This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
There aren't any nationally televised NHL games Friday (no sports entity has really tried to make Friday work), but there's plenty of hockey to enjoy on the local level. We've got six NHL contests going down, and that means DFS opportunity. Here are the players to target, and to avoid, for your DFS lineups.
GOALIE
Adin Hill, VGK vs. SAN ($38): Vitek Vanecek hasn't played great, and Carter Hart is still day-to-day, so I decided to just go ahead and do the obvious thing and attack the Sharks. It's Hill's turn in the goalie rotation for the Golden Knights, and he catches a woeful squad. The Sharks are last in goals and shots on net per game, and if that wasn't enough, they are on the road for the second night of a back-to-back.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Sergei Bobrovsky, FLA vs. CAR ($31): Bobrovsky has been inconsistent in net, leaving him with a .905 save percentage, but he has a 2.68 GAA because his team has held opponents to 28.0 shots on net per contest. The Hurricanes have scored 3.38 goals per game, but also have put 34.6 shots on goal per game, so they may make "Bob" be busier than usual, and busier than he can handle.
CENTER
Casey Mittelstadt, BUF vs. MIN ($17): Mittelstadt has a five-game point streak that has lifted him to 12 points through 13 games. Friday, he and his teammates are hosting a Wild team on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back. Filip Gustavsson will be in goal, but he's scuffling this year. The Swede has an .871 save percentage across seven appearances.
CENTER TO AVOID
Tomas Hertl, SAN at VGK ($13): Well, the Sharks have one healthy above-average NHL player (Logan Couture is probably not champing at the bit to return to the ice with this lineup around him) and that's Hertl. He's stuck on the second leg of a back-to-back facing a team with a 2.29 GAA. The dark times get darker.
WING
Mark Stone, VGK vs. SAN ($22): The Sharks aren't just woeful offensively! They also are rather brutal defensively, as they are last in both GAA and shots on net allowed per game. A four-point outing is boosting Stone's overall numbers, but he did that against Colorado, not a porous defensive squad. Stone can certainly excel against the NHL's worst team.
Tom Wilson, WAS vs. NJD ($17): Wilson has gotten into the groove after a slow start, with five points and 22 shots on goal over his last five seven games. Thanks to worrisome goaltending, the Devils have a 3.67 GAA, and currently they are without their top-two centers, including Selke-level defender Nico Hischier.
WINGS TO AVOID
Sam Reinhart, FLA vs. CAR ($26): Reinhart is a prime candidate for regression toward the mean. His 21.6 shooting percentage through 11 games is not likely to be sustained. While Carolina's goaltending has been spotty, it has allowed a league-low 25.6 shots on net per contest. If Reinhart can only get a couple pucks on target, any drop in his puck luck could keep him off the board.
Mats Zuccarello, MIN at BUF ($21): Zuccarello has been potting points, but with the return of Matthew Boldy he's been moved down to the second line and has seen his minutes drop as a result. The Sabres have been middling in terms of GAA and just above average in terms of shots on net allowed per game, but the Wild are on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back. It's not a slate of tough defensive teams, and so that was enough to get me primed to avoid Zuccarello in this one.
DEFENSE
Travis Sanheim, PHI at ANA ($17): Sanheim has slowed down after his hot start, but he still has 11 point and 30 shots on net through 13 games. Plus, his 3.3 shooting percentage is entirely sustainable, and actually below his career average. The Ducks have allowed 32.7 shots on net per game, and John Gibson will not keep up his .921 save percentage. Over his prior four seasons he had a .902 save percentage.
Owen Power, BUF vs. MIN ($17): Buffalo's "other" first-overall pick on the blue line has tallied seven points in 13 games. Sure, he's not as productive as Rasmus Dahlin, but that's solid work for a defenseman, and Power's salary is certainly less difficult to fit into a roster. The Michigan alum still gets the same matchup against the Wild on the second leg of a back-to-back. As I noted, Gustavsson has an .871 save percentage this year.
DEFENSE TO AVOID
Brent Burns, CAR at FLA ($18): Burns has been held without a point seven games in a row. While he often derives real-life and fantasy value from putting pucks on net, but the Panthers could make that tough on him. Florida has held opponents to 28.0 shots on goal per game.
Rasmus Andersson, CGY at TOR ($17): Andersson has been in on the action since returning from his suspension, but the Maple Leafs have already announced that Joseph Woll is getting the call in goal for Friday. Woll has a career 2.35 GAA and .926 save percentage, so this road trip to Toronto may not work out.
