This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
The two European games between the Sharks and Predators have come and gone. Congratulations Nashville on being the clear Stanley Cup favorites… for now. Tuesday is the proper start to the NHL season, what with games taking place in actual home arenas and at night. Of course, there are still only two games on the slate, but we need some pomp for the occasion. Here are some players to target, and to avoid, as we kick off the NHL season. Again.
GOALIE
Jonathan Quick, LOS vs. VGK ($26): I'm steering clear of the Lightning and Rangers, even with those two elite goalies, on account of top offenses being involved as well. Quick has the lowest salary of any goalie, he's at home, and yhe Kings allowed a mere 28.5 shots on net per contest last season. With only four goalies playing and no obvious choice, I'm taking the cap-saving goalie at home and hoping it pays off.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Igor Shesterkin, NYR vs. TAM ($33): On the flip side, Shesterkin has the highest salary of any goalie. That makes sense! He won the Vezina. Tampa, though, ranked eighth in goals per game last season. Yes, they lost some talent, but the big guns are all healthy, so I am looking elsewhere.
CENTER
Anze Kopitar, LOS vs. VGK ($20): Last year, Kopitar picked up 67 points on 9.0 percent shooting, below his career 12.5 percent. The Slovenian has also averaged over three minutes per game on the power play each of the last two seasons, so he is likely to do that again. Logan Thompson has made all of 20 appearances in his NHL career and had a .914 save percentage last season, so he still has a lot to prove.
CENTER TO AVOID
Steven Stamkos, TAM at NYR ($34): Potential value is key to my recommendations thus far. Stamkos has the highest salary of any center Tuesday by a full four bucks. Shesterkin had a 2.07 GAA and .935 save percentage while winning the Vezina last season. The Russian goalie is formidable, and I feel like avoiding Stamkos at this salary as a result.
WING
Jonathan Marchessault, VGK at LOS ($20): The Kings suppressed shots last season, so a guy who can potentially overcome that would be of value. Enter Marchessault, who had 251 shots on net in 76 games last season. He also had 20 power-play points, and the Kings had the 22nd-ranked penalty kill.
Adrian Kempe, LOS vs. VGK ($19): Kempe broke through with 34 goals last season. His 14.2 percent shooting was a career high, but that's a sustainable number. Additionally, Kempe has a new linemate who should benefit him in Kevin Fiala. Throw in a home game against an unproven goalie and I like Kempe in this one.
WINGS TO AVOID
Chris Kreider, NYR vs. TAM ($26): Kreider wowed with 52 goals last season. He did it on 20.2 percent shooting. Now, he's a legit scorer, but that's a hard number to sustain. Andrei Vasilevskiy is a proven commodity, of course, with a career .919 save percentage. I believe in the Russian goalie being at the top of his game more than Kreider.
Corey Perry, TAM at NYR ($15): You can count on Perry to lose in the Stanley Cup Finals (three years running!) but I think the 37-year-old is primed to regress. He had 19 goals last year, but is set to be a fourth liner. Even if he has a little left in the tank, I'm not using him against Shesterkin.
DEFENSE
Shea Theodore, VGK at LOS ($19): The three times that Theodore has played more than 70 games in a season, he's put over 200 shots on net. He also has double-digit power-play points in each of his last three campaigns. As I noted, the Kings were 22nd on the penalty kill last year.
Sean Durzi, LOS vs. VGK ($17): Durzi provided some surprising offense as a rookie last year, particularly on the power play. He averaged 2:28 with the extra man and had 15 power-play points in 64 games. The Golden Knights were 21st on the penalty kill last season, and that was mostly with goalies other than Thompson in net.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Victor Hedman, TAM at NYR ($30): This salary is just too steep for me. Shesterkin had his .935 save percentage last season. Hedman is also on the road. Additionally, 38 of the Swedish defenseman's points came on the power play last year, and the Rangers had the seventh-ranked penalty kill.
Mikhail Sergachev, TAM at NYR ($18): The same things that were true with Hedman are true with Sergachev. The Russian defenseman is also not a proven commodity on the same level as his teammate. On top of that, Sergachev comes into the season having missed Tampa's final preseason game with an undisclosed issue. He's expected to be fine, but does that equal 100 percent?
