This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
On the last day of November we have 16 NHL teams in action. It would have been 18, but the Islanders and Flyers had their game postponed. Let's end the month on a high note! Here are some players to target, and to avoid, for your DFS lineup.
GOALIE
Cam Talbot, MIN vs. ARI ($29): I immediately wanted to jump on Talbot here, and not necessarily because he has a 2.21 GAA and .938 save percentage over his last five starts. Arizona isn't merely at the bottom of the league in goals and shots on net per game. The Coyotes are also on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back after playing in Winnipeg on Monday.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Ilya Samsonov, WAS at FLA ($34): Samsonov has a solid .918 save percentage, but he has a 2.27 GAA due to the fact the Capitals have allowed a mere 27.3 shots on net per contest. While the Panthers are without Aleksander Barkov at the moment, and that does matter quite a bit, they have still averaged 3.67 goals and 35.0 shots on goal per game. Samsonov might be busier than usual in this one.
CENTER
Anze Kopitar, LOS vs. ANA ($24): Kopitar dished out three assists in his last game, giving him 21 points in 20 games. That includes eight with the extra man. John Gibson has a 2.61 GAA and .917 save percentage, but he had a .904 save percentage over the previous two seasons. He's allowed 12 goals over his last three games, so Kopitar could be in an advantageous position in this Southern California rivalry game.
CENTER TO AVOID
Tyler Seguin, DAL vs. CAR ($15): Seguin only has one point in his last five games, and over his last three games he's only put one shot on goal. Now he has to square off with a Hurricanes team that has a 2.15 GAA and has only given up 28.2 shots on net per contest.
WING
Kevin Fiala, MIN vs. ARI ($18): Fiala has 15 points in 21 games, even though he has a surprising 4.3 percent shooting. He's put 69 shots on goal in 21 contests, so the goals are going to arrive eventually. The Coyotes are in the bottom five in team GAA, and like I said they are on the road for the second game of a back-to-back.
Eeli Tolvanen, NAS vs. CLM ($14): You want to talk terrible puck luck? Tolvanen has found the back of the net at a staggering 1.8 percent rate. He's put 56 shots on goal in 21 games, and that is encouraging. It's also encouraging that he's averaged 2:01 per game on the power play. The Blue Jackets' defense has been porous, as they've allowed 34.3 shots on net per contest.
WINGS TO AVOID
Jonathan Huberdeau, FLA vs. WAS ($28): Yes, I recommended avoiding Samsonov on account of the strength of the Florida offense. On the other hand, Samsonov does have a 2.27 GAA. I don't necessarily want to grab an individual Panther, particularly one with a higher salary. Plus, Huberdeau doesn't have his usual center in Barkov. I'd avoid Samsonov, but I'd also avoid Huberdeau.
Andreas Johnsson, NJD vs. SAN ($17): Johnsson is coming off a four-point game, so it may be a weird time to recommend avoiding him. However, James Reimer has been more than solid, as he has a 2.06 GAA and .933 save percentage. Additionally, Johnsson's 26.5 percent shooting is going to regress. Case in point, he had a 7.7 percent rate in 50 games last year.
DEFENSE
Charlie McAvoy, BOS vs. DET ($21): McAvoy is more active offensively this season. A big part of that is the fact he's averaged 2:58 per game on the power play , leading to seven points with the extra man. The 23-year-old also has 13 total points and 42 shots on goal in 18 games. While Alex Nedeljkovic has looked good since a rough opener against the Lightning, the Red Wings have allowed 33.7 shots on net per game.
Jonas Brodin, MIN vs. ARI ($15): I'm focusing in on the Wild's matchup with the Coyotes once again. On top of everything else, Arizona is in the bottom five on the penalty kill. Brodin's power-play time has increased recently, as he's averaged 2:27 per game with the extra man over the last six games. Overall, he has nine points in 21 games after having 23 in 53 contests last season.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Torey Krug, STL vs. TAM ($18): Krug has 10 points in 16 games, but zero in his last four. His 9.7 percent shooting is also a career high, so some more regression could be coming. Andrei Vasilevskiy has looked like his usual self in net, as he's posted a 2.15 GAA and .926 save percentage.
John Klingberg, DAL vs. CAR ($16): Klingberg used to be the offensive dynamo on the Stars blue line, but it feels like he's ceding the role to Miro Heiskanen. This year Klingberg has seven points, all assists, in 15 games, and the Swede has only put 25 shots on net. As I mentioned earlier, the Hurricanes have a 2.15 GAA and have allowed a mere 28.3 shots on goal per game.
