This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
We've got nine NHL games on the slate Saturday night starting at 7 p.m. ET or later. On the eve of Selection Sunday for college hoops, you have some DFS lineups to select. Here are my players I suggest you select, or avoid, for those lineups.
GOALIE
Daniil Tarasov, CLM vs. SAN ($20): Tarasov has a 2.09 GAA and .941 save percentage over his last seven games. I don't believe those numbers are sustainable, but here is something I do believe in: San Jose having the worst offense in the NHL. The Sharks have averaged 2.20 goals and 25.5 shots on net per game, and with Tomas Hertl gone and Connor Bedard back for Chicago, I think the bottom of the barrel is occupied by the Sharks.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Pyotr Kochetkov, CAR at TOR ($25): The Hurricanes have been bouncing back and forth between Kochetkov and Frederik Andersen since the latter got healthy, and it would be Kochetkov's turn Saturday. The Hurricanes have the NHL's best defense, making things relatively easy for their goalies. That's how Kochetkov has a 2.35 GAA with a .911 save percentage. Can Carolina keep Toronto in check on the road, though? The Maple Leafs have averaged 3.57 goals and 32.6 shots on net per game. They have the fourth-best power play. Auston Matthews exists. I'd look elsewhere.
CENTER
Mikael Backlund, CGY vs. MON ($16): I hope Backlund never leaves the Flames. He debuted with the team as a teenager and now he's 34 and has known no other franchise. The Swede has been a quintessential second-line center, the kind of guy who becomes a beloved local figure by going down as a one-team player. Of course, my romanticizing of Backlund's career means nothing to your DFS lineup. He has eight points and 38 shots on net in his last 13 games. The Canadiens are in the bottom seven in GAA, shots on net allowed per contest, and penalty-kill percentage. There you go.
CENTER TO AVOID
Nick Suzuki, MON at CGY ($22): Suzuki is going to set personal bests across the board offensively by virtue of a massive role on the power play. He's averaged 3:45 per game with the extra man and has tallied 28 of his 62 points on that front. The problem Saturday is that the Flames have the fourth-ranked penalty kill. This is not Suzuki's kind of matchup.
WING
Alexander Nylander, CLM vs. SAN ($22): Son of Michael, brother of William, Nylander was drafted eighth overall in 2016 with the hope he would keep the family's hockey legacy chugging along. It has not been a straightforward journey for Alexander, though. After a couple years of tearing up the AHL, Nylander was tossed into a trade by the Penguins, and he's possibly flourishing in Columbus. Over his last nine games, Nylander has six goals, two assists, and 35 shots on net. The Sharks are last in GAA and shots on net per game. Perhaps we are seeing a late-blooming NHLer in action.
Jake Neighbours, STL vs. MIN ($13): Neighbours has one of those amusing stat lines you see from young players occasionally. He's potted 21 goals in 66 games, but with a mere eight assists. That being said, the Blues are giving him time on the top power-play unit, and he has seven goals with the extra man (plus four of those eight assists). The Wild have a bottom-five penalty kill, so it's a good time for Neighbours to see an uptick in power-play minutes.
WINGS TO AVOID
Jordan Eberle, SEA vs. NAS ($20): Eberle was not dealt by the Kraken, so he's sticking around on the top line. He's been good, though with 14 goals on the year, he'll be hard pressed to hit the 20-goal mark for a third season in a row with Seattle. It will also be tricky to get closer to that number with how Juuse Saros is playing. Saros has a 2.38 GAA and .925 save percentage in his last 12 outings.
Joel Farabee, PHI at BOS ($11): Farabee has 19 goals and 27 assists in 67 games, but his production has become sporadic. He has six points in his last 19 outings, dropping a point here and there without any significant drought. Even so that's a concern. It's Jeremy Swayman's turn in the Boston rotation, and he has a 2.49 GAA and .920 save percentage.
DEFENSE
Zach Werenski, CLM vs. SAN ($23): You can usually pencil in Werenski to miss at least a dozen games every season, but also pencil him in for high-level production when he's healthy. Case in point, he's played in 54 of Columbus' 66 games this year, but he has 39 points and 154 shots on target. San Jose has a 3.91 GAA and has allowed 35.4 shots on net per game, both last in the NHL.
MacKenzie Weegar, CGY vs. MON ($20): Weegar has his fourth season with over 30 points in a row, and he's tallied a career high of 15 goals this year as well. With Noah Hanifin now in Vegas, there's more power-play minutes available in Calgary, and Weegar has averaged 2:49 per game with the extra man over his last nine outings (which does predate the Hanifin trade). The Canadiens have a 3.41 GAA and have allowed 33.2 shots on net per game, and they rank 26th on the penalty kill as well.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Morgan Rielly, TOR vs. CAR ($20): Yes, I wouldn't want Kochetkov as my DFS goalie, but shelling out for Rielly's salary also feels precarious. Rielly has put 159 shots on net through 60 games and has tallied 16 power-play points. Carolina is first in shots on net allowed per game and second in penalty-kill percentage. This is a fascinating matchup, but not a good one for the DFS folks.
Devon Toews, COL at EDM ($19): It speaks to Toews' talent that he is as productive as he is with barely any power-play minutes behind Cale Makar. When the elite blueliner of his generation is on your team, you have to cede some minutes. That can complicate matters when it comes to Toews' DFS potential, though. Edmonton has a middling penalty kill, but is in the top 10 in GAA and shots on net allowed per game. Stuart Skinner also has an .943 save percentage over his last six starts. This is not the day for Toews.
