This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
After a wild week in the NHL, we're down to four games today. The Penguins are the lone notable favorite, and the Devils, Kings and Golden Knights are playing for a second consecutive day. Here's a peek around the fantasy landscape.
All statistics from Natural Stat Trick and Hockey Reference.
GOALIE
Robin Lehner, VGK at NYI ($30): The Islanders enter with an active 3-10-3 record and only 1.8 goals per 60 minutes during the skid. Lehner has also won three straight, albeit with an underwhelming .896 save percentage. The former Islander is still reasonable, and a standout showing shouldn't surprise.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Jon Gillies, NDJ vs. PIT ($24): This will be just the second start of the season for Gillies and 11th of his career, so a date with the Penguins probably isn't an ideal spot to load up the unproven netminder. Even with the manageable cap hit, Pittsburgh has rolled off six straight victories and New Jersey has lost 14 of its past 17 contests.
CENTER
Chandler Stephenson, VGK at NYI ($20): In the midst of a breakout season, Stephenson benefits from centering the top line and skating with the No.1 power-play unit. He's also clicked with wingers Max Pacioretty ($34) and Mark Stone ($25) for an elite 6.14 goals per 60 minutes over the past two years. As noted, the Islanders have also been a doormat for over a month.
CENTER TO AVOID
Anze Kopitar, LA at WAS ($22): The Kings are playing their fourth road game in six days, and Kopitar has been held to a single goal and assist through six outings. Not only will he likely be tasked with slowing down Washington's top players, the Caps have surrendered the sixth fewest goals per game in the league.
WING
Kyle Connor, WPG vs. STL ($30): Pointless through two contests with a minus-7 rating, Connor is positioned for a bounce-back showing today. After all, he collected six goals, four assists and 26 shots through the previous seven outings. St. Louis ranks eighth-last in expected goals against per 60 minutes, so the matchup isn't daunting.
Jason Zucker, PIT at NJ ($13): This is a reasonable salary to take a flyer on Zucker snapping out of a 11-game goal drought where he's only managed a single assist. After all, the veteran winger has produced 29 shots, 45 attempts and 10 individual high-danger scoring chances during the noted stretch. The Devils have also surrendered 23 goals through their current five-game losing streak.
WINGS TO AVOID
Kasperi Kapanen, PIT at NJ ($17): Despite being locked into an offensive role - including currently flanking Sidney Crosby ($31) - Kapanen hasn't made much of an offensive dent. The Finnish winger has only reached double-digit fantasy points twice through the past 12 games while totalling a pedestrian three goals and two assists.
DEFENSE
Kris Letang, PIT at NJ ($23): Another Penguin to hone in on, Letang is locked in as the quarterback of the No. 1 power-play unit and has recorded a rock-solid nine assists, 23 shots and 11 blocks with a plus-7 rating through eight appearances. He offers the high-floor, high-ceiling profile to target from a shallow player pool.
John Carlson, WAS vs. LA ($23): The Kings rank 27th in penalty-kill percentage, so look for Carlson to pad his fantasy-point total with the man-advantage. He's also in solid form with four points, 19 shots, 11 blocks and a plus-6 rating through his past six outings. Of course, Carlson also ranks second among all blueliners in points per 60 minutes over the past three years.
DEFENSE TO AVOID
Dougie Hamilton, NJ vs. PIT ($23): With the Penguins leading the league with a 93.0 penalty-kill percentage, this represents a tough matchup for Hamilton. He's also recorded a disastrous minus-9 rating through his past four games, which hurts him in this scoring system.
