This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Here we go! It's the first Saturday of the NHL season. Saturday is usually a robust day for hockey, and the first one this season is no different. There are 12 games featured on the evening slate, which starts at 7 p.m. EDT. Let's make the first weekend of the NHL season a good one. Here are some players to target, and to avoid, for your DFS lineup.
GOALIE
Jeremy Swayman, BOS vs. ARI ($32): Linus Ullmark was in the crease first this season for the Bruins, but he and Swayman are likely going to be swapping starts. Last year, Swayman had a 2.41 GAA and .914 save percentage. The Coyotes had the worst offense in the NHL last year, finishing last in goals and shots on net per game. Nothing that happened this offseason leads me to believe they've gotten much better.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Jacob Markstrom, CGY at EDM ($34): Markstrom had a 2.22 GAA and .922 save percentage last season, but it's fair to wonder if he can replicate that. Over the previous five seasons he had a .914 save percentage. The Battle of Alberta has the potential to be offensively oriented, as the Oilers have Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl and also finished seventh in goals per game last year.
CENTER
Dylan Strome, WAS vs. MON ($16): With Nicklas Backstrom out, Strome is centering Washington's second line and also the top power-play unit. That means getting time with the man advantage and with Alex Ovechkin on the ice. The Canadiens are on the second leg of a back-to-back, and they brought back the goaltending duo of Jake Allen and Sam Montembeault that helped them finish last in GAA last year.
CENTER TO AVOID
Trevor Zegras, ANA at NYI ($18): Zegras is a good player, but I feel like the perception of him is inflated due to the fact he's so flashy and can do fun stuff on the ice. He'll be far from home facing an Islanders team with Ilya Sorokin in net, and in his career the 27-year-old Russian has a 2.33 GAA and .923 save percentage. Barry Trotz is gone, but his lieutenant Lane Lambert has taken over, so I expected defensive stoutness to remain the name of the game for the Islanders.
WING
Jesper Bratt, NJD vs. DET ($21): Bratt broke through last season with 26 goals and 47 assists. There's reason to believe in that, given that he averaged a career high in ice time (17:26) and power-play time (2:43). The Wings are on the second leg of a back-to-back, and while new goalie Ville Husso started Friday, holdover Alex Nedeljkovic will be in net Saturday. He had a 3.31 GAA and .901 save percentage with the Wings last year.
Pavel Zacha, BOS vs. ARI ($14): Zacha finished with over 30 points each of the last three seasons while with the Devils, and he had double-digit goals in each of his last two campaigns. Now, he has better teammates to work with. The Coyotes are likely to be bad not only offensively but also defensively. Last year, Arizona had a 3.77 GAA and allowed 35.5 shots on net per contest.
WINGS TO AVOID
Nikita Kucherov, TAM at PIT ($33): Obviously, Kucherov is a notable name and an elite player, but I have my reasons for fading him. One, he has a hefty salary. Two, the Lightning are on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back. Three, with 12 games on the slate, you have a lot of options for your lineup. Finally there's Tristan Jarry, who was strong in his first start after having a 2.42 GAA and .919 save percentage last season.
Cole Caufield, MON at WAS ($18): This is another situation of a young, flashy player on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back. Caufield opened the season with a big game, and Darcy Kuemper struggled in his first start as a Capital. One outing isn't enough to move the needle in either case, though. Kuemper had a 2.54 GAA and .921 save percentage last season, and the Capitals only allowed 29.0 shots on net per contest last year.
DEFENSE
Jeff Petry, PIT vs. TAM ($18): In his first game with the Penguins, Petry played 21:39, including 2:32 on the power play. That's encouraging in terms of assessing his new role. The Lightning are often a tough matchup, but the Penguins are catching them on the second leg of a back-to-back, and after Andrei Vasilevskiy started Friday. That likely means Brian Elliott in net, and Elliott has a .905 save percentage over the last six seasons.
Justin Faulk, STL vs. CLM ($17): The Blues are finally ready to join in on NHL action, as they play their first game Saturday. Faulk had 16 goals and 31 assists last season. The Blue Jackets are on the road for the second game of a back-to-back, and last year they had a 3.62 GAA and allowed 35.2 shots on net per game.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Ryan McDonagh, NAS at DAL ($15): McDonagh opened his first season with the Predators with an assist in each of his first two games, so you might be excited. I am pumping the brakes. The defenseman had 26 points last season, and he has played all of six seconds on the power play with the Predators across three games. I believe in Jake Oettinger, who had a 2.53 GAA and .914 save percentage last season and was a star in the playoffs, and the Stars netminder began this season making 31 saves on 32 shots against these same Predators.
John Klingberg, ANA vs. NYI ($12): Klingberg picked up two assists in his Ducks debut, but that was at home against the Kraken, and he was helped by getting 3:27 on the power play. I'm sure he'll be a power-play weapon, but you can't always count on that much opportunity. The Islanders had the fourth-ranked penalty kill last season anyway, and Sorokin has a career .923 save percentage as well.
