This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Friday's NHL slate features just three games, with a special 2:00 PM Eastern time start courtesy of the Panthers and Jets meeting in Finland. Read on to see which players to target and which ones to avoid from that game, as well as the Avalanche-Canucks and Hurricanes-Coyotes matchups.
GOALIE
Antti Raanta, ARI vs. CAR ($31): As is often a problem for decent teams that lack superstars, Carolina's able to drive possession but struggles to finish off chances. As a result, the team ranks below average in goals per game (2.92) despite leading the league in shots per game (41.7). Lots of save opportunities with few goals against is an ideal setup for a fantasy goalie, and Raanta's stellar 1.99 GAA and .926 save percentage suggest he should be up to the task of keeping the Hurricanes at bay.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Philipp Grubauer, COL at VAN ($32): Grubauer's 2.76 GAA and .916 save percentage are both by far the worst of the three projected starters priced above $27. Since he's neither cheap nor superbly effective, it doesn't make much sense to use Colorado's backup here, especially with his team at greater risk than usual of laying an egg while playing its second road game in as many nights.
CENTER
Sebastian Aho, CAR at ARI ($25): Carolina may not have a superstar, but Aho is certainly the closest player on the roster to becoming one. He's opened the season on a 12-game point streak, tallying four goals and 13 assists in all. Due to his consistent scoring and plus-11 rating, Aho has only scored fewer than 8.8 fantasy points twice this season and is yet to drop below 6.8. Raanta won't make it easy for Aho to extend his point streak, but the third-year forward's hot start has earned him the benefit of the doubt.
CENTER TO AVOID
Bo Horvat, VAN vs. COL ($19): Horvat's unlikely to maintain his current scoring pace. He's yet to put more than three pucks on net in a game this season, and the career 13.1 percent shooter is benefiting from a 21.2 percent conversion rate that's almost certainly unsustainable. It doesn't make sense to pick him over identically priced Canucks center Elias Pettersson, who has equaled Horvat's production of seven goals and three assists despite suiting up for just eight games to Horvat's 14.
WINGS
Patrik Laine, WPG vs. FLA ($26):Patrik Laine? More like hat trick Laine. Laine will once again be motivated to put on a show for the Finnish crowd while playing in his home country, just as he did with three goals Thursday. The career 17.3 percent shooter came into Thursday's performance with just three goals on 34 shots, explaining the drop-off in his scoring pace after he burst onto the scene with 36 and 44 goals in his first two seasons. It's no surprise that he's getting back on track against a Panthers team that's giving up 3.70 goals per game.
Brendan Gaunce, VAN vs. COL ($12): Owners looking to save up for expensive skaters like Aho and Laine should take a chaunce on Gaunce. The 2012 first-rounder stuffed the stat sheet in his season debut Wednesday, producing a goal, an assist and a plus-3 rating in just 9:34 of ice time. Perhaps that performance will earn him more minutes this time around. At just $12, he's a low-risk, high-reward pick.
WINGS TO AVOID
Colton Sceviour, FLA at WPG ($14): Sceviour's ice time has dropped in each of the past two contests as he's been demoted to the fourth line, and he skated a season-low 8:19 Thursday. He has just one point this season and doesn't look like he's going to increase that total anytime soon.
Justin Williams, CAR at ARI ($18): Williams has had a forgettable last seven games, recording just one assist to go with a minus-7 rating. Given the Coyotes' defensive prowess this season, turning things around will be difficult in this matchup.
DEFENSEMEN
Oliver Ekman-Larsson, ARI vs. CAR ($20): Ekman-Larsson is coming off arguably his best game of the season Tuesday, as he potted his first power-play goal of the campaign while putting a season-high seven pucks on net. That goal with the extra man should be the first of many considering the Swedish blueliner has potted 45 power-play goals since the start of the 2013-14 campaign. He couldn't handpick a better opponent when it comes to vulnerable penalty kills, as Carolina's giving up goals on a league-high 33.3 percent of opposing power-play opportunities.
Ian Cole, COL at VAN ($15): Cole's not flashy, but he provides an excellent floor due to his defensive prowess and shot-blocking ability. Already on his ledger this season are games with six, seven and eight blocks. In a slate with plenty of high-skilled players worth paying up for, Cole can lock in a decent performance on the cheap.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Kevin Connauton, ARI vs. CAR ($19): You'd like to see more offensive upside out of a player at this price, as Connauton's value is primarily tied to his plus-8 rating, but he has only two assists without a goal this season. He also missed Tuesday's game due to an illness, so the defenseman's not even a guarantee to suit up in this one.
Keith Yandle, FLA at WPG ($21): Yandle scored a goal Thursday, but he still provided only 3.9 fantasy points due to a minus-2 rating. The Panthers will be heavy underdogs again in this rematch, so it's best to exercise caution here and stay away from their more expensive players like Yandle.
