This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
This Thanksgiving week, the NHL is all over the place schedule wise, with days either having only a couple – or no – games, or being packed to the brim. Monday, fortunately, is the latter. There are 10 games on the slate. Here are some players to target, and to avoid, for your DFS lineups.
GOALIE
Juuse Saros, NAS vs. ARI ($25): Saros' numbers are surprising, given that he came into this season with a career .920 save percentage. However, over his last six games the Finn has a .916 save percentage. Facing the Coyotes should help. They've managed a mere 24.1 shots on net per contest.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Alexandar Georgiev, COL at DAL ($33): Georgiev is the opposite of Saros. He has a .930 save percentage, but he came into this season with a career .908 save percentage. Dallas has scored 3.94 goals per game, second most in the NHL, so Georgiev could experience some regression Monday.
CENTER
Ryan Johansen, NAS vs. OTT ($15): Johansen is usually more of a playmaker, but this year he has five goals to go with his five assists. If that's not enough fives for you, he's also managed five points with the extra man. While the Senators have come out of the gate well offensively, defensively they have a 3.47 GAA and have allowed 34.1 shots on net per game.
CENTER TO AVOID
Brayden Point, TAM vs. BOS ($23): Point produces, well, points, but with 20 teams in action this is a hefty salary to consider. The Bruins have excelled at preventing goals and killing penalties, and with long-term divisional implications in this matchup, I expect Linus Ullmark in net. Ullmark has an 1.89 GAA and .937 save percentage.
WING
Pavel Buchnevich, STL vs. ANA ($20): Buchnevich struggled after returning from injury, but he has nine points in his last six games. Sure, that includes four points in his last outing, but his opponent for that one was these same Ducks. Anaheim has a 4.33 GAA and has allowed 38.1 shots on net per contest. It's not a fluke when the Ducks give up a bucket of goals.
Jonathan Marchessault, VGK at VAN ($20): Last season, Marchessault had 20 points with the extra man. This year he's averaged 2:41 per game on the power play and already has five points with the man advantage. Vancouver has the 31st-ranked penalty kill, and last year it ranked last so that doesn't feel like early-season weirdness.
WINGS TO AVOID
Andrei Svechnikov, CAR at WPG ($27): Svechnikov has tallied 12 goals, but oddly six of them have come from two hat tricks against the Oilers. He also has a 20.0 shooting percentage, which is likely to regress. Connor Hellebuyck has a 2.07 GAA and .935 save percentage, and the Jets also have the third-ranked penalty kill.
Claude Giroux, OTT at SAN ($20): Giroux has impressed with his new team, notching 18 points in 18 games. However, his 18.6 shooting percentage will likely drop. Also, six of his points have come on the power play. The Sharks actually rank first on the penalty kill, and they were top five last season so this also doesn't feel fluky.
DEFENSE
Torey Krug, STL vs. ANA ($17): Krug has a power-play goal in each of his last two games. The Ducks, meanwhile, have the league's worst penalty kill. This matchup is ideal for anybody, but certainly for a power-play specialist.
Mattias Ekholm, NAS vs. ARI ($12): Roman Josi is the star of the Nashville blue line, but to save some salary, Ekholm is a solid option. He has six points in 18 games, including two on the power play. The Coyotes have a 3.63 GAA and have allowed 34.8 shots on net per contest, and that has honestly exceeded expectation for this team.
DEFENSE TO AVOID
Brent Burns, CAR at WPG ($21): Burns has been great on Carolina's power play, racking up seven of his 12 points with the extra man. Of course, the Jets have the third-ranked penalty kill. That makes this matchup far from ideal for Burns.
Morgan Rielly, TOR vs. NYI ($20): Rielly has 16 assists, which is quite impressive, but zero goals. Also, he's only put 32 shots on net in 19 games. Ilya Sorokin has a 2.41 GAA and .925 save percentage. The Islanders also have the fourth-ranked penalty kill, and six of Rielly's assists have come with the extra man.
