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Yahoo Daily Fantasy Hockey: Smart plays and fades for your lineup on Friday

Yahoo Daily Fantasy Hockey: Smart plays and fades for your lineup on Friday

By Dustin Nelson
RotoWire Hockey Writer

Friday is a bit of a strange night in the NHL as only four of the 12 teams playing rank in the top 17 in goals per game.

Edmonton (18th), Columbus (19th), Los Angeles (20th), New Jersey (21st), Calgary (22nd), Toronto (23rd), Detroit (24th) and Carolina (28th) are low-scoring teams, which makes it an interesting night to pick players with a lot of the top forwards coming from those four teams at the top of the pile -- Montreal (2nd), Nashville (6th), New York Islanders(8th) and Chicago (10th). On a night like this, the matchups are worth watching.

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GOALIE 

James Reimer, TOR at CAR ($35) - Reimer has worked his way into a three-way tie for the third-most expensive goaltender of the night. He faces the league's third-lowest scoring team, who has lost four straight games. Reimer has been on a tear lately, winning his last four starts and staying above a .900 save percentage in his last eight with a .949. He's on fire and faces a slumping team that isn't that great even when it isn't slumping. It's a nice recipe.

Goalies to Avoid: 

Keith Kinkaid, NJD at EDM ($24) - Kincaid is the cheapest goalie of the night, but the game against the Oilers may be a bit of a trap. Kinkaid is still a bit of an unknown quantity at just 23 career games over three seasons. That should be enough to steer clear of this "deal," but additionally, this game is on the road and these aren't the Oilers of the last five years. They're a legitimate offensive threat. Their 2.63 goals per game is 18th in the league, but it's a bit deceptive as they've averaged 2.92 goals per game over their last 13 games and are 20 percent on the power play. And they've only been shutout once this season. The Devils may win, but it doesn't mean it'll be a good night for Kinkaid.

Anders Nilsson, EDM vs. NJD ($26) - Likewise, you can't trust the second-cheapest goalie of the night. There's not a deal to be found here, but a goaltender playing OK behind a defense that can't protect its own end. The team allows the third-most goals in the league, and Nilsson is 38th in save percentage in the league. Nothing to see here.

CENTER 

Leon Draisaitl, EDM vs. NJD ($18) - Draisaitl does nothing but produce. His cost is on the rise, but the rookie is still a pretty good deal considering that he's on a four-game points streak over which he's put in three goals and four assists. Overall, he has 14 points in nine games and has only been held off the scoresheet twice. His 31.6 shooting percentage is going to come back to earth, but ride him while he's hot and cheap.

Centers to Avoid: 

Ryan Johansen, CBJ vs. NSH ($19) - In general, Johansen's early season struggles have made him a pretty reasonable deal given his high talent level, but it might be a perfect storm Friday night that could make him ineffective. With Brandon Dubinsky out of the lineup, Johansen has a great line with Brandon Saad and Boone Jenner. However, that concentration of talent on a single unit allows Nashville to focus its considerable defensive prowess onto Columbus' top line. Add in that if they can get through the deep Nashville defense, they'll still have to beat the goaltender with the ninth best even strength percentage over the last three seasons. Oh, and Columbus will be on the back end of a back-to-back.

Frans Nielsen, NYI vs. MTL ($24) - Nielsen has put together a nice couple games entering Friday, with three goals and an assist in the last two games. However, in the six games before that he had zero goals and one assist with just nine shots. He's a streaky player and you're paying for a hot streak with Nielsen. Overall, he has 14 points in 19 games, but he's actually scored in just nine games, which includes five multi-point games. The cost is too high for a boom-or-bust player like Nielsen.

WINGS 

Artemi Panarin, CHI at CGY ($23) - Panarin isn't among the cheapest of wings, but his fantasy points per game is the highest among players costing $26 or less. Panarin is on a six-game point streak and has five goals and eight assists over his last 10 games. It's been an impressive run for Planarian and linemate Patrick Kane. If you don't want to pay the high cost at the door to roster Kane, Panarin's about as close as you can get to a player who is that hot.

Teddy Purcell, EDM vs. NJD ($14) - Purcell's price has shot up and his fantasy points per game is a little lower than some of the guys at his price point -- Nail Yakupov, Jiri Hudler, Marko Dano among them -- but some adjustments made to his equipment with his skills coach have got him on a roll and playing with confidence. Additionally, the Connor McDavid injury has opened space in the team's top six, so he's playing with the team's top talent and it shows. In the last five games he has two goals, four assists and 14 shots. He's also seen his ice time start to rise with his strong play, crossing 20 minutes in the last two games.

Wings to Avoid: 

Marian Gaborik, LAK at DET ($13) - The name and the price make it look like it'll be a deal, but it's not. The three-time 40-goal scorer has just two goals and two assists through 18 games. It's a slump you don't want any part of.

Dale Weise, MTL at NYI ($16) - At this price, you're still paying for Weise's hot streak earlier in the season. He hasn't posted a point in four games and it's time to remember that, while the hot streak was great, this is a 27-year-old forward whose career high is 10 goals and 19 assists.

DEFENSEMEN 

Duncan Keith, CHI at CGY ($21) - Keith has been on fire since he came back from injury. He has a point in each of the three games and has put up seven shots and five blocked shots. Importantly, he went right back to playing about 25 minutes a night, giving him many chances to score and be on the ice with the Patrick Kane and Artemi Panarin line, which has been one of the hottest in the league.

Mike Green, DET vs. LAK ($13) - Only one player at $17 or less has as many fantasy points per game as Green, and what that hides is that he's trending upward. In the seven games before he went out with an injury he averaged less than a shot per game. In the six games since he returned he's averaged more than two shots per game and has four points. He's also been on the ice for more than 50 percent of Detroit's time with the man advantage. The goals haven't been coming how you'd expect, but he's due and he's producing at an increasing rate. He's a great deal at $13.

Defensemen to Avoid: 

Justin Faulk, CAR vs. TOR ($21) - Faulk is earning fewer points on average than many players in the same price range. Add in that Carolina is in that aforementioned slump and about to hit a hot goaltender and it's a bad combo. Even worse for fantasy, the Canes look like they're going to give Jaccob Slavin his NHL debut on Friday, and he practiced as a part of a pairing with Faulk. It's not a knock on Slavin, but you'd rather see Faulk paired up with someone who increases his value than someone he's likely to be carrying.

Kris Russell, CGY vs CHI ($20) - For this price, Russell has just one goal and two assists this season. What you're buying is blocked shots. He leads the league with 71, but you aren't getting anything else from him. He has a single point in his last eight games, he averages just 1.2 shots per game and has a single shot in his last three games. Chicago takes the seventh most even strength shot attempts (score-adjusted) per 60 minutes of play, so there should be opportunities for blocking shots, but it's shot blocks or bust. For just $1 more you can grab Mark Giordano who is third in the league in blocked shots and has much more offensive potential with an average of 2.4 shots per game.

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