This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
It's the last Sunday in November and we have four NHL games on the evening slate, which begins at 7 p.m. ET. There's snow on the ground in Michigan and it's feeling like winter, which means hockey season is kicking into high gear. Here are some players to target, and to avoid, for your daily fantasy lineup.
GOALIE
James Reimer, SAN at CHI ($33): Though Reimer's recent appearances have been concerning and more regression toward the mean is likely, he still has a 2.25 GAA and .927 save percentage. Meanwhile, the Blackhawks have averaged 2.20 goals and 28.0 shots on net.
GOALIE TO AVOID
John Gibson, ANA vs. TOR ($34): Gibson has been inconsistent with a 2.53 GAA and .920 save percentage while allowing four or more goals in six of 16 appearances. He hasn't posted numbers like this since the 2017-18 campaign. The Leafs have only managed 2.77 goals per game, but with 34.0 shots on net. Let's not forget Auston Matthews was missing at the beginning of the season, and this is an offense on the rise.
CENTER
Nico Hischier, NJD vs. PHI ($17): Hischier has been quite the playmaker of late dishing out eight assists over his last 10 contests. His 5.6 shooting percentage is likely to improve as the season progresses. The former first-overall pick should have the opportunity to get the puck on net in this one considering Philadelphia has given up 34.8 shots.
CENTER TO AVOID
Sean Couturier, PHI at NJD ($21): After a strong start to the campaign, Couturier has only produced one point over his last nine outings. Mackenzie Blackwood has recorded a 2.83 GAA in spite of a .922 save percentage and the Devils allowing 31.7 shots on goal. It almost feels like he's gotten a bit unlucky.
WING
David Pastrnak, BOS vs. VAN ($34): Pastrnak has 17 points in 17 games, though it would be reasonable to expect more from him at this point. His 7.6 shooting percentage is likely to improve, and he's only tallied three power-play points. This from someone who never recorded fewer than 24 PPPs in a season when making at least 55 appearances. Given the Canucks carry the league's worst penalty kill, some points with the extra man could be coming.
Timo Meier, SAN at CHI ($24): Marc-Andre Fleury's numbers have been better of late, but he's had to earn that. In his last 10 starts, the only team to manage fewer than 30 shots was lowly Arizona, and the Blackhawks have given up 32.4 shots on goal overall. Meier is firing the puck as much as anybody with 66 shots and that's helped him yield seven goals.
WINGS TO AVOID
Troy Terry, ANA vs. TOR ($22): Terry is a great story, but he can't keep this going. No way he'll post a 27.1 shooting percentage all year. Terry's been held without a point in two of his last three contests. Now he has to face Jack Campbell, who comes in with a 1.66 GAA and .943 save percentage.
Alex DeBrincat, CHI vs. SAN ($22): DeBrincat is a player who has shown he can sustain an unusually-high shooting percentage, so this is not as much about expecting regression on his 20.7 mark. It's about Reimer and his 2.25 GAA and .927 save percentage. The Sharks also boast a top-five penalty kill, and DeBrincat has often been reliant on the power play for a lot of his production.
DEFENSE
Charlie McAvoy, BOS vs. VAN ($20): I mentioned earlier the Canucks have the league's worst penalty kill. McAvoy could be primed to take advantage of that having averaged 2:55 with the extra man and producing seven power-play points. He's also been on fire with 10 points across his last 10 outings.
Morgan Rielly, TOR at ANA ($18): Rielly has averaged career highs in ice time (24:14) and power-play minutes (2:58) and that's resulted in 14 points. Gibson has managed decent numbers this year, but has only posted .904 save percentage the previous two seasons. The Ducks have also allowed 32.7 shots on net per contest.
DEFENSE TO AVOID
Kevin Shattenkirk, ANA vs. TOR ($12): Shattenkirk came out of the gate hot, which is a big reason why he's at 14 points - including seven with the extra man. However, he hasn't found the scoresheet across his last four and hasn't recorded a power-play point in nine. And yet, Shattenkirk still has an inflated 10.5 shooting percentage, so more regression is likely. Jack Campbell and the Leafs will likely help with that.
Rasmus Ristolainen, PHI at NJD ($12): In Buffalo, Ristolainen used to rack up offensive numbers while playing questionable defense, the kind of thing a fantasy player doesn't necessarily mind. This year, he's only managed four points. A big part of that is while the Sabres used him on the power play, the Flyers have only given him 0:58 with the extra man. Now he'll be facing a goalie in Mackenzie Blackwood who enters with a .922 save percentage.
