Daily Fantasy Hockey: Vitek Vanecek leads Friday picks

If you were hoping to kick back and dig into some NHL action Friday, your choices are limited. There are only three games on the slate. Hey, some hockey is better than none. Here are the players to target, and to avoid, for your DFS lineups.

GOALIE

Vitek Vanecek, NJD at ANA ($31): This is the one-and-only choice for goalie Friday. In a sea of questionable choices, Vanecek has a 2.37 GAA and .913 save percentage. The Ducks are maybe the NHL's worst team, and they are 31st in goals per game at 2.26.

GOALIE TO AVOID

Casey DeSmith, PIT vs. WPG ($27): The Penguins are catching a Jets team on the second leg of a back-to-back, but I still don't want to bite on this matchup. Tristan Jarry is out, leaving DeSmith to start, but the longtime Penguins backup is having the worst season of his career. DeSmith has a 3.18 GAA and .904 save percentage, and the Jets are in the top 10 in goals per game.

CENTER

Logan Couture, SAN vs. EDM ($18): Couture has a three-game point streak, giving him 35 points in 43 games. While he's on the second line for the Sharks, he's on the top power-play unit, and he has 13 points with the extra man. Stuart Skinner isn't going to be back from paternity leave for this game, leaving Jack Campbell and his .879 save percentage in net for the Oilers.

CENTER TO AVOID

Trevor Zegras, ANA vs. NJD ($16): Zegras impressed as a rookie, and he's earned a bigger role this season. However, with lesser teammates around him, even with the larger role I'd say Zegras' numbers have remained steady instead of improving. The Devils have allowed a mere 27.3 shots on net per contest, which is a big reason why Vanecek has a 2.37 GAA.

WING

Rickard Rakell, PIT vs. WPG ($20): Rakell has 14 goals in 40 games, but he's also put 124 shots on net. That kind of shooting is never a bad thing for putting up sheer numbers, as you don't get bonus points for efficiency in DFS. Connor Hellebuyck started for the Jets on Thursday, leaving David Rittich to start Friday. In his first season as a backup in Winnipeg, Rittich has a 2.75 GAA and. 905 save percentage.

Erik Haula, NJD at ANA ($15): The Devils have two elite centers, which creates a favorable landscape for their wingers. Haula has five assists in his last six games. While he only has two goals this season, that's with a 2.6 shooting percentage. Forwards simply don't convert that poorly in the NHL over a long enough span of time. The Ducks are last in GAA and shots on net allowed per game, which helps Haula to be sure.

WINGS TO AVOID

Zach Hyman, EDM at SAN ($26): Hyman is en route to a career year, with his performance on the power play fueling that. He's tallied 17 of his 44 points with the extra man, and 11 of his 20 goals. However, killing penalties is the strength of the Sharks. They rank second in penalty-kill percentage.

Blake Wheeler, WPG at PIT ($17): Wheeler and Nikolaj Ehlers both returned from injury recently, but while Ehlers has hit the ground running, Wheeler has been a little slower in terms of getting into the swing of things, including only putting four shots on goal through four games. Also, Wheeler has dropped to the second power-play unit with Ehlers back. Winnipeg is on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back, so even with DeSmith in net, I don't necessarily want to go with Wheeler.

DEFENSE

Dougie Hamilton, NJD at ANA ($24): Hamilton takes a ton of shots. He's put 140 on target through 41 games. The Ducks have allowed 38.8 shots on net per contest, most in the NHL. It's not hard to connect A to B on that front for this recommendation.

Matt Benning, SAN vs. EDM ($13): I've been turning to Benning in favorable matchups as a salary-saving secondary option from the San Jose blue line. Benning has averaged 19:23 in ice time and has 18 points, including five in his last eight games. As I noted, Campbell is expected in net for the Oilers, and he has a 3.59 GAA and .879 save percentage.

DEFENSE TO AVOID

Tyson Barrie, EDM at SAN ($20): Barrie has been even more reliant on the power play than his teammate Hyman. Twenty of the defenseman's 30 points have come with the extra man. Given the Sharks have the second-ranked penalty kill, this matchup isn't up Barrie's alley.

Cam Fowler, ANA vs. NJD ($11): Fowler has played a ton of minutes and provided veteran presence to the Ducks, and also has 18 points from the blue line. Nine of those have come on the power play, though, and the Devils have a top-10 penalty kill.