth-most expected goals away from home (85.04). They also have just a 75% penalty kill on the road.

Makar has simply too good of a floor to ignore -- and upside even without scoring. He can be paired with maybe a Valeri Nichushkin for value, or potentially Nazem Kadri for a contrarian star.


Chris Wassel is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Chris Wassel also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username chriswassel. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.