This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
It's a busy night in the NHL of Friday with eight games. Additionally, all but three teams are suiting up for either the front or end of back-to-back set. The Penguins, Blue Jackets, Stars, Panthers and Kraken all played Thursday, whereas the Rangers, Hurricanes, Red Wings, Coyotes, Islanders, Wild, Blackhawks and Lightning all play Saturday. Vancouver, Anaheim and St. Louis are the exceptions.
All statistics from Natural Stat Trick and Hockey Reference.
GOALIE
Ilya Sorokin, NYI vs. ARI ($34): With an active 4-1-1 record supported by a .934 save percentage and 1.96 GAA, Sorokin enters in strong form. The Coyotes are 5-11-3 on the road with just 1.93 goals per 60 minutes at five-on-five, and the Islanders are huge favorites on home ice and as close to being at full health as they've been all season.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Igor Shesterkin, NYR at CAR ($36): There are enough goalies in the pool to consider a calculated pass on Shesterkin. Carolina ranks fourth in goals per game, fifth in power-play percentage and is also 12-4-1 on home ice.
CENTER
Brayden Point, TB at ANH ($30): It's not the most attractive center pool Friday, so targeting a high-floor, high-ceiling contributor is a solid starting point for lineups. Point has marked the scoresheet in 10 of 11 games since returning from an upper-body injury, and the Ducks are 2-7-1 with 33 goals allowed out of the break.
CENTER TO AVOID
Brayden Schenn, STL at SEA ($18): A five dollar jump in salary should signal the warning call for all to see. Schenn racked up two goals and two assists at five-on-five last time out after missing two contests while in COVID-19 protocols. It'll take another multi-point showing to reach value Friday.
WING
Jason Robertson, DAL at DET ($18): This is low salary for a high-end contributor skating in a top offensive role. Robertson has found the scoresheet in nine of his past 10 games for seven tallies and eight helpers, and Detroit enters with an underwhelming 5-8-2 active record while surrendering 51 goals.
Jordan Eberle, SEA vs. STL ($12): The veteran has gone 13 games without finding the back of the net despite registering 28 shots, 54 attempts and 31 individual scoring chances. Positive regression is ahead, and the Blues rank third last in expected goals per 60 minutes at five-on-five.
WINGS TO AVOID
Artemi Panarin, NYR at CAR ($28): Another expensive Ranger to be wary of, Panarin lands in a tough matchup against Carolina. The Hurricanes pace the league in goals against per game and penalty-kill percentage while also ranking second in Corsi For percentage at five-on-five. Panarin has also registered an underwhelming five shots and 14 attempts through the past four games.
Tyler Bertuzzi, DET vs. DAL ($22): Currently producing at a point-per-game pace for the campaign, Bertuzzi is likely overachieving. He's also scored nine times with a 32.1 shooting percentage through his past 11 outings, so negative regression is all but guaranteed moving forward.
DEFENSE
Victor Hedman, TB at ANH ($26): With 16 points – four goals – through his past 14 games, Hedman is not only producing elite offensive numbers, he's up to a career-high 2.5 points per 60 minutes. As noted, there's nothing scary about the matchup, either.
Noah Dobson, NYI vs. ARI ($16): Everything is trending in the right direction for Dobson, and the Coyotes have allowed the second most goals per game this season while also ranking 31st in penalty-kill percentage. The third-year blueliner has racked up five tallies, five helpers, 38 shots and 25 blocks through his past 14 games.
DEFENSE TO AVOID
Jaccob Slavin, CAR vs. NYR ($19): The Rangers allow the second fewest goals per game and rank third in penalty-kill percentage, so this isn't a favorable matchup for offense. Additionally, while Slavin's recorded seven points through his past nine contests, he's also missed the scoresheet entirely in six of those games.
Mikhail Sergachev, TB at ANH ($18): This is an inflated salary for Sergachev. Despite racking up a respectable five assists through nine games since the holiday break, the Russian blueliner hasn't reached double-digit fantasy points once. His secondary statistics — 14 shots, 14 blocks and minus-2 rating — during the stretch also hardly move the fantasy needle.
