This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
The NHL is taking a bit of a breather Friday, with only two games taking place. It's not a lot of hockey, but of course you can still play daily fantasy if you want. And why wouldn't you want to? So with that in mind, here are my recommendations for who to target, and who to avoid, for your lineup.
GOALIE
Ben Bishop, DAL vs. VGK ($37): Bishop posted a .934 save percentage last year in a Vezina-worthy campaign and guess what? He's also compiled a .934 save percentage this season. The Golden Knights are on the road for the second game of a back-to-back, which also makes this matchup enticing for Bishop.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Malcolm Subban, VGK at DAL ($22): There are two goalies you really want to start Friday, and two you totally want to avoid. It's pretty cut and dry. Yes, the Stars haven't been all that good offensively. The Golden Knights still travel for the second leg of consecutive contests. Subban comes in with a .901 save percentage. There's no reason to overthink the goalie situation today.
CENTER
Nazem Kadri, COL vs. NJD ($18): All the love goes to Colorado's big three, but you don't have the best offense in the NHL based only on one line's worth of players. Kadri has proven to be a fine secondary center for the Avalanche with 21 points in 28 games. The former Maple Leaf has also averaged 4:14 per game with the extra man, giving him plenty of opportunity to rack up points on the power play.
CENTER TO AVOID
William Karlsson, VGK at DAL ($22): You can piece together how this is going to go, right? I'm going to be recommending Avs and Stars and telling you to avoid Golden Knights and Devils. Let's start with Karlsson, who has only produced one goal in his last 12 games. Now he's facing a Stars team with an NHL-low 2.31 GAA.
WING
Joonas Donskoi, COL vs. NJD ($19): Donskoi has already notched 13 goals, which is one off his personal best. He should shoot well past that, especially if he stays hot. The Finn has kept it going with 11 points over his last eight games. As for the Devils, they enter with a 3.57 GAA - the second-worst mark in the league.
Denis Gurianov, DAL vs. VGK ($11): This is a bit of a long shot. But if you put a guy like Gurianov in your lineup, then you can more easily afford somebody like, say, Nathan MacKinnon if you so choose. Gurianov has some stuff going for him. He's started 61.3 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone - highest on the Stars. The 22-year-old has also averaged 1:51 per game with the extra man and has recorded four power-play points. Gurianov has scored two goals across his last three outings and put six shots on net in the game where he didn't score. If he can keep this up, he could be a huge steal.
WINGS TO AVOID
Taylor Hall, NJD at COL ($26): Hall's 5.5 shooting percentage is going to improve, but he's been struggling mightily. He's tallied just six goals in 30 games, far off the expected pace. Philipp Grubauer has been banged up for the Avalanche, but it hasn't hurt them at all. Pavel Francouz has stepped up with a 2.37 GAA and .927 save percentage.
Mark Stone, VGK at DAL ($23): Stone has done a lot of his damage on the power play, as 10 of his 26 points have come with the extra man. However, he's only registered one power-play point from his last 10 contests. Since the Stars own the league's best GAA, it's probably not surprising to find out they also maintain a top-10 penalty kill.
DEFENSE
Ryan Graves, COL vs. NJD ($18): Cale Makar has been banged up, so I'm going to recommend a more under-the-radar Colorado defenseman in case he's not good to go. Graves got a taste of NHL action last year, but he's adopted a new role this season. He's notched 12 points in 30 games, and he's also blocked 67 shots. I've already noted the Devils have a 3.57 GAA, but on the road that number increases to 3.86.
John Klingberg, DAL vs. VGK ($17): Since returning from injury, Klingberg has looked more like himself. He's racked up six points in his last nine games, including four on the power play. Malcolm Subban comes in with a 3.04 GAA and .901 save percentage, and he'll also be behind a team on the road for the second game of a back-to-back.
DEFENSE TO AVOID
Shea Theodore, VGK at DAL ($19): On the one hand, Theodore has been quite active offensively with 27 shots on goal over his last eight games. However, he also has zero points across those outings. Ben Bishop has been solid with a 2.03 GAA and .934 save percentage, so it will be hard for Theodore to change the results on the scoresheet in this matchup.
Sami Vatanen, NJD at COL ($18): With P.K. Subban mired in a huge slump, Vatanen has had to shoulder more of the offensive load for the Devils. While the assists have been there, the Finnish defenseman hasn't managed a goal in his last 15 games. It will be a tough task to get in gear on the road against an Avalanche team ranked in the team GAA top-10.
