This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Sunday is about the toughest day for DFS hockey I can recall. Not only are there only two games, but there's no favorable matchup to target with all four teams in the top-10 in GAA and three in the top-seven. Here are some players to target, and to avoid, for your DFS lineups.
GOALIE
Ilya Samsonov, TOR vs. WAS ($30): Samsonov is coming off a poor start, but hopefully he's fully locked in to face his former squad. And he's still posted a 2.37 GAA and .916 save percentage. The Caps have also averaged 3.14 goals per game, which is the lowest of the four sides skating on Sunday.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Linus Ullmark, BOS at CAR ($38): Ullmark has been as good as any goalie in the league, though the Bruins are on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back. The Canes' 3.25 goals per game are impressive, but the fact they've averaged 35.1 shots on net really stands out. That's enough for me to be hesitant about Ullmark.
CENTER
Alex Kerfoot, TOR vs. WAS ($12): With Auston Matthews out, Kerfoot has been bumped up to centering the second line where he gets to play alongside William Nylander. He's also notched four points in his last six games. Washington maintains a 2.78 GAA, the highest of today's teams.
CENTER TO AVOID
Patrice Bergeron, BOS at CAR ($28): As noted, Bergeron and the Bruins are on the road for the second straight day. Carolina provides a tough matchup having allowed 26.5 shots on net per game, lowest in the NHL. And a 2.67 GAA is second-lowest among the four clubs in action.
WING
Martin Necas, CAR vs. BOS ($24): Going up against the Bruins doesn't seem like a great matchup, but they just played Saturday and that means something on a small slate. Necas has put a whopping 160 shots on net through 48 games to lead the team, so at the very least he should be active against Boston.
Conor Sheary, WAS at TOR ($15): Sheary ranks fourth on the Caps in points, third in shots on net, and fifth in offensive start zone percentage. He doesn't command a salary anywhere near Alex Ovechkin or Evgeny Kuznetsov. Let's say Ilya Samsonov doesn't bounce back from his last start. In that case, Sheary's catching him at the right time.
WINGS TO AVOID
Michael Bunting, TOR vs. WAS ($17): Though swapping in John Tavares for Matthews likely won't hurt Bunting much, the fact is he's been cold for a while with only one goal over his last 12 games - and that came on the power play. I don't want to bet on him heating up against the Caps and Darcy Kuemper, who enters with a .917 save percentage.
Pavel Zacha, BOS at CAR ($16): Zacha has accumulated 32 points, but he's only directed 77 pucks on net. However, he's managed six goals over his last 16 games on only 22 shots. It's hard enough to get a lot on net against the Hurricanes, and Frederik Andersen has also produced a 2.08 GAA and .929 save percentage since returning from injury.
DEFENSE
Erik Gustafsson, WAS at TOR ($18): Gustafsson has started 67.8 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, third highest on the Capitals and most among defensemen. With John Carlson out, he's on Washington's top pairing and power-play unit. That's helped him tally 12 points over his last 17 appearances.
Brady Skjei, CAR vs. BOS ($18): Skjei has picked up four goals and four assists in 14 games. He already has 10 goals and 12 helpers, even though only four of his points have come while up a man. The Bruins boast the top penalty kill, but that isn't a concern with Skjei.
DEFENSE TO AVOID
Charlie McAvoy, BOS at CAR ($23): 16 of McAvoy's 30 points have been registered on the power play. The Canes list a top-10 penalty kill while there may be fatigue with the Bruins as they'll be on the road for their second game in as many days.
Brent Burns, CAR vs. BOS ($23): Burns, unlike Skjei, offers a long history of doing much of his damage with the extra man with 14 of his 33 points coming there. As such, the Bruins coming in with the best penalty kill does concern me when considering Burns.
