This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
We've got seven NHL games Saturday night. While two college basketball teams will be punching their tickets to the NCAA title game, you can punch your ticket to DFS NHL glory with some shrewd lineup decisions. Here are some players to target, and to avoid, for your lineup.
GOALIE
Jake Oettinger, DAL at SAN ($34): Don't sweat the fact Oettinger is on the road. He has a 2.11 GAA and .933 save percentage in away games. Also, don't sweat the matchup. The Sharks are down in the bottom six in goals and shots on net per contest.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Frederik Andersen, CAR vs. MIN ($35): The Hurricanes have a top-10 offense and give Andersen plenty of support, not that the Danish netminder has needed much help. However, he'll really need it Saturday. The Wild are fourth in the league at 3.62 goals per contest. This is a tough matchup, and I don't want to risk having Andersen in my lineup.
CENTER
Nick Suzuki, MON at TAM ($18): In what has been a brutal season for Montreal, Suzuki is giving Habs fans hope. He has 50 points in 68 games, including 17 in his last 15. Normally, this would be a tough matchup, but the Lightning are on the second night of a back-to-back, and Brian Elliott is under the weather. We could possibly see a third-string goalie in net for Tampa Bay.
CENTER TO AVOID
Brayden Schenn, STL at CGY ($17): Like the Lightning, the Blues are on the second leg of a back-to-back. St. Louis is also on the road to boot. Not only that, but the Flames are in the top five in GAA, shots on net allowed per game, and penalty-kill percentage. This is a tough matchup for Schenn to be stepping into.
WING
Jake DeBrusk, BOS vs. CLM ($20): Playing on Boston's top line has its perks. DeBrusk had a slow start to the season, but he now has 18 goals in 62 games, including a current three-game goal streak he could easily extend to four. The Blue Jackets have a 3.72 GAA and have allowed 35.3 shots on net per contest. Both are bottom three in the NHL.
Cam Atkinson, PHI vs. TOR ($18): Atkinson has quietly scored 23 goals on 203 shots on net in 67 games this season. He also has a point in eight of his last 11 games. Jack Campbell is coming off IR and hasn't played since March 8. Plus, prior to his rib injury, he had allowed at least four goals in his last five starts.
WINGS TO AVOID
Kevin Fiala, MIN at CAR ($21): Sure, I don't want to risk Andersen in net, but that doesn't mean he's a slouch. Carolina's goalie has a 2.00 GAA and .929 save percentage. He's been incredible, and this is a daunting matchup for the Wild offense. Thus, I'm also not interested in having Fiala in my lineup.
Patrik Laine, CLM at BOS ($20): Jeremy Swayman's last start didn't go well, but I'm not worried. Boston's goalie has a 2.24 GAA and .920 save percentage. The Bruins have also allowed a mere 28.9 shots on net per contest. That doesn't bode well for Laine, who has long thrived on putting pucks on goal.
DEFENSE
Charlie McAvoy, BOS vs. CLM ($21): The Bruins decided to see what McAvoy could do if he was running the point on the power play, and it's turned out quite well. He has 21 power-play points, including one in each of his last three games. The Blue Jackets have the 20th-ranked penalty kill, and don't forget that overall they have a 3.72 GAA. McAvoy does have 24 points not on the power play as well.
Rasmus Andersson, CGY vs. STL ($19): The Blues are on a back-to-back, and both their goalies ending up having to play Friday. Andersson, meanwhile, has 41 points in 67 games. The Swede is active at both ends of the ice, with 133 shots on goal and 108 blocked shots.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
John Klingberg, DAL at SAN ($17): Klingberg has tallied 17 of his 38 points on the power play. That's not great in this matchup, as the Sharks have the third-ranked penalty kill. Time with the man advantage may not be enough to help out Klingberg on the road Saturday.
Justin Faulk, STL at CGY ($16): Faulk just tallied his 31st point of the season, but it'll be hard to add to that total here. Jacob Markstrom has a 2.15 GAA and .925 save percentage.
