This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
There's just a single tilt in the NHL on Friday, and Yahoo has a single-game contest where you're not position-restricted and select five players while staying under a $115 salary cap.
The Jets are home underdogs against the Maple Leafs, and it's the final game of the season for both clubs. There's nothing on the line for either club, as both of their playoff seeds are cemented. Typically, this would be a spot for veterans or players nursing minor injuries to watch from the press box, but both teams have long layoffs ahead. Winnipeg begins its series against Edmonton on Wednesday, May 19, and the Maple Leafs host the Canadiens in Game 1 of their series Thursday, May 20. Still, you'll want to double-check the projected lineups for each team before the 8 p.m. EST puck drop.
Here are a handful of picks and pans from the player pools of both of Sunday's contests.
All statistics from Natural Stat Trick and Hockey Reference.
Picks
Auston Matthews, TOR at WPG ($34): You can still load up a solid lineup around Matthew's contest-high salary, and he's likely to reward as a foundation piece of your roster. After all, his shot volume provides a high floor, and he's recorded an impressive 20 goals, 10 assists and 102 shots with a plus-14 rating through his past 22 contests. It doesn't hurt that Winnipeg allows the most high-danger scoring chances per 60 minutes in the league, either.
Connor Hellebuyck, WPG vs. TOR ($31): This is a reasonable salary to consider taking Hellebuyck in an upset spot. Toronto ranks eighth in shot attempts per 60 minutes, so there will be opportunities for the reigning Vezina winner to pad his fantasy-point total with saves. Hellebuyck also has two shutouts through his past three starts.
Mark Scheifele, WPG vs. TOR ($25): With two goals and four assists through his past four games, Scheifele is up to 61 points -- 21 tallies -- through 55 games for the campaign. It's his fifth consecutive season scoring at a point-per-game pace or better. He has posted a minus-6 rating through nine games against Toronto this season, though, so there is some risk.
Alex Galchenyuk, TOR at WPG ($13): Considering this is Galchenyuk's final opportunity to push for a spot in the lineup for Game 1 of the playoffs, it would be surprising if he didn't have a strong showing. He ranks third on the team in individual high-danger scoring chances per 60 minutes at five-on-five and is also projected to skate on the No. 1 line, so the upside is high relative to the salary.
Pierre-Luc Dubois, WPG vs. TOR ($11): The first-year Jet has recorded just a single assist through his past 11 contests, and his salary is way down as a result. Dubois remains in a top-six role and is receiving power-play time, so he's a low-salary target to consider.
Dylan DeMelo, WPG vs. TOR ($10): The veteran doesn't move the offensive needle often with just eight assists through 51 games, but he's projected to skate on the No. 1 defense pair and has chipped in three helpers, 14 shots, eight blocks and a plus-5 rating through his past eight games. Just note, even at a contest-minimum salary, there's some risk as he could see a lot of five-on-five ice time matched up against the Auston Matthews ($34) and/or John Tavares ($25) lines.
Pans
William Nylander, TOR at WPG ($23): It's been a solid stretch since returning from the COVID-19 protocol for Nylander, as he's racked up four goals and eight assists through 11 contests and also sports an eight-game point streak. However, he's also gone nine games without a multi-point showing and hasn't topped double-digit fantasy points in any of those nine contests.
Blake Wheeler, WPG vs. TOR ($19): Coming off a two-goal, four-point showing, the Winnipeg captain could be a popular target. He's also recorded an impressive 12 points through 10 games since returning from a concussion, but his 20.8 shooting percentage is high, and he's still recorded a minus-4 rating during the stretch to drop to minus-19 for the campaign.
Jake Muzzin, TOR at WPG ($19): Without the requirement to roster a defenseman, and Muzzin checking out as the most expensive blueliner in the contest, he's a bit risky. Additionally, he's probably eyeing some negative offensive regression considering he's collected two tallies and seven helpers through the past eight games. Additionally, he's also a candidate to see fewer minutes Friday.
