This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Thanks to the NHL's staggered starts Friday, there's a chance you'll be able to catch the end of the Habs-Sabres, Bruins-Islanders and Lightning-Jets games in succession. With six games on the slate, those three aforementioned matchups will probably be the most entertaining, should you wish to avoid looking at your Yahoo Daily Fantasy Hockey team and simply enjoy the games.
Buffalo will not face Carey Price, but the Habs should be the favourite and extend their franchise-best start to 8-0-0. The Sabres should be able to make things interesting, however, since they have the legs to keep pace with Montreal's breakneck speed. It'll also be interesting to see if Jack Eichel will draw the top pair of P.K. Subban and Andrei Markov. Buffalo's generating scoring chances but not capitalizing, so expect a relatively low-scoring game.
The B's and Isles matchup loses a little luster because the Isles are clearly a much better team, but when you can throw Brad Marchand and Zac Rinaldo on the ice against Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck, something's going to happen. Patrice Bergeron, arguably the league's best defensive forward not named Pavel Datsyuk, against the best player within 10 feet of the net, John Tavares, should be fun to watch as well.
Meanwhile, the Jets play host to the Lightning in Winnipeg, which will pit Jonathan Drouin and Nikolaj Ehlers, former teammates and leading scorers for the Halifax Mooseheads, against each other. The two youngsters love to score and should be able to put on quite the show. Tampa Bay has the bigger star power, but the Jets are also a deep team with a mobile defense. No reason to think that this game won't be close or feature some highlight reel goals.
GOALIE
Jonathan Quick, LA vs. CAR ($33) - He's coming off consecutive wins against Minnesota and Colorado, allowing just two goals against two of the most potent offenses in the conference. It's no surprise the Kings winning is coinciding with Quick's strong play, and despite playing in the second half of a back-to-back, the Hurricanes should be an easy win. There's not a lot of sneaky value plays for goalies on Friday, so the best play is to just roll with the guy with the best chance of winning.
Goalie to Avoid
Philipp Grubauer, WAS at EDM ($35) - Yes, the Caps should stomp the Oilers, but the Oilers' offense is flying high with three straight wins, scoring 10 goals in the process. That's not mentioning they have this kid that's pretty good -- I think his name is Connor McDavid or something like that -- who's really playing well and showing the league why he was taken with the first overall pick. There's a good chance Grubauer wins, but don't expect sparkling numbers, and at that price, Ben Bishop ($34) is the better option.
CENTER
Ryan Strome, NYI vs. BOS ($16) - He's playing with arguably the best center in the league right now in Tavares, and though he just had his three-game points streak snapped, that was coming off a three-day rest that may have thrown him a little off rhythm. Even with Zdeno Chara back in the lineup, the Isles should have no problem beating the B's. This kid has oodles of talent and should grab a few points here and there. Teammate Brock Nelson is also an attractive play, but Nelson doesn't get as much as playing time as Strome.
Center to Avoid
Ryan Spooner, BOS at NYI ($15) - There's so many better players around this price range that it's kind of baffling Spooner will cost this much. He's one of the few prospects the Bruins have drafted and developed who's panned out, and the 23-year-old has some second-line potential, but against a tough team on the road and with the ice time he gets (about 10-15 minutes per game), he's not a very good value play. David Desharnais and Eichel are much better plays at the same price.
WING
Nikolaj Ehlers, WPG vs. TB ($18) - My love for this kid knows no bounds. He's a slick, slick player who can stickhandle in a phone booth, and his flair for the offensive rivals that of former junior teammate Drouin, and maybe even a young Patrick Kane. He gets plenty of consistent and substantial playing time under Paul Maurice and has four points in his past five games. This kid is dynamite. The Lightning will be tough to beat, but the Jets tend to play well in front of their raucous home crowd.
Marian Gaborik, LA vs. CAR ($17) - Snipers tend to score in bunches, and even though the Slovakian sharpshooter is past his prime, the guy can still pick corners. Just ask Reto Berra, who couldn't react quickly enough to a stick-side shot from Gaborik in the slot, showing off his quick release. Ideally, you'd like to see him shoot the puck a lot more, but the entire Kings offense sputtered to start the season. Cam Ward is expected to start, which will give the Kings plenty of scoring opportunities, especially against a relatively thin and inexperienced blue line. There are certainly better options, but Gaborik is an intriguing high-risk, high-upside play.
Wings to Avoid
Brian Gionta, BUF vs. MON ($18) -Carey Price isn't starting, which is always a good thing for the other team, but Gionta's way past his peak and shouldn't offer anything more than a steady veteran presence, some speed and maybe a few harmless shots. The Buffalo captain must realize that the team belongs to the kids and is more than likely to take a backseat as he enters the twilight of his fruitful career. Gionta has been held without a point in three games and hasn't scored more than 20 goals since the 2010-11 season.
Tyler Randell, BOS at NYI ($17) - Look, Randell's a nice story after toiling in the minors for three seasons, but the 24-year-old just doesn't have a very high offensive ceiling, even if he does have two goals in three games. He's a fourth-line player, and DFS players who play him are only looking to ride a hot streak, which isn't the best strategy in the first place anyway.
DEFENSEMEN
P.K. Subban, MON at BUF ($24) - Subban has yet to score a goal through seven games, so he's bound to score one sooner than later after scoring 15 goals last year. He has a good chance to do that against Buffalo, which likely will start Chad Johnson. Buffalo's played well, but defense and goaltending remain its biggest weaknesses, and that's something a very well coached and speedy Habs team should exploit.
Mark Giordano, CGY vs. DET ($18) - He has just one goal and a minus-6 rating in six games this season, but he's still the cream of the crop when it comes to defensemen. At $18, he's a bargain based on his potential, and after scoring his first goal of the season in his previous game against Washington, it's possible that he's just heating up. He did, after all, miss a chunk of the season last year with an injury.
Defensemen to Avoid
Johnny Boychuk, NYI vs. BOS ($20) - There may be extra incentive for Boychuk to play well against his former team, but Travis Hamonic and Calvin de Haan average more ice time than him. He doesn't get much time on the power play, either, with Marek Zidlicky taking most of those duties. Boychuk posted good numbers last year, but faded in the second half of the season after a hot start.
Mike Green, DET at CGY ($16) - Green just hasn't lived up to expectations. Take it from a guy who drafted Green and expected him to fit seamlessly into the Red Wings defense and score a bunch of points. Since notching an assist in the season opener, Green has finished with a minus rating in each of his last four games and held without a shot in two of his past five games. Until he starts getting into a groove it's best just to avoid him.
