This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
The NHL is taking a few days off for the holidays, so Friday will be your last chance until Tuesday to play daily fantasy on Yahoo. Fortunately, the league is pulling out all the stops with a whopping 12 games on the schedule. That's a lot of players to choose from, but we're here to help you sift through all the options.
GOALIE
Martin Jones, SAN vs. EDM ($34): The Sharks have been quite stingy defensively, giving up the second-fewest shots per game (26.5) and a mere 2.21 goals per game. Additionally, San Jose is 11-4-0 at home as well as 7-3-0 in the last 10 games. There are a lot of goalies to choose from, but when you combine Jones' sharp play with the defense playing in front of him and a friendly price, he looks like a nice value.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TAM at WAS ($35): With Ben Bishop (lower body) out, the Lightning have to turn to Vasilevskiy, and he'll likely end up doing double duty on Thursday and Friday. While he played quite well against Detroit on Tuesday and the Blues on Thursday, the Russian had been in a bid of a skid before those two contests. Even if Vasilevskiy plays well, the odds of him picking up the win don't seem great. The Capitals are a formidable team, carrying a plus-14 goal differential and some of the league's scariest offensive weapons. For this price, Vasilevskiy seems like a risky option.
CENTER
Jeff Carter, LOS at DAL ($22): The Stars are giving up 3.06 goals per game, and their penalty kill ranks 27th in the NHL. Their goaltenders have a collective save percentage of .898, although Antti Niemi is up to .911 now. Carter puts a ton of shots on net – 107 in 33 games – and he's also got seven power-play points. If he puts his usual number of shots on goal, he could be in for a money-making fantasy effort.
CENTER TO AVOID
Nathan MacKinnon, COL at CHI ($20): Corey Crawford will be making his first start since Dec. 1, and if he doesn't show any rust, he should make things tough on the Avalanche, what with his 2.27 GAA and .927 save percentage. MacKinnon will be playing on the second night of a back-to-back following Thursday's shutout loss, and he's only averaging 6.6 fantasy points per game. With so many other options available, you can find somebody who's having a better season and part of a better offense than Colorado (averaging a league-worst 2.1 goals per game).
WING
Jeff Skinner, CAR vs. BOS ($23): With Tuukka Rask having gotten the start Thursday, Anton Khudobin is projected to be in net for the Bruins in this game. That obviously changes things for Skinner and company, as Khudobin has a lowly .887 save percentage. Skinner is playing his biggest minutes since the 2012-13 season, and he's earned that ice time with his play. He's notched 13 goals on 115 shots, and if Khudobin is indeed in net, the 24-year-old will be in great position to score some more.
Kyle Okposo, BUF at NYI ($20): The Islanders give up the second-most shots per game (33.3), while Jaroslav Halak has a 3.13 GAA and .907 save percentage. Meanwhile, Okposo – a long-time Islander who'll be making his first appearance at Barclays Center as a visitor – has notched 22 points this season, including 12 on the power play. Considering New York is 25th in penalty-kill percentage, Okposo's prowess with the extra man could definitely come in handy.
WINGS TO AVOID
Alexander Radulov, MON at CLM ($19): Columbus is allowing the second-fewest goals in the league (2.07), and that's been the case regardless of who's been in net. While Sergei Bobrovsky has shouldered the load, backup Curtis McElhinney has been just as good in his limited action (1.99 GAA, .938 save percentage). Radulov hasn't scored a goal in his last five games, and he's only taken 66 shots in 31 games. That's not a bad total, but it's not good enough to warrant usage in such a tough matchup.
Chris Kreider, NYR vs. MIN ($21): The Wild have been far and away the league's best team at goal prevention, and Devan Dubnyk has been the league's best goalie, pacing the field in GAA and save percentage. Now, since Dubnyk got the start Thursday, Darcy Kuemper could possibly be in net, and he's been less consistent – two great starts and two poor starts. Kreider started the season off hot, but he's settled down, and now he has nine goals in 29 games. With so many teams in action, you don't have to run the risk of going with a player stuck trying to solve Minnesota.
DEFENSEMEN
Dougie Hamilton, CGY vs. VAN ($18): Vancouver will be on the second night of a back-to-back, which won't help a team that allows 3.03 goals per game and has a collective save percentage of .900. Hamilton has five points in his last six games, and he's taken 100 shots in 35 games. He's overcome a slow start to have a fine season so far, and there's no reason to think that won't continue against the Canucks.
Justin Schultz, PIT vs. NJD ($17): Both the Devils and Penguins play Thursday and Friday, so no team gets that extra bit of rest, but New Jersey's problems definitely won't be ameliorated by the back-to-back games. The Devils have struggled on defense and in goal, giving up three goals per game on 31.9 shots per tilt. Schultz is one of the pleasant surprises of the season, having piled up a fairly incredible 15 points over his last 12 games. Without Kris Letang in the lineup lately, Schultz's minutes have gone up, especially on the power play, which only helps his fantasy prospects.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Ryan Suter, MIN at NYR ($23): Since getting a break while Antti Raanta went on a tear, Henrik Lundqvist has played much better, letting in three goals in three games and raising his save percentage to .920. Suter plays a ton of minutes, but he only has 19 points, and five of those have come on the power play. He can't count on that against New York's sixth-ranked penalty kill, and neither can you. Suter is one of the most expensive defensemen Friday; and you can find better values.
Ryan McDonagh, NYR vs. MIN ($20): The bona fides of the Wild's defense and goaltending were mentioned earlier, so that doesn't need to be rehashed. McDonagh only has one goal, and that's destined to improve, but he's still not going to light the lamp with any reliability. One-third of McDonagh's points have come on the power play, and the Wild have the NHL's fifth-best penalty kill. Considering they're the very best team at goal prevention, that's a bad combination for the Rangers' captain.
