This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Usually, Saturday is a busy day for the NHL. This week, though, it's relatively light. Well, at least in the evening. Eschewing the three matinee games, there are five NHL games making up the main slate of DFS contests. Those are the games I am looking at with these recommendations.
GOALIE
Matt Murray, TOR vs. CGY ($36): This is a tough slate for goalies. Murray has been excellent though, posting a 2.34 GAA and .932 save percentage. The Flames haven't been terrible, but at 3.08 goals per game they are below average. They are also on the second leg of a back-to-back. That's enough for me to go with Murray at home.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Semyon Varlamov, NYI vs. CAR ($33): Varlamov has been excellent himself, putting up a 2.52 GAA and .922 save percentage. However, the Islanders are on the second night of a back-to-back, while the Hurricanes are not. Though Carolina has only scored 2.88 goals per game, it has also put 35.3 shots on net per contest. This could be a tougher test for Varlamov than you might anticipate.
CENTER
Nick Suzuki, MON vs. LOS ($20): Suzuki has a four-game point streak, giving him 29 points in 26 games. Sure, his 26.9 percent shooting will regress, but maybe not in this matchup. Jonathan Quick has a 3.42 GAA and .887 save percentage.
CENTER TO AVOID
Nazem Kadri, CGY at TOR ($23): Kadri seems like the kind of guy who would want to stick it to a former squad, but I don't want to risk his salary on my roster. The Flames are on the second leg of a back-to-back, after all. Toronto is also third in GAA and has only allowed 29.5 shots on net per contest, so Kadri may not enjoy much revenge in this one.
WING
Rickard Rakell, PIT vs. BUF ($19): The Penguins are finishing off a home-and-home Saturday, but the Sabres are the ones in the bottom eight in GAA. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen will presumably be in net, and he has a 4.14 GAA and .853 save percentage. Rakell is prolific at putting pucks on net, as he has scored 11 goals on 85 shots on net in 27 games.
Brock Boeser, VAN vs. MIN ($16): Boeser has 12 points in 15 games since returning from injury. That includes all four of his goals. He's still only shooting at a 9.1 percent rate though, so better puck luck could be around the corner. The Wild are on the road from the second leg of a back-to-back, and Filip Gustavsson has a .909 save percentage.
WINGS TO AVOID
Jonathan Huberdeau, CGY at TOR ($23): Huberdeau is trying to find his footing with his new team to some degree, as he only has four goals through 24 games. It's likely he will figure it out, but this isn't the matchup for that. Murray has a .932 save percentage, after all, plus the Maple Leafs have only given up 29.5 shots on goal per game.
Anders Lee, NYI vs. CAR ($16): Lee has eight goals this season, but only one in his last 14 games. Now he's on a back-to-back facing a Hurricanes team with a stingy defense. Carolina has allowed a mere 26.5 shots on net per contest.
DEFENSE
Drew Doughty, LOS at MON ($17): Doughty only has one goal, but his 2.0 percent shooting is likely to increase, given his career 6.0 percent mark. Plus, he does have 16 assists. The Canadiens have a 3.54 GAA and have allowed 32.9 shots on net per contest, so maybe Doughty will finally add that second goal.
Calen Addison, MIN at VAN ($11): Addison has been a power-play weapon as a rookie. He has 10 points with the extra man in 25 games. Even on the second leg of a back-to-back, I like the youngster as the Canucks have the 29th-ranked penalty kill. Now, he was a healthy scratch Friday, but that is likely a one-game wakeup call. If anything, that might just mean he's fresh – and motivated – for this matchup.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Rasmus Andersson, CGY at TOR ($19): The blueliner is facing the same tough matchup as guys like Kadri and Huberdeau. At this point though, I will also note that the Maple Leafs have a top-10 penalty kill. That's another strike against a player like Andersson.
Jaccob Slavin, CAR at NYI ($16): Though the Islanders are on a back-to-back, and I'm not going with Varlamov in net, he does have a 2.52 GAA and .922 save percentage. This is not necessarily a great matchup for the Hurricanes, and since Slavin is off to a slow start I'd avoid him, especially since he is once again not playing on the power play at all.
