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The final march toward the Stanley Cup Playoffs continues with a five-game NHL slate on Friday.
Four of the 13 teams that have already clinched postseason berths will be in action tonight – the Carolina Hurricanes, Nashville Predators, Edmonton Oilers and Vegas Golden Knights – as well as the St. Louis Blues, who sit three points back from Vegas for the second Wild Card spot in the West.
Our dfsPro projections have uncovered some key under-the-radar value picks playing in Friday’s games to help daily fantasy managers to fill out their rosters and remain under the salary cap. Let’s look at some of our model’s top AI-powered value picks for today’s games!
Top Value Picks: Forwards
Evgeny Kuznetsov (C – Carolina Hurricanes, $3,100 on DraftKings)
dfsPro Forecast: G: 0.33, A: 0.38, S: 1.76, BLK: 0.53
Evgeny Kuznetsov has scored just two goals in 17 games since being traded to Carolina from the Washington Capitals earlier this season, but our model projects his goalscoring potential to more than double his average tonight against the Blues. He is also projected to see upticks in assists, points and takeaway potential, making him a solid value add down the middle.
Luke Evangelista (RW – Nashville Predators, $3,000 on DraftKings)
dfsPro Forecast: G: 0.21, A: 0.29, S: 2.18, BLK: 0.75
Predators rookie winger Luke Evangelista is coming off a career-best 10-shot performance against the Winnipeg Jets in which he logged a season-high 18:38 of ice time. He has found the back of the net in each of his last two meetings with the Chicago Blackhawks, and our model likes him to continue that trend tonight when the Central Division rivals face off for the fourth and final time this season. Tied for sixth among all NHL rookies with 35 points in his first full NHL season, Evangelista is a steal at just $3,000 on DraftKings.
Ryan McLeod (C – Edmonton Oilers, $2,700 on DraftKings)
dfsPro Forecast: G: 0.29, A: 0.25, S: 1.44, BLK: 0.81
Oilers center Ryan McLeod has put up two multipoint performances in his last three games, and our model projects an 18% uptick in his point potential tonight against the Arizona Coyotes. McLeod recorded an assist and a +3 rating in one prior meeting with the Coyotes this season, a 6-3 Oilers win on Feb. 19.
Top Value Picks: Defensemen
Scott Perunovich (LD – St. Louis Blues, $3,000 on DraftKings)
dfsPro Forecast: A: 0.2, S: 0.72, BLK: 0.86
Don’t expect Scott Perunovich to score any goals for the Blues (he doesn’t have one yet in his 70-game NHL career), but our model does project modest increases in his average shot and point potential tonight against the Hurricanes. Perunovich has also logged at least 20 minutes of ice time in each of his last three games, which is more than five minutes above his average.
Brett Kulak (LD – Edmonton Oilers, $2,500 on DraftKings)
dfsPro Forecast: G: 0.12, A: 0.26, S: 1.29, BLK: 0.89
Our model projects Oilers defenseman Brett Kulak to outperform his averages across the board tonight against the Coyotes. He has found the scoresheet just once in his last 13 games, but Kulak’s point potential against Arizona is projected to be more than double his average.
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