This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Maybe you are looking ahead to the weekend. Maybe you are focused on the MLB playoffs. But you should give some attention to the NHL on Friday. There are three games on the slate. Here are some players to target, and to avoid, from this limited selection of players.
GOALIE
Joonas Korpisalo, CLM vs. ANA ($20): This may very well be the only time I recommend Korpisalo all season. He has not been good to start the year, I acknowledge that. However, this is potentially a great matchup as the Ducks ranked last in both goals and shots on net per game last year. They are also on the road for the second night of a back-to-back. It's a bit of a gamble, but I'd roll the dice on Korpisalo today.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Sergei Bobrovsky, FLA at BUF ($35): Maybe it's Florida that makes the goaltending bad, and not the goalies that are the problem. Since moving down to Miami, Bobrovsky has posted a 4.78 GAA and .859 save percentage. Meanwhile, the Sabres are off to a hot start to the campaign and have notched 4.50 goals per contest through four games.
CENTER
Vincent Trocheck, FLA at BUF ($20): Trocheck dealt with injuries last year, but still managed 34 points in 55 games - including 13 with the extra man. He recorded two points in the opener this year. And while he hasn't notched a point since, he has fired 10 shots on goal through three games. The Sabres' offense looks good to start the year, but last season they struggled with a 3.27 GAA.
CENTER TO AVOID
Sebastian Aho, CAR vs. NYI ($25): Aho isn't quite replicating his star turn from last year, as he only has one point through four games. I expect him to turn it around eventually, but not in this matchup. The Finn has to face the Islanders, who managed a league-low 2.33 GAA last season.
WING
Sam Reinhart, BUF vs. FLA ($17): Reinhart skates on Buffalo's top line with Jack Eichel and the red-hot Victor Olofsson, and frankly Reinhart is just as hot in his own right. He's got a four-game point streak and already has two points with the extra man. As I noted earlier, Sergei Bobrovsky is sitting with a 4.78 GAA and .859 save percentage to start, and the Panthers registered a 3.33 GAA as a team last season.
Alexandre Texier, CLM vs. ANA ($14): Texier is considered an intriguing NHL prospect, and he's finally joined the Blue Jackets' lineup as a regular on Columbus' second line and power-play unit. He's gotten on the board now with two points in his last outing. As previously mentioned, the Ducks are on the road for the second night of a back-to-back, which should benefit Texier.
WINGS TO AVOID
Nino Niederreiter, CAR vs. NYI ($17): Much like Aho, Niederreiter has been scuffling to start the year. He has tallied one assist through four games, and has only put seven shots on net. That's a far cry from the 30 points he scored in only 36 games after being dealt to Carolina last season. The Islanders allowed fewer goals than any team last year, and they still have Barry Trotz as head coach so they will likely be around that area again this year.
Anders Lee, NYI at CAR ($14): It's been a slow start to the year for the usually reliable Lee. He has only managed three shots on net through three games. Putting pucks on goal has been hard against the Hurricanes for the last couple of seasons. Last year, the Canes only allowed 28.6 shots on net per contest.
DEFENSE
Seth Jones, CLM vs. ANA ($18): Jones enjoyed his first notable game of the season in his last outing, notching an assist and five shots on net. He's also posted double-digit power-play points in each of his last two seasons and has averaged over 2:20 per game with the extra man in both campaigns. The Ducks ranked 20th on the penalty kill last year, and they are on the road for the second night of a back-to-back Friday.
Keith Yandle, FLA at BUF ($18): Yandle registered a staggering 39 power-play points last year, and he's essentially a power-play specialist at this point in his career. That'll make DFS players happy, though, because power-play time can lead to easy points. Indeed, the 33-year-old has averaged 4:39 per game with the extra man this year and already has two power-play points. On top of that, Buffalo had a 3.27 GAA last year.
DEFENSE TO AVOID
Dougie Hamilton, CAR vs. NYI ($20): Hamilton has hit at least 39 points in each of his last five seasons. Maybe he'll do that again this year, although I don't expect him to add to his point total in this contest. Like I've said a couple times, the Islanders posted the lowest GAA in the league last year, and Thomas Greiss had a .927 save percentage.
Ryan Pulock, NYI at CAR ($15): As you may have noticed, every skater I recommended to avoid came from the Hurricanes-Islanders matchup. That just made sense. The three games going on today are Sabres-Panthers, Ducks-Blue Jackets, and this battle between two teams who both finished in the top-10 in GAA. Even just compared to the other two matchups, this game is worth avoiding because better values exist elsewhere. So yeah, avoid Pulock, and try and avoid basically every Hurricane and Islander.
