This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
There are six games in the NHL on Friday, and there are significant favorites in each matchup. The Capitals, Golden Knights and Hurricanes are receiving the most chalk and are all playing on home ice. It's also worth noting Arizona, Anaheim and Carolina are all playing for the second consecutive night. Here's a quick-hit look at options for the daily contests at Yahoo.
All statistics from Natural Stat Trick and Hockey Reference.
GOALIE
Antti Raanta, CAR vs. CHI ($22): Carolina is rolling, and Raanta has been a solid netminder for prolonged stretches through his career when healthy. The 32-year-old goalie boasts a career .919 save percentage and 2.42 GAA, after all. Additionally, the Hurricanes have only allowed eight goals through six games, and Chicago has the second worst Corsi For percentage in the league while scoring just six five-on-five goals through seven games to start the campaign.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Marc-Andre Fleury, CHI at CAR ($23): On the flip side of the Chicago-Carolina bout, Fleury's salary is attractive, but the matchup is daunting -- even with Carolina playing the second leg of a back-to-back set. The Hurricanes have won six straight to start the campaign with a plus-17 goal differential. While there is also letdown potential after a tidy 3-0 win over Boston on Thursday, Fleury's .839 save percentage and 5.74 GAA through his first four starts should cause pause.
CENTER
Peyton Krebs, VGK vs. ANH ($10): The Ducks lost to Buffalo in overtime Thursday, so this should be a soft schedule spot for the Golden Knights. Krebs has been extremely quiet to start this season and is still looking for his first point of the campaign. There's a lot to like, though. He's skating in an offensive role with consistent power-play time, sports a contest-minimum salary and has a high-end offensive pedigree at the lower levels.
CENTER TO AVOID
Tyler Seguin, DAL vs. OTT ($21): The center pool is loaded Friday, and there are multiple options from various salary ranges. As a result, Seguin's so-so start makes him a risky target. He's only reached double-digit fantasy points once this year, and his minus-4 rating highlights his downside in this scoring setting.
WING
Alex Ovechkin, WAS vs. ARI ($34): While there's definitely negative regression ahead of Ovechkin's 25.8 shooting percentage, and especially considering he's only recorded seven individual high-danger scoring chances, it's hard to look past No. 8 considering his current form. He's up to eight tallies, five helpers, 31 shots and 57 attempts through just seven games. As noted, the Coyotes are also in a vulnerable schedule spot and have surrendered 4.86 goals per game this year -- last in the league.
Jonathan Marchessault, VGK vs. ANH ($15): The veteran winger has translated 43 shot attempts into just two goals and an 11.1 shooting percentage to start the campaign. The shot volume offers a high-fantasy floor, and as noted, Marchessault and the Golden Knights land in a favorable schedule spot against the Ducks.
WINGS TO AVOID
Brady Tkachuk, OTT at DAL ($19): The 22-year-old winger offers a respectable fantasy floor and plays a top offensive role. However, the Stars have surrendered the sixth fewest expected goals per 60 minutes at five-on-five and eighth fewest overall this season. There are probably enough softer matchups to look elsewhere Friday.
Sam Reinhart, FLA vs. DET ($18): Sporting a five-game point streak consisting of two tallies, five helpers and 10 shots, Reinhart enters in high-end form. However, he's seeing secondary offensive minutes skating on the third line at five-on-five and with the second power-play unit. It'll probably be tough to maintain his offensive pace given his current role.
DEFENSE
John Carlson, WAS vs. ARI ($21): Another Capital to target in the soft matchup, Carlson has underachieved offensively to start the season, and it's reflected in his salary. The veteran defenseman has recorded just 1.1 points per 60 minutes this season after recording an elite 2.29 mark over the previous three years.
Tony DeAngelo, CAR vs. CHI ($17): This salary doesn't align with DeAngelo's current form or proven offensive upside. He's found the scoresheet in four of six games to start the campaign for a goal and four assists. Additionally, negative regression looms for Chicago's 92.0 penalty-kill percentage, which further sets up nicely for DeAngelo.
DEFENSE TO AVOID
MacKenzie Weegar, FLA at DET ($19): A road game in Detroit isn't the cakewalk it once was, and Weegar's fantasy floor is probably more attractive than his ceiling. After all, he's failed to reach double-digit fantasy points in each of his past four outings. For what it's worth, the Red Wings rank seventh in goals this season, too.
Seth Jones, CHI at CAR ($19): As noted, this is a tough matchup, and while Jones is coming off his best outing of the campaign (17.5 fantasy points), it's hard to view him as anything other than a contrarian flier. After all, his minus-9 rating this season is crippling in this scoring system.
