This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Friday is the first day of this NHL season where teams are playing their second game of the year. In fact, the Golden Knights and Sharks will square off for the second time in as many games. The NHL is really milking this rivalry. We also get our first team on the second night of a back-to-back (congrats to the Jets). Also, the Blackhawks and Flyers are in Prague, so their game starts at 2 p.m. EDT. That means having to get your lineup in early to play a full slate, though surely contests involving just the four evening games will be available as well. Here are some players to target, and to avoid, for Friday.
GOALIE
Frederik Andersen, TOR at CLM ($34): I was not happy with any of the goalie options, frankly. I considered rookie Ilya Samsonov making his first start for the Capitals, but instead I went with the reliable Andersen. His save percentage has been .917 to .919 each of the last four seasons, and he has great offensive support behind him for getting wins. Plus, you may have heard that the Blue Jackets lost some offensive firepower this offseason (Artemi Panarin, Matt Duchene, et al).
GOALIE TO AVOID
Marc-Andre Fleury, VGK at SAN ($38): Fleury impressed in the season opener, making 21 saves on 22 shots on these same Sharks. That was at home, though, and Vegas has had a noted home-ice advantage since joining the NHL. Now Fleury is on the road, and the Sharks scored 3.52 goals per game last year. Sure, they've lost some pieces from last season, but that's still enough to make me skeptical.
CENTER
Sean Couturier, PHI vs. CHI ($24): There is something to be said for consistency, especially when you're talking about Couturier notching 76 points in each of his last two campaigns. He has been helped by the fact that he suddenly started getting more than three minutes per game on the power play. The goaltending should be better for the Blackhawks with Corey Crawford healthy and Robin Lehner around now. However, this is a team that gave up 34.8 shots on net per game last year, and the defense still lacks talent.
CENTER TO AVOID
Nicklas Backstrom, WAS at NYI ($26): This has nothing to do with Backstrom's skills, or the fact he had no points in the season opener. He's a fine player, but this is a tough matchup. Backstrom's former coach, Barry Trotz, completely revitalized the Islanders' defense and goal prevention last year. They ended up with a 2.33 GAA, lowest in the NHL. Trotz helped turn around the careers of Thomas Greiss and the aforementioned Robin Lehner. He knows how to stop an offense.
WING
Kyle Palmieri, NJD vs. WPG ($16): Palmieri has been a power-play weapon for the Devils since joining the team. He's notched at least 18 points with the extra man in each of the last four seasons. The Jets had the 22nd-ranked penalty kill last year, and they've lost a lot of defensive players from last year. Plus, they are on the road for the second game of a back-to-back.
Kasperi Kapanen, TOR at CLM ($12): It pays to have great linemates, and Kapanen is skating on Toronto's top line with John Tavares and Mitch Marner. He earned that by scoring 20 goals and adding 24 assists in his rookie campaign last year. The Blue Jackets lost a lot of players from last season, including starting netminder Sergei Bobrovsky. That means Joonas Korpisalo, who had an .897 save percentage last year, is in net.
WINGS TO AVOID
Patrik Laine, WPG at NJD ($22): Laine saw his numbers drop pretty notably last year, going from 44 goals to 30 goals. That includes 15 goals with the extra man. Despite some questionable goaltending last season, the Devils had the fourth-ranked penalty kill. Additionally, Cory Schneider posted a .952 save percentage in the preseason, and he had a .921 save percentage after the All-Star break.
T.J. Oshie, WAS at NYI ($21): With Evgeny Kuznetsov suspended, Lars Eller is centering Washington's second line. Eller isn't a bad player, but he's no Kuznetsov, and that hurts Oshie's potential for the time being. Meanwhile, the Islanders had a 2.27 GAA at home last year, and I trust Barry Trotz to keep that up.
DEFENSE
Tyson Barrie, TOR at CLM ($22): Barrie's first game went swimmingly. He picked up two assists, both at even strength. That's notable, because he also played 3:31 on the power play. Given that Joonas Korpisalo had an .897 save percentage last year, the beginning of Barrie's career could continue swimmingly.
Shayne Gostisbehere, PHI vs. CHI ($16): Gostisbehere had a down campaign last year, mostly because of a drop in his power-play numbers. However, the minutes were still there, as he averaged 3:29 per game with the extra man. The Blackhawks could improve this year, but they ranked last in penalty kill last season.
DEFENSE TO AVOID
John Carlson, WAS at NYI ($24): The lesson here, clearly, is to avoid the Capitals on the road against the Islanders. Thomas Greiss had a .927 save percentage last year. Semyon Varlamov had a .920 save percentage two years ago with Colorado, and playing in New York should only help. Carlson is pricey, and he's just too risky in this matchup.
Zach Werenski, CLM vs. TOR ($19): Werenski notched 15 of his 44 points with the extra man last year, but the power play looks decidedly different this season. That could end up hurting Werenski. That's something we don't know yet. Additionally, the 22-year-old saw his goals drop from 16 to 11 and shots drop from 207 to 168 last year.
