This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
There are six games for Friday's slate, but the marquee game will have the Flames playing host to the Avalanche, who are fending off the Wild for the final wild card in the Western Conference. It's not like the other games are inconsequential, but the Avs will have to play playoff-style hockey from here on.
Since the Avs can't defend to save their lives, they'll be looking to overrun the Flames on offense, which just makes a lot of sense anyway since the Flames goaltending just isn't very good. With Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, Nathan MacKinnon and Matt Duchene on the ice, the game likely will be played at breakneck speed, which means there should be more than just a few goals. Pick the players and avoid the goalies.
GOALIE
Robin Lehner, BUF vs. OTT ($34) - Lehner has just one win in his last five starts, but his most recent loss came in overtime when Montreal's Paul Byron got a fortuitous bounce, and he'll have Ryan O'Reilly on his side when he faces his former team. Lehner sports a 1.57 goals-against average and .946 save percentage against the Sens, and scoring on them shouldn't be a problem, either, with the Sabres deploying O'Reilly on one line and Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart on the other. Although, for one dollar more, Braden Holtby is a good choice as well, facing a Nashville team that's pretty decent on the road.
Goalie to Avoid:
Jacob Markstrom, VAN at EDM ($28) - The Oilers offense is firing on all cylinders with the return of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, while the Canucks simply just looked overmatched Wednesday against Colorado, and will continue to be without the services of some of their key veterans. The Canucks have always had trouble containing the Oilers' speed, and with Ben Hutton struggling suddenly, there's really no one on their blue line that can contain them. In years past, the Canucks would be the heavy favorite, but that's just no longer the case anymore.
CENTER
Jack Eichel, BUF vs. OTT ($24) - He didn't score Wednesday against Montreal but has registered at least four shots on goal in each of his last four games. The Sens defense isn't particularly stout, and in fact play quite a wide-open style, which is perfect for a sniper like Eichel who has plenty of speed to burn and a willingness to shoot the puck. He's played more than 20 minutes in each of his last 10 games.
Matt Duchene, COL at CGY ($22) - He's on a four-game point streak and should feast on a Calgary team that has had atrocious goaltending all year. The case against Duchene is that the Flames defense is pretty mobile, even without Dennis Wideman, but Nathan MacKinnon should draw Mark Giordano and T.J. Brodie, anyway. The Avs are playing playoff hockey at the moment, sitting just one point ahead of Minnesota for the last wild card, and really playing like they want it. Duchene's 29 goals are already a career high.
Center to Avoid:
Zack Smith, OTT at BUF ($26) - Take away his recent hot streak and he's really just a good third-line player. Smith has five goals in his last six games, and 21 goals on 99 shots this season for a 21.2 shooting percentage, well above his career average of 9.9 percent. Lehner and the Sabres aren't exactly defensive stalwarts, but the hot streak has to end at some point, and Smith was held without a point in his previous game against Minnesota.
WINGERS
Alex Ovechkin, WAS vs. NSH ($32) - Don't think for a second that the Caps will take their foot off the accelerator despite being the first team to clinch a playoff spot; Barry Trotz and the Caps have lost enough playoff series to know that they have to go in with some momentum. The Preds, like the Avs, are fighting for their playoff lives, but Pekka Rinne has also looked just above average, at best. Ovechkin should be able to wear down the Preds defense, and will be more than a handful for Shea Weber. The NHL's goals and shots leader scored his first in five games against Carolina on seven shots on goal.
Patrick Kane, CHI at WPG ($29) - The league's scoring leader should run away with the Art Ross Trophy this season and has the potential to score 100 points. With a slew of forwards acquired at the deadline (again), Joel Quenneville is still tinkering with the lines, but what has been consistent with the Blackhawks over the years is his reliance on playing Kane with Jonathan Toews when things aren't going well. Chicago has lost four consecutive and odds are Kane will be playing with Toews again.
Wingers to Avoid:
Filip Forsberg, NSH at WAS ($32) - Nashville's top line of Forsberg, Mike Ribeiro and Craig Smith may have been dominant in February, but the notoriously streaky scorer went four games without a goal entering Thursday. Playing the second of a back-to-back and facing the league's best goaltender this year puts Forsberg in a pretty tough position to score.
Artemi Panarin, CHI at WPG ($21) - We likely won't know exactly how good Panarin is until the playoffs, when the intensity gets ramped up and space becomes a premium. He fired five shots on goal in a loss against Philadelphia but has not scored a point in three straight games. He has three goals and two assists in his past 10 games, so it's safer to leave him in the player pool until a) he starts scoring again, or b) plays on a line with Kane.
DEFENSE
Erik Karlsson, OTT at BUF ($25) - He has 11 goals and 11 assists in 29 career games against the Sabres, which means he's poised to add to his point total. The Sabres also aren't a very disciplined team sometimes, which means power-play opportunities for the league's best offensive defenseman.
Torey Krug, BOS at ANH ($26) - He's riding a four-game assist streak and turning it around on offense after slow months in December and January. It's not like he hasn't been trying with 207 shots on goal this season, but he's finally getting the bounces. He's played more than 20 minutes in each of his last six games. The Ducks won't be an easy opponent, however.
Defensemen to Avoid:
Shea Weber, NSH at WAS ($24) - He'll be playing the second half of a back-to-back and may be preoccupied with shutting down Ovechkin rather than trying to score. Trotz knows Weber very well, and should at least be able to figure out a way to keep the Predators in their own zone or otherwise limit the effectiveness of Weber's cannon. Roman Josi ($23) may be the better play in this situation.
Zach Bogosian, BUF vs. OTT ($22) - Who knows what's gotten into Bogosian, who has a goal and two assists in his last four games. The bruising defenseman showcased more offensive ability in Winnipeg, but he's never scored quite like this and in Buffalo has been tasked to take care of his own end first. Riding hot streaks can be fun, but Bogosian's been in the league long enough for people to realize that this pace just isn't sustainable.
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