This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
It's a busy Saturday in the NHL, and the main contests at Yahoo! consist of the 10 evening games beginning at 7 p.m. EST. There are two back-to-back matchups with Colorado-Arizona and Los Angeles-Minnesota playing for the second consecutive night. It's obviously an incredibly deep player pool, so unless you're looking for contrarian angles, there's no need to force players into lineups with tough matchups. Vegas, Colorado, Chicago and Tampa Bay are all the largest favorites on the docket.
GOALIE
Connor Hellebuyck, WPG vs. MON ($30): Montreal has lost seven of its past nine games, including four straight, so this is probably best viewed as a neutral matchup for Hellebuyck. The Canadiens attempt the most shots per 60 minutes at five-on-five in the league, which will provide plenty of save opportunities, and while they also rank seventh in goals per game, Hellebuyck probably has positive regression ahead for his .913 save percentage and is always capable of a game-stealing performance. His salary isn't prohibitive, either.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Anton Khudobin, DAL at TB ($30): After holding the Panthers to just two goals on 94 shots through his past two starts, Khudobin is positioned for a letdown showing against Tampa Bay on Saturday. After all, the Lightning have scored the second-most goals per game in the league and are 8-1 at home this season.
CENTER
Pierre-Luc Dubois, WPG vs. MON ($17): The move to the wing has sparked Dubois' offensive touch, as he's collected three goals and two assists through the past two games skating alongside Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler. The Canadiens have also allowed 16 goals during their four-game losing streak. Just note, Dubois has scored on every shot he's taken the past two games, so an uptick in shot volume is likely needed for him to continue rolling at his current pace.
CENTER TO AVOID
John Tavares, TOR at EDM ($28): There's a lot at play here. Auston Matthews is dealing with a wrist injury, and his availability will impact Tavares significantly, so it's important to keep tabs on Toronto's lineup news ahead of puck drop. However, this still sets up as a difficult matchup for Tavares, as he'll likely be playing the majority of his five-on-five shifts opposite Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl. Add Tavares' current form -- one tally and two helpers through the past seven games -- and the veteran's salary definitely seems high.
WING
Chandler Stephenson, VGK at ANH ($15): The Golden Knights have shuffled the deck, and Stephenson is projected to center Mark Stone and Alex Tuch on Saturday, which remains a favorable assignment for the 26-year-old forward. The matchup also checks out with Anaheim losers of five consecutive games, allowing 17 goals in that stretch. View Stephenson as a salary-based fit to fill out lineups.
Jordan Kyrou, STL at SJ ($14): This is a plus matchup with San Jose allowing the second-most goals per game in the league and owning a 23rd-ranked 76.2 penalty-kill percentage. Kyrou paces the Blues in points per 60 minutes with a 3.36 mark and also receives consistent power-play time.
WINGS TO AVOID
Tyler Toffoli, MON at WPG ($22): In his first game under head coach Dominique Ducharme, Toffoli posted a minus-3 rating and played just 16:21 of ice time (1:46 with the man advantage). Additionally, the streaky scorer has been shooting at an unsustainably high 19.7 percent rate for the campaign, which is well above the 10.3 percent career mark he entered the 2021 season with.
DEFENSE
Torey Krug, STL at SJ ($20): As noted, this is a plus matchup for St. Louis, and Krug offers upside as the quarterback on the No. 1 power-play unit. Additionally, he's eyeing statistical improvement after recording just three assists through the past eight games, given that Krug has paced all regular defensemen in points per 60 minutes over the past three years.
Adam Boqvist, CHI vs. DET ($10): A low-salary target skating with the No. 1 power-play unit, Boqvist is definitely in play with Detroit owning the third-worst penalty-kill percentage in the league. He is also beginning 63.9 percent of his five-on-five shifts in the offensive zone and playing sheltered minutes, so his plus-minus risk is low considering Detroit has scored the fifth-fewest five-on-five goals in the league.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Morgan Rielly, TOR at EDM ($22): Similar to team captain Tavares, expect Rielly to spend the majority of his time matched up against McDavid and Draisaitl on Saturday, which doesn't set up well for Toronto's No. 1 defenseman. Additionally, Rielly has only marked the scoresheet in five of the past eight games and only posted double-digit fantasy points twice.
John Klingberg, DAL at TB ($19): Another matchup-based fade, Tampa Bay's noted potent offense and home-ice dominance all adds up to Klingberg being a sizable plus-minus risk with a likely low offensive ceiling.
