This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Friday, coming after Thanksgiving as it does, is packed to the gills with hockey action. However, much of it is in the afternoon. That leaves us with six games starting at 7:30 p.m. ET or later. Still, after a day sans NHL action, it's good to be back at it. Here are my players to target, and to avoid, for your DFS lineups.
GOALIE
Jake Oettinger, DAL vs. CGY ($36): Oettinger righted the ship after a few down starts, which is encouraging. Plus, he still has a 2.45 GAA and .920 save percentage even after scuffling. Calgary's offense has lacked much punch, as it ranks 27th in goals per game.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Ilya Sorokin, NYI at OTT ($30): Sorokin, usually a steady goalie, is having issues this year, as is the Islanders' defense. He has a .909 save percentage and 3.21 GAA. This is not a matchup for finding one's form, as the Senators have averaged 3.73 goals per contest.
CENTER
Brock Nelson, NYI at OTT ($18): Nelson as a four-game point streak, with four goals in that time. The thing is, even with that he has a 15.2 shooting percentage, which is well within the parameters of his usual production rate. Joonas Korpisalo is banged up, but both he and Anton Forsberg have a GAA over 3.00, so it doesn't really matter.
CENTER TO AVOID
Elias Lindholm, CGY at DAL ($): Lindholm, unlike Nelson, remains unlucky. On top of that, he doesn't have as palatable an opponent for finding success. Oettinger has his .920 save percentage, and the Stars also have the fifth-ranked penalty kill for good measure.
WING
Valeri Nichushkin, COL at MIN ($23): Skating next to Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen can do some wonderful things for a player. Nichushkin, for example, has four two-point games in a row. That's a hard level of production to sustain, but on the other and the Wild have a 4.00 GAA and the league's worst penalty kill. The Russian winger has certainly been helped by the fact that over his last seven games he's averaged 4:12 per contest with the extra man.
Drake Batherson, OTT vs. NYI ($17): Batherson started the season slow, but he has seven points over his last nine games, and he's also put 29 shots on net. The shooting is encouraging, as the Islanders have allowed 35.1 shots on goal per game. Batherson is also benefiting from a role on the top power-play unit, and the penalty kill for New York ranks 31st.
WINGS TO AVOID
Vladislav Namestnikov, WPG at FLA ($19): Namestnikov has a five-game point streak, but he's been a bit reliant on others, as he only has one goal in that time. On top of that, he only has four shots on net in those four games, and 27 shots on goal total over 18 games this season. When you shoot at that level of frequency, offensive success is harder to find. Sergei Bobrovsky has a 2.69 GAA, and he's been helped by the fact the Panthers have only allowed 27.9 shots on goal per contest. There's a good chance Namestnikov doesn't get a single puck on target.
Oliver Bjorkstrand, SEA vs. VAN ($19): Bjorkstrand's stock is inflated a bit at the moment based on the fact he just tallied four points against the Sharks. Given the fact San Jose barely counts as an NHL team, I'm taking that with a grain of salt. The Canucks are a tougher matchup to be sure, especially with Thatcher Demko having a 2.26 GAA and .923 save percentage.
DEFENSE
Devon Toews, COL at MIN ($19): Toews won't see a ton of power-play time against the Wild's league-worst penalty kill, but that may not be necessary. He has seven points over his last seven games with only one point coming with the extra man. Plus, the Wild don't have a 4.00 GAA solely based on their penalty kill.
Brady Skjei, CAR vs. TAM ($17): This may be one last chance to get while the getting is good with the Lightning. The talk is Andrei Vasilevskiy might – might! – return during this three-game road trip for Tampa. Right now, though, the feeling is that Jonas Johansson with his 3.41 GAA and .894 save percentage will be in net. Skjei has seven points in his last seven games, and he's put 17 shots on net in that time as well.
DEFENSE TO AVOID
Brandon Montour, FLA vs. WPG ($22): It feels a little early for Montour's salary to have risen this high (fourth among defensemen). He's been back for three games and has zero points with four shots on net. Connor Hellebuyck started slow, but he has a 2.43 GAA and .915 save percentage over his last 11 games.
Rasmus Andersson, CGY at DAL ($19): Andersson, of course, is likely to be seeing Oettinger and his .920 save percentage. Additionally, the Swedish defenseman has played 3:18 per game with the extra man. The Stars, as I noted, have the fifth-ranked penalty kill, so don't expect any fortune there.
