This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Saturday night, we have six games starting at 7 p.m. EST or later. One is the Stadium Series game between the Devils and Flyers. That's fun! Another is the Sharks hosting the Blue Jackets. That's less fun! These are my players to target, and to avoid, for your DFS lineups.
GOALIE
Mackenzie Blackwood, SAN vs. CLM ($20): I talked trash about this matchup, and here I am recommending a goalie from it. However, I think it's reasonable. Over his last 10 games, Blackwood has a 2.58 GAA and .922 save percentage. The Blue Jackets have averaged 2.90 goals and 29.8 shots on net per contest. Blackwood may struggle to get the offensive support necessary to win, but you never know. Sometimes, it's worth taking a gamble.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Connor Hellebuyck, WPG at VAN ($31): The favorite for the Vezina visits one of the NHL's top offenses. Vancouver has averaged 3.69 goals per game, tied for second in the league, and it ranks 10th on the power play. Oddly, even with Hellebuyck around, the Jets rank 25th on the penalty kill.
CENTER
Mason McTavish, ANA at TOR ($14): McTavish has the best pair of wings on the Ducks, as he is skating with Troy Terry and Frank Vatrano. He also happened to have six points in his last eight games, including two goals in his last outing. Ilya Samsonov, the only notable healthy goalie for the Maple Leafs, has an .881 save percentage.
CENTER TO AVOID
Sebastian Aho, CAR at VGK ($25): The Hurricanes are the sole NHL team on the second leg of a back-to-back Saturday. Aho has delivered, as per usual, but so has Adin Hill. Hill has a 2.00 GAA and .933 save percentage, so I'd avoid a potentially weary Aho visiting Vegas.
WING
Mitchell Marner, TOR vs. ANA ($26): The Maple Leafs lack for depth, but not for high-end talent. Marner has 60 points in 51 games, including 18 with the extra man. Anaheim has a 3.42 GAA and ranks 24th on the penalty kill. This is a matchup worth shelling out for Marner's salary.
Fabian Zetterlund, SAN vs. CLM ($13): Zetterlund has gotten a much larger role this season. He's up to 18:37 per game in ice time, including 2:09 with the extra man. That's helped him tally 14 goals on 125 shots on net through 53 games. Columbus is threatening to overtake San Jose for the highest GAA in the NHL. The Blue Jackets are up to 3.72 on that front, and they can't claim any improvement in goaltending recently like the Sharks can.
WINGS TO AVOID
Brock Boeser, VAN vs. WPG ($28): Boeser has 30 goals. He also has only lit the lamp once in his last 13 games, and that was against the Blue Jackets. Thus, I don't feel so great about him in a matchup with Hellebuyck, who has a 2.13 GAA and .926 save percentage.
Kyle Connor, WPG at VAN ($27): Connor has put 35 shots on net in nine games since returning from injury. That is quite good, but he only has two goals, and no assists, in that time. His luck will turn around, but Demko's high-quality play makes me wary of betting on that luck arriving Saturday. On the year, Demko has a 2.16 GAA and .920 save percentage at home.
DEFENSE
Zach Werenski, CLM at SAN ($25): Better play in net or not, the Sharks' defense remains porous. They have allowed a league-high 35.5 shots on net per game. Werenski has tallied 109 shots on net through 40 contests. The blueliner should get pucks on goal, and he also has 29 assists on the season.
Cam Fowler, ANA at TOR ($15): Fowler has two multi-point games in his last three outings. Now, he has had multiple points on the power play in both contests, but that's not a concern here. The Maple Leafs rank 22nd on the penalty kill, and that's with a couple guys who have played better than Samsonov in the net for portions of the season.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Brent Burns, CAR at VGK ($22): The 38-year-old Burns will have to play on the road for the second game in as many nights. That's not ideal for older legs. It's also not ideal to face Hill, what with his .933 save percentage.
Luke Hughes, NJD vs. PHI ($12): In addition to the unknowns of an outdoor game, this matchup is tricky for Hughes. Twelve of his 27 points have come on the power play. The issue is that the Flyers rank second in penalty-kill percentage.
