This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Welcome to NHL trade deadline day. In addition to the wheeling and dealing, there are four games on the slate. Here are some players to target, and to avoid, for your DFS lineups.
GOALIE
Juuse Saros, NAS at ANA ($33): The obvious choice is Jeremy Swayman ($37) in a vacuum, but I'm looking past him for Saros. The Finn is no slouch, sporting a 2.47 GAA and .923 save percentage. Meanwhile, Anaheim has been sellers, headed in the wrong direction this season. The Ducks are banged up, and have averaged 2.80 goals and 29.7 shots on net per contest.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Cam Talbot, MIN vs. VGK ($24): Talbot has managed three good starts in his last four games. However, he has a .907 save percentage this season. Vegas may challenge him more than you expect. It may have scored 3.14 goals per game, just above average, but it has also managed 33.9 shots on net per game as well.
CENTER
Ryan Johansen, NAS at ANA ($16): It pays to pivot a line featuring Filip Forsberg and Matt Duchene. Case in point, Johansen has 45 points in 59 games. John Gibson has seen the defensive talent in front of him get shipped out, and it wasn't like he was having a fun time to begin with. He's allowed at least three goals in each of his last 12 games.
CENTER TO AVOID
Nick Suzuki, MON vs. BOS ($21): I've been enthused by Suzuki's play, and with good reason. That being said, he's run into a matchup I am wary off. Swayman has a 2.09 GAA and .925 save percentage. The Bruins have also only allowed 29.0 shots on net per contest.
WING
Mats Zuccarello, MIN vs. VGK ($21): The Wild are kind to its top offensive players, as the wings on their top line – Zuccarello and Kirill Kaprizov – start the highest percentage of their shifts in the offensive zone. Zuccarello has started a whopping 61.9 percent of his shifts in that particular zone. For his part, the Norwegian has only been held without a point twice in his last 16 games. Meanwhile, with Robin Lehner out the Golden Knights have been relying on the goaltending duo of Lauren Brossoit (2.90 GAA) and Logan Thompson (2.98 GAA).
Valeri Nichushkin, COL vs. EDM ($19): Gabriel Landeskog is out, and Nichushkin has stepped onto Colorado's top line. Wouldn't you know it, he has two points in each of his last two games. Now he faces an Oilers team with a 3.16 GAA.
WINGS TO AVOID
Zach Hyman, EDM at COL ($20): Hyman moved from Auston Matthews' wing to Connor McDavid's, and he's matched his career highs in goals (21) and points (41). He hasn't had more power-play success, though, with only six points with the extra man all year. Darcy Kuemper has only allowed one goal total across his last three starts, giving him a 2.41 GAA and .923 save percentage on the season.
Troy Terry, ANA vs. NAS ($18): With so many guys out for the Ducks, and Sonny Milano ice cold, Terry is almost a one-man offense. That's daunting, especially against a goalie like Saros. As I mentioned, he has a 2.47 GAA and .923 save percentage.
DEFENSE
Alex Pietrangelo, VGK at MIN ($21): Pietrangelo has five points in his last five games, giving him 35 points in 62 contests. He's also put 177 shots on net to boot. The Wild have a 3.20 GAA and Talbot has a .907 save percentage, so this could be a high-scoring affair.
Charlie McAvoy, BOS at MON ($20): The Canadiens have the league's highest GAA and a bottom-five penalty kill. Sure, Jake Allen is back, but he has a 3.09 GAA and .903 save percentage. That penalty kill is the most-intriguing thing with McAvoy. He's averaged 3:01 with the extra man and has 18 power-play points.
DEFENSE TO AVOID
Darnell Nurse, EDM at COL ($20): Nurse has a four-game point streak, but as a defenseman who doesn't play much on the power play that's hard to sustain. I expect his streak to come to a screeching halt in this matchup. After, Kuemper has been just as hot. He's posted back-to-back shutouts.
Cam Fowler, ANA vs. NAS ($15): Fowler is something of the last man standing on the Anaheim blue line, but it's not like he can play many more minutes. He's already averaged 24:16 on the season. Not having as much talent around him makes things harder for Fowler, and don't forget Saros' .923 save percentage.
