This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
With the Edmonton-Vancouver contest postponed, there are only five games in the NHL on Friday. However, only the four matchups beginning at 7 p.m. EST and later are included in the featured contests at Yahoo. The Avalanche are gigantic home favorites, whereas Vegas is receiving significant road chalk. The Bruins host the Islanders for the second leg of a back-to-back set after Boston topped New York 4-1 on Thursday. Here are picks and pans at each position for Friday's contests.
All statistics from Natural Stat Trick and Hockey Reference.
GOALIE
Devan Dubnyk, COL vs. LA ($26): Considering you have to start two goalies, Dubnyk is an obvious choice because of his low salary. He turned in a 31-save win in his Avalanche debut and is now positioned to have a solid conclusion to the season backstopping the league's top-ranked team. After all, Colorado paces the league in Corsi For percentage and ranks second in goals against per game. Plus, Los Angeles has also only scored 2.17 goals per contest through its past 12 games. Jonas Johansson ($23) is also worth a look, if he receives the starting nod.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Martin Jones, SJ at MIN ($31): After a sterling stretch (6-1-1 record, .942 save percentage and 1.84 GAA), Jones has lost three of his past four starts with .869 and 3.84 ratios, so he checks out as a risky start against the Wild. Minnesota brings an admirable offense to the table and is 15-4 with 3.47 goals per game on home ice this season.
CENTER
Nathan MacKinnon, COL vs. LA ($34): It's a bit of a shallow center pool Friday, so swinging for the fences with MacKinnon is definitely in play. Los Angeles' third-ranked 84.4 penalty-kill percentage props up their goals-against numbers, but MacKinnon is matchup proof. He's only missed the scoresheet once in the past 19 games and racked up 12 goals, 19 assists, 13 power-play points and 76 shots during the surge.
CENTER TO AVOID
Nazem Kadri, COL vs. LA ($22): Even with the noted neutral matchup against Los Angeles in mind, Kadri's current form doesn't correlate with this steep salary. He's collected just four points through his past 16 games, and Kadri's no longer skating with the No. 1 power-play unit.
WING
Kirill Kaprizov, MIN vs. SJ ($21): There's been some game-to-game inconsistency with Kaprizov this season, but that's typically part and parcel for rookies. He's recorded just a single assist through the past three games, so a rebound showing shouldn't surprise. Additionally, this is also a soft matchup with San Jose the third most goals per 60 minutes at five-on-five in the league.
Taylor Hall, BOS vs. NYI ($12): This salary is too low for Hall considering his new fantasy setup with the Bruins. He scored in Thursday's win and has attempted 10 shots through two games with Boston. Hall is locked into a scoring role and skating on the No. 2 power-play unit, so even with the Islanders allowing the third fewest goals per game in the league, he's in position to return value on the cap hit.
WINGS TO AVOID
David Pastrnak, BOS vs. NYI ($33): As noted, the Islanders are a daunting opponent, and Pastrnak carries the second highest salary in the winger pool. He's also in an uncommon cool stretch and missed the scoresheet in seven of the past 11 games. Just note, Thursday's two-assist showing could be the beginning of a heater.
Evander Kane, SJ at MIN ($23): The Wild have surrendered the fewest high-danger scoring chances per 60 minutes at five-on-five, and as noted, they've been excellent on home ice this season. Kane has also missed the scoresheet in five of his past seven games, so there are probably better options in the veteran winger's salary range.
DEFENSE
Shea Theodore, VGK at ANH ($23): A high-floor, high-ceiling target, Theodore has amazingly posted positive Yahoo fantasy points in all but one game this season while posting a fourth-ranked 2.25 points and second-ranked 17.17 shot attempts per 60 minutes among regular defensemen this season. There's nothing scary about a date with the Ducks, either. Anaheim has surrendered a healthy 3.09 goals per game and rank 19th in penalty-kill percentage.
Samuel Girard, COL vs. LA ($17): An affordable addition to a Colorado stack, Girard has cooled off slightly offensively with just three assists through his past eight games. However, he continues to receive consistent power-play time and has averaged 24:02 of ice time per game during the stretch. Plus, for the year, he still ranks 11th in points per 60 minutes among regular defensemen and his plus-17 rating adds sneaky value in these scoring settings.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Alec Martinez, VGK at ANH ($20): A well-rounded fantasy contributor, Martinez has provided a lot of value over the years through a respectable shot volume and willingness to block shots. The 33-year-old veteran has been chipping in offensively more consistently this year, though, which has his salary up. Martinez isn't projected to receive reliable power-play time Friday, either.
Drew Doughty, LA at COL ($18): Expect Doughty to spend most of his ice time matched up against the Nathan MacKinnon-Mikko Rantanen-Gabriel Landeskog line Friday, which is an on-ice nightmare for the veteran. After all, the trio have dominated five-on-five possession with a 65.8 Corsi For percentage and have a plus-19 goal differential. Not only is Doughty a plus-minus risk, he's only found the scoresheet in 10 of his past 13 outings.
