This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Friday's five-game NHL slate promises to be a low-scoring one, with just four of the teams in action ranking outside the bottom 10 in goals per game. With goals at a premium, it's even more important than usual to pinpoint the players with the highest likelihoods of contributing offensively. Accounting for factors such as recent production and matchup revealed the guys listed below as some of the night's top value plays.
GOALIE:
Jaroslav Halak, NYI at NJD ($25) - Halak figures to get the start in the second half of New York's back-to-back set with Thomas Greiss facing the Capitals on Thursday, and he'll have the perfect opportunity to snap out of his rut with a matchup against the NHL's least effective offensive team. A goaltender of Halak's caliber is rarely available for such a low price, and that fact in concert with his weak opposition makes the Slovakian a worthwhile option despite his poor recent form.
Goalie to Avoid:
Steve Mason, PHI at MON ($34) - Mason has been held to single-digit fantasy points in four of his last five starts, and faces one of the four above-average offenses in action Friday. With a number of more reliable options in better situations available, it doesn't make much sense to throw all your eggs in the Mason basket.
CENTER:
Jack Eichel, BUF vs. CLS ($20) - The No. 2 pick in the 2015 draft is starting to come into his own offensively with four goals and eight assists in his last 13 games. Columbus was burned for three points by fellow rookie phenom Connor McDavid earlier this month, and it wouldn't be surprising to see Eichel follow in his footsteps considering how atrocious that team is at keeping the puck out of their net. Buffalo's most talented offensive player is too good to pass up for just $20 against the NHL's 29th-ranked defense.
Center to Avoid:
Sam Bennett, CGY vs. VAN ($20) - Bennett has a minus-3 rating and just seven points in 11 games since the conclusion of his mid-January scoring outburst, scoring 3.0 or fewer fantasy points seven times in that span and 4.0 in another game. The rookie has a lot of offensive talent, but he's just too raw to be relied upon for consistently solid output at this stage, and being stuck on Calgary's third line doesn't help either.
WING:
Jiri Hudler, CGY at VAN ($20) - Hudler hasn't let Calgary's recent defensive struggles bring him down, posting a plus-6 rating to go along with his eight points over the last eight games. He already has a goal and three assists in three prior meetings with Vancouver's 20th-ranked defense, giving the Czech winger an appealing combination of momentum and past achievements heading into his fourth clash with the Canucks.
Patrick Marleau, SJ at CAR ($16) - Marleau has been outperforming his $16 valuation in recent games, scoring at least 8.0 fantasy points in three of his last four appearances. The veteran takes a lot of shots on goal, and is still penciled into an offensive top-six forward role for the Sharks. His main drawback is a pathetic minus-15 rating, but playing a Carolina team that has been held to two or fewer goals in four of six February contests limits Marleau's downside in that category.
Wings to Avoid:
Kyle Okposo, NYI at NJ ($22) - Okposo hasn't topped 5.0 fantasy points in four games, and facing the NHL's stingiest defensive team on the road likely won't help him get back over that hump. Just 16 of his 44 points this season have come away from the Barclays Center, making Okposo a poor investment Friday at his $22 price.
Nick Foligno, CLS vs. BUF ($18) - Foligno hasn't reached double-digit fantasy points since Dec. 29, recording just one goal and five assists in his last 13 games. Even in a favorable matchup, Foligno isn't worth his price tag based on recent performance.
DEFENSEMEN:
T.J. Brodie, CGY at VAN ($19) - Brodie's team-high plus-14 rating tells you all you need to know about his defensive abilities, but the blueliner has added some offensive touch to his arsenal with eight assists in his last seven games. He's often overlooked in favor of high-profile teammates Mark Giordano ($26) and Dougie Hamilton ($22), but Brodie actually has more points than those two combined since Feb. 5 despite being the cheapest of the three.
Andrew MacDonald, PHI at MON ($12) - Those looking for a cheap defensive option could do a lot worse than MacDonald. The minimum-priced defenseman earned a call-up with 36 points in 43 games with the AHL's Lehigh Valley Phantoms, and he has been placed in a prime offensive situation on the second pairing with former AHL linemate Shayne Gostisbehere. He piggybacked on the rookie phenom's prowess en route to a plus-3 rating against the Devils on Tuesday, and should get a chance to showcase his own skills further if he continues to see north of 22 minutes, as he did in that contest.
Defensemen to Avoid:
Marc-Edouard Vlasic, SJ at CAR ($21) - While Vlasic has picked up exactly one assist in each of his last eight games, he is minus-5 with no double-digit fantasy-point performances over his last five. His modest scoring surge is bound to cease soon, putting the blueliner at a high risk of posting a negative-point performance if he doesn't fix his defensive-zone issues.
P.K. Subban, MON vs. PHI ($25) - Subban hasn't been living up to his lofty valuation lately, totaling just 23.0 fantasy points in five games since Feb. 7, and 1.0 in his last two. While he hasn't been terrible for most of that stretch, you're not paying $25 for single-digit fantasy performances.
