This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Friday is sort of the comedown day for the NHL. Thursday was the "final day" of the regular season in many ways, but there are two games to take place Friday. That's because these two games had to be postponed and rescheduled, so here we are. Hey, it's another chance to play NHL DFS! Why not take advantage? Here are some players to target, and to avoid, for this extra day of hockey.
GOALIE
Pavel Francouz, COL at NAS ($32): Francouz needs a little run to get game ready to serve as Alexandar Georgiev's backup in the playoffs. In his career, he has a .919 save percentage, largely serving in the backup role. The Predators are 28th in goals per game, and the lineup is not what it was earlier in the season due to trades and injuries.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Devon Levi, BUF at CLM ($24): Yes the Jackets have been bad offensively, but they are the team at home here with both teams on the second leg of a back-to-back. Levi hopped into the NHL after his college career ended, but so far he has a 3.09 GAA and .901 save percentage through six appearances. The experience is great for him, but he's 21 and was literally playing against college athletes a month ago.
CENTER
Dylan Cozens, BUF at CLM ($18): Cozens has a chance to put a capper on his breakthrough campaign. He has 31 goals on 209 shots on net this year. The Blue Jackets are going to finish 31st in GAA and shots on net allowed per game, so Cozens has a great opportunity to end things on a high note.
CENTER TO AVOID
J.T. Compher, COL at NAS ($18): Compher is also having a career year, but the Avalanche have the playoffs to look ahead to. The center is also on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back, and Kevin Lankinen has had a good season as a backup goalie. The Finn (yes, apparently he's Finnish) has a 2.67 GAA and .918 save percentage.
WING
Johnny Gaudreau, CLM vs. BUF ($18): The Blue Jackets don't really have a secondary option at wing for DFS purposes. Huh, I wonder why Columbus was one of the worst teams in the NHL this year? Gaudreau, though, lived up to expectations about as well as he could in the circumstances, tallying 73 points in 79 games, even though his shooting percentage fell to 9.0. The Sabres have allowed 33.1 shots on net per contest, and their rotating collection of goalies has posted a 3.65 GAA.
John-Jason Peterka, BUF at CLM ($10): Peterka had a spotty rookie campaign, but he has notched 12 goals and 20 assists. Eleven of those points have come over his last 17 games as well. The Jackets might be stuck starting Jon Gillies in the season finale, and he has a career .891 save percentage.
WINGS TO AVOID
Artturi Lehkonen, COL at NAS ($20): Lehkonen is back, but he just played his first game in a month Tuesday, so perhaps there is some rust left to be knocked off. Also, the Avalanche may be cautious with him heading into the playoffs, though a finger injury is less of a reason for concern of recurrence than say, something with a hamstring. However, Lankinen does have a 2.67 GAA and .918 save percentage. Plus, well, I'm not avoiding anybody from the Sabres or Blue Jackets, so I had to look elsewhere.
Philip Tomasino, NAS vs. COL ($15): After the trade deadline, and with Filip Forsberg and Matt Duchene out with injury, the Predators forwards have become a who's who of "Who's that?" Tomasino has as high of a salary as any of Nashville's wings, though, making him a bigger risk. He had a nice hot streak a bit ago, but over his last 12 games he has one goal and only 17 shots on net. As I previously noted, Francouz has a .919 save percentage in his career, and a .915 save percentage in limited action this season.
DEFENSE
Devon Toews, COL at NAS ($20): Toews enters the playoffs on fire, with 12 points over his last 14 games. It has helped him that, with Cale Makar injured, Toews has seen time on the power play, which was previously rare for him. Nashville has a top-10 penalty kill all in all, but this is a different roster, and Lankinen isn't usually the goalie in net. Also, the Predators have allowed 33.4 shots on net per contest.
Owen Power, BUF at CLM ($17): Let's see if the rookie defenseman can end his campaign on a high note. Power got plenty of opportunity this year and has tallied 35 points, even if he didn't shoot as much as you might like. That being said, he's put four shots on net in three of his last five outings. Columbus has allowed 35.4 shots on goal per game, so Power could stay active on that front.
DEFENSE TO AVOID
Tyson Barrie, NAS vs. COL ($18): Barrie has cooled down after a hot start with his new team in Nashville, and the power-play specialist only has three points with the extra man in 23 games with this squad. Colorado has a middling penalty kill, but Nashville has a below-average power play. Francouz, again, has a career .919 save percentage as well.
Samuel Girard, COL at NAS ($15): Girard doesn't shoot as much as Toews, as he's put 118 shots on net in 75 games. He also doesn't play much on the power play, if at all, even with Makar out. If I am going with a Colorado defenseman in this matchup, I am opting for Toews.
