This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
No team has played double-digit games yet, which means we can't get too invested in the sample size we have seen. I don't think Jesper Bratt is going to win the Art Ross. Still, we are starting to see some things percolate this year, which is always good for your confidence as a DFS player. There are six games on the NHL slate for Friday, but interestingly Vegas is hosting Anaheim at 6 p.m. ET. That's only an hour earlier than usual, so it shouldn't mess with getting your rosters set much, if at all. Here are some players to target, and to avoid, for your DFS lineups.
GOALIE
Frederik Andersen, CAR vs. NYI ($35): Don't expect many pucks in the net with this one. After having a 2.17 GAA in his first season with the Hurricanes, Andersen has a 2.23 GAA to start this season. Carolina also tops the league in preventing shots on net since the start of last year, and that's something that has been true for a few years. The Islanders have a strong goaltending and defensive reputation themselves, but since the start of last season they are in the bottom eight in goals and shots on net per game.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Linus Ullmark, BOS at CLM ($36): Ullmark is off to an excellent start to the season, but this is an outing to avoid. The Bruins are on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back, for starters. On top of that, the Blue Jackets are 14th in goals per game since the start of last season, and now they have Johnny Gaudreau and a once-again-healthy Patrik Laine.
CENTER
Evgeni Malkin, PIT at VAN ($26): Last season, Malkin had 20 power-play points…in 41 games. This year he has three through seven outings. The Canucks have gotten brutal goaltending this year, are on the second night of a back-to-back, and have the league's worst penalty kill since the start of last season.
CENTER TO AVOID
Elias Pettersson, VAN vs. PIT ($23): As I mentioned, the Canucks are on the second leg of a back-to-back. Pettersson has started the season well – offense is not Vancouver's problem – but this is a tricky situation. While Tristan Jarry has a 2.82 GAA, he has a .923 save percentage. The Oilers pummeled him with shots in Edmonton, scoring six goals on 47 shots on net, but I don't expect the Canucks to replicate that.
WING
Clayton Keller, ARI vs. WPG ($19): The Coyotes finally get a home game. Sure, they are playing their home games in, if I recall correctly, an abandoned warehouse that seats 20 people (or something like that), but at least they catch the Jets on the second night of a back-to-back. David Rittich will likely be in net for Winnipeg, and in his career he has a .905 save percentage. Keller remains a rare bright spot for the Coyotes, and he is on a five-game point streak.
Cole Perfetti, WPG at ARI ($17): Perfetti got a taste of the NHL last season, but this year the 20-year-old is with the team to start the year and is skating on the second line. Though the Jets are on the second leg of a back-to-back, I am not worried. Since the start of last season the Coyotes are last in GAA and shots on net allowed per game, and I expect both of those things to remain true this year.
WINGS TO AVOID
Teuvo Teravainen, CAR vs. NYI ($19): Teravainen has three assists through six games, but so far no goals, and no points on the power play. He was reliant on extra-man situations last season, as 31 of his 65 points came with the man advantage. The Islanders have the third-ranked penalty kill since the start of last year, and also have Ilya Sorokin, who has a career .924 save percentage.
Anders Lee, NYI at CAR ($19): Lee has four goals this season, though with a 19.0 shooting percentage that is high even for him. Two of those goals have come with the extra man as well. The Hurricanes have the league's best penalty kill since the start of last season, not to mention the league's lowest GAA, so goals are often hard to come by in this matchup.
DEFENSE
Bowen Byram, COL at NJD ($17): Byram is being given a bigger role this season, as he has averaged 21:15 in ice time. It's helped him notch six points through seven games, though his 20.0 shooting percentage is going to dip. Scoring with pucks on net has been easy against the Devils so far. Mackenzie Blackwood has an .871 save percentage, and he's been the better of the two goalies for New Jersey.
Jeff Petry, PIT at VAN ($17): Petry has four points in seven games, though three of them came in one outing. Notably, though, he's averaged 2:30 per contest with the extra man. The Canucks have had the league's worst penalty kill since the start of last season, and they are also on the second night of a back-to-back.
DEFENSE TO AVOID
Brent Burns, CAR vs. NYI ($20): Burns has fit well into Carolina's top power-play unit, with three of his four points coming with the extra man. However, this matchup isn't conducive to his strengths. The Islanders, as I noted earlier, have the third-ranked penalty kill since the beginning of last season.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson, VAN vs. PIT ($14): Ekman-Larsson is off to a nice start with four points in seven games. However, it's been a few years since he was a 40-point guy. Even with Quinn Hughes out and a larger role for the Swede, I would steer clear. It's the second leg of a back-to-back, and Tristan Jarry had a 2.42 GAA and .919 save percentage last year.
