Yahoo DFS Hockey: Saturday Picks
The NHL regular season is almost over, but first, another busy Saturday for the league. There are eight games on the evening slate starting at 7 p.m. EDT or later. Let's make this both a busy and profitable Saturday. Here are some players to target, and to avoid, for your DFS lineups.
GOALIE
Jake Oettinger, DAL vs. SEA ($30): Dallas is in need of wins, and this is a great opportunity to get one. The Kraken are on the road for the second night of a back-to-back, and they are bottom five in goals and shots on net per game. Oettinger's .913 save percentage is mediocre, but his 2.57 GAA is solid, and this matchup shouldn't challenge him too much.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Thatcher Demko, VAN at CGY ($29): Demko has posted a .916 save percentage on the season, but he's done it over 63 games and may be fatigued. Over his last 13 games, his shooting percentage is down to .910. The Flames tend to keep goalies busy, as they've averaged 3.55 goals and 35.6 shots on net per contest.
CENTER
Nick Suzuki, MON at OTT ($17): Even with nothing left to play for, Suzuki is still going out there and trying. In the month of April he has eight points in 10 games. The Senators have allowed 33.2 shots on net per game, and they will be on the second leg of a back-to-back. Facing so many shots is a big reason why expected starter Anton Forsberg has a 2.79 GAA in spite of a .917 save percentage.
CENTER TO AVOID
Nick Schmaltz, ARI vs. STL ($19): With injuries racking up, Schmaltz has less talent around him on the Coyotes than ever, and this was not a team with much talent to spare. Arizona is also on the second day of a back-to-back for good measure. The Blues may squeeze a start out of Jordan Binnington in this matchup, but I will assume Ville Husso is in the crease, and he has a 2.46 GAA and .923 save percentage.
WING
Vladimir Tarasenko, STL at ARI ($27): It's weird to think there was talk the Blues were going to trade Tarasenko, given how good he's been. The Russian leads the team with 79 points, and he also has 223 shots on goal. On top of that, he's started 57.2 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, highest among Blues forward. Oh, and the Coyotes are in the bottom three in GAA, shots on net allowed per game, and penalty-kill percentage.
Tyler Seguin, DAL vs. SEA ($17): Seguin's star doesn't shine as brightly as it used to, but he still produces. He may only have one goal in his last six games, but he's put 26 shots on net in that time. Seguin is going to score more if he keeps shooting like this, and he has 23 goals on 210 shots on net in 77 games this season. The Kraken don't allow a lot of shots, but they have a bottom-10 GAA because of poor goaltending. Now that poor goaltending will be behind a team on the second leg of a back-to-back.
WINGS TO AVOID
Matt Duchene, NAS at TAM ($24): With so many teams on the ice, you have a lot of DFS options, so you don't need to risk this much salary on Duchene. Andrei Vasilevskiy has a 2.47 GAA and .917 save percentage on the season. If you are worried about his recent "drop in play," over his last 15 games he has a 2.57 GAA and… a .917 save percentage. Plus, at home he has a 2.27 GAA and .920 save percentage this year.
Brock Boeser, VAN at CGY ($17): Boeser has a three-game point streak since returning from injury, but I see that ending Saturday. The Flames have allowed a mere 28.9 shots on net per game, and they also have Jacob Markstrom. The Swedish goalie has a 2.21 GAA and .922 save percentage.
DEFENSE
Brent Burns, SAN vs. CHI ($19): Burns has tallied 10 points in his last 15 games. He's also put 192 shots on net in 77 contests. Chicago has allowed 33.0 shots on goal per game, and the team also has Kevin Lankinen as its primary goalie now. He has a 3.61 GAA and .889 save percentage.
Sean Durzi, LOS vs. ANA ($17): After a few games without a point, Durzi got back on the scoresheet in L.A.'s last game. That gives him 27 points in 61 games, including 15 with the extra man. With nothing to play for (and perhaps a desire for better lottery odds) the Ducks keep turning to John Gibson in net, even though he's been awful for a while now. Over his last 21 games he has a 4.31 GAA and .878 save percentage.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Morgan Rielly, TOR at FLA ($23): This is a battle of four-game stretches. Over his last four games, Rielly has zero points. Meanwhile, over his last four games, Sergei Bobrovsky has a 1.72 GAA and .937 save percentage. These are not the largest of samples, but they also aren't nothing either.
Quinn Hughes, VAN at CGY ($20): Hughes is all about the power play. A robust 31 of his 61 points have come with the extra man. However, the Flames have the sixth-ranked penalty kill. This isn't the best opportunity for Hughes' particular skills.
