This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Happy Halloween! The NHL is sitting it out for the holiday by and large. Only two games are happening, and the first starts at 8 p.m. EDT. Also, both games are taking place in Canada. Maybe Halloween isn't as big up there? Regardless, here are your players to target, and to avoid, for your DFS lineups Tuesday.
GOALIE
Thatcher Demko, VAN vs. NAS ($33): Demko's off to a strong start to the season, with an 1.91 GAA and .936 save percentage through five games. The Predators haven't been bad offensively, but they have been the worst of the four teams in action, which tracks given that they were below average last year as well.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Joseph Woll, TOR vs. LOS ($26): The Maple Leafs have already declared that Woll will start this one. He's outperformed Ilya Samsonov, as he has an 1.33 GAA and .961 save percentage. However, while Samsonov got to face the Predators in Toronto's last game, Woll has to take on the Kings. Los Angeles has averaged 4.38 goals per game, tops in the NHL.
CENTER
John Tavares, TOR vs. LOS ($27): Tavares just had a seven-game point streak end, which happened to be the first seven games of the season. However, even without scoring, he put four shots on net. Cam Talbot is the least impressive of the four goalies expected to start, as he has a 2.72 GAA and .905 save percentage.
CENTER TO AVOID
Ryan O'Reilly, NAS at VAN ($17): O'Reilly has stepped into Nashville's first-line center spot, and he has four goals and two assists through eight games. However, his 23.5 percent shooting will surely regress. Facing Demko and his .936 save percentage could accelerate that.
WING
Adrian Kempe, LOS at TOR ($22): Kempe has been both productive and unlucky. He has eight points in eight games, but on 7.7 percent shooting. Last year he scored 41 goals and put 250 shots on net. Woll has been good, but with only four teams in action, I'll go with a player who is hot even without any real puck luck.
Andrei Kuzmenko, VAN vs. NAS ($17): Kuzmenko quietly scored 39 goals last year, though his 27.3 percent shooting is not replicable. What is notable, though, is that 14 of his goals came with the extra man. This year Kuzmenko has played 4:20 per game on the power play and tallied two power-play points. It's early, but the Predators have a bottom-five penalty kill.
WINGS TO AVOID
Tyler Bertuzzi, TOR vs. LOS ($17): Bertuzzi has already been dropped to Toronto's second line, ceding the role next to Auston Matthews and Mitchell Marner that had helped Michael Bunting and Zach Hyman excel. He's also only put eight shots on net over his last six games. While Cam Talbot's goaltending has been iffy, the Kings have only allowed 27.6 shots on goal per contest. Somebody who isn't a prolific shooter may not overcome that.
Phil Di Giuseppe, VAN vs. NAS ($17): Di Giuseppe is on Vancouver's second line, and he has four points in eight games. However, he does not play on the power play at all, so he won't face Nashville's struggling penalty kill. That means Di Giuseppe will have to try to get it done at even strength against Juuse Saros, who has a career .919 save percentage.
DEFENSE
Quinn Hughes, VAN vs. NAS ($23): I mentioned the Predators' poor penalty kill, and when you think power-play production from the blue line, you likely think of Hughes. He's had over 30 points with the extra man in each of his last two campaigns. This year he has four power-play points and has averaged 4:20 per game with the extra man, so it's been more of the same.
Morgan Rielly, TOR vs. LOS ($20): Rielly has had an interesting season. He's playing significantly less on the power play, but all in all is seeing more ice time than usual. Rielly has averaged 24:03 per game, and he's remained productive. The defenseman has seven points in eight games, and he's put 16 shots on net over his last six contests. That productivity, combined with Talbot's .906 save percentage over the last three seasons, is good enough for me.
DEFENSE TO AVOID
Drew Doughty, LOS at TOR ($19): This is a bet on regression toward the mean. Doughty has four goals in eight games, but on 26.7 percent shooting. Woll has a career .934 save percentage. Maybe the Kings will make it tough on him, but Doughty is producing at a level he cannot sustain.
Filip Hronek, VAN vs. NAS ($17): With all the power-play minutes Hughes eats up, there's not much left for Hronek. He's been productive, with seven assists in eight games. However, he's only averaged 1:38 per contest on the power play. That means he will face Juuse Saros and his career .919 save percentage without much help from the man advantage.
