This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Friday is the NHL trade deadline, so just to be on the safe side, wait until the rosters are settled before selecting your DFS rosters. I mean, Connor McDavid isn't going anywhere, sure, but you could definitely pick a player who then gets dealt and leaves you scrambling. There are five games Friday, and here are the players to target, and to avoid, for your DFS lineups.
GOALIE
Frederik Andersen, CAR at ARI ($32): The Hurricanes are so good at suppressing shots that Andersen has a 2.38 GAA over his last 12 appearances even though he only has a .910 save percentage in that time. Arizona has averaged the fewest shots on net per contest, so this could be the kind of night where Andersen doesn't even see 20 pucks, which obviously limits the potential for giving up goals.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Connor Hellebuyck, WPG at EDM ($29): Hellebucyk is having a great year, but he starts so often, and fatigue has seemed to set in during past campaigns. It's only two games, but the American goalie has allowed five goals each of the last two times he's taken the ice. Facing the league's top offense in goals per game in Edmonton is not going to allow Hellebuyck to easily get back on track, to be sure.
CENTER
Trevor Zegras, ANA vs. MON ($17): Zegras is definitely a silver lining for a rebuilding Ducks squad. He's taken to the top-center role with gusto, and he has 17 points over his last 17 contests. The Canadiens are in the bottom seven in shots on net allowed per game, and they are also on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back.
CENTER TO AVOID
Chandler Stephenson, VGK vs. NJD ($15): Stephenson has 50 points in 61 games, but he also finds himself centering the third line currently. Over his last two games he's averaged a mere 15:46 in ice time, a significant drop off. Additionally, the Devils have a 2.67 GAA and have allowed only 28.3 shots on net per contest.
WING
Patrik Laine, CLM vs. SEA ($19): Laine has tallied 17 goals on 148 shots on net through 46 games. Granted, the Kraken are in the top five in shots on net allowed per game, but there is another factor I am taking into account. The Finnish winger has averaged 3:21 per contest on the power play and has 12 points with the extra man. Seattle has a bottom-five penalty kill and is on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back for good measure.
Teuvo Teravainen, CAR at ARI ($17): Teravainen still has a 6.4 shooting percentage, a clear indication of brutal puck luck on the campaign. However, over his last 15 games he has four goals on a 12.1 shooting percentage, so maybe the regression is finally arriving. The Coyotes have allowed 35.4 shots on net per game, and they've been shipping out players, particularly defensemen, which is not going to help on that front.
WINGS TO AVOID
Tomas Tatar, NJD at VGK ($19): Tatar is on a three-game point streak and is on New Jersey's top line…for now. Timo Meier could make his Devils debut Friday, and if he does, that is going to shake the lineup up. Adin Hill has a 2.06 GAA and .923 save percentage over his last eight outings, and while Vegas has a middling penalty kill, Tatar only has three points with the extra man.
Clayton Keller, ARI vs. CAR ($17): Keller is watching his teammates shipped out to greener pastures, but he just keeps doing his thing. While he is having a strong season, the reshaping of the Coyotes roster can't benefit him. Neither can this matchup. The Hurricanes rank in the top five in GAA, shots on net allowed per game, and penalty-kill percentage.
DEFENSE
Brent Burns, CAR at ARI ($25): Burns has notched 16 points over his last 15 games. He's also been shooting with gusto as per usual, tallying 182 shots on net through 59 contests. The Coyotes have given up 35.4 shots on goal per game, and they have a 3.49 GAA as well.
Cam Fowler, ANA vs. MON ($17): Fowler feels like he should be a trade target, but I have not read anything regarding heat around him, so I will recommend him and cross my fingers. He's been hot for the Ducks, tallying nine points in his last eight outings. The Canadiens are clearly a low-level defensive squad based on their rankings in some key categories, and they are on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back as well.
DEFENSE TO AVOID
Alex Pietrangelo, VGK vs. NJD ($20): Pietrangelo is off the top power-play unit, which is a concern for a guy who has tallied 11 of his 35 points with the extra man. He has a whopping zero power-play points in his last 24 games. Vitek Vanecek has a 2.46 GAA, and a big part of that is the Devils have only allowed 28.3 shots on net per game.
Darnell Nurse, EDM vs. WPG ($18): Will Nurse finally be a staple of the Edmonton power play. In the Oilers' first game sans Tyson Barrie, Nurse played 3:26 with the extra man, significant for a guy who has averaged less than a minute per game on that front this year. However, don't buy into Nurse's upside increasing in this matchup. The Jets have the second-ranked penalty kill.
