NHL DFS Picks: Yahoo Plays and Strategy for Sunday, January 15

NHL DFS Picks: Yahoo Plays and Strategy for Sunday, January 15

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.

Saturday was incredibly busy on the NHL front. Sunday is the opposite. There are only three games on the slate, and two of them start at 5 p.m. ET, so that's when the DFS contests begin. Here are some players I'd target, and some I'd avoid, for my DFS lineups.

GOALIE

Connor Hellebuyck, WPG vs. ARI ($39): Hellebuyck has a 2.41 GAA and .925 save percentage, and he isn't just facing a Coyotes team that has averaged the fewest shots on net per contest. He's facing that team when they're on the second leg of a back-to-back.

GOALIE TO AVOID

Pyotr Kochetkov, CAR vs. VAN ($39): Both of these teams are on the second leg of a back-to-back, but this matchup isn't exactly easy for Kochetkov. The Canucks are in the top eight in goals per game. Plus, while the rookie goalie got off to a great start, he's allowed four goals in each of his last three outings.

CENTER

Vincent Trocheck, NYR vs. MON ($19): While Trocheck only has three points in his last eight games, he put 29 shots on net across those contests. His 3.4 shooting percentage in those games is unsustainably low, and Trocheck has been shooting a ton all season long. The Canadiens are in the bottom eight in shots on net allowed per game, and they're on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back as well.

CENTER TO AVOID

Elias Pettersson, VAN at CAR ($28): I'd eschew Pettersson's salary with him on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back. The Hurricanes are on a back-to-back as well, but they're also best in the league in shots on net allowed per game. Also, while Pettersson has 12 power-play points this season, he has only one in his last nine games.

WING

Cole Perfetti, WPG vs. ARI ($18): Perfetti has 25 points in 38 games, and he has the benefit of playing on Winnipeg's top line with Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler. The Coyotes saved Karel Vejmelka for this game, but given that has a 3.38 GAA and .902 save percentage, that's not exactly foreboding.

Teuvo Teravainen, CAR vs. VAN ($17): Teravainen's puck luck has been brutal, but he has seven points over his last 12 games. That includes three points with the extra man, which is nothing new for him; last season, he had 31 power-play points. The Canucks have the league's worst penalty kill, so Teravainen's puck luck could be about to change Sunday.

WINGS TO AVOID

Cole Caufield, MON at NYR ($19): Caufield is on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back against a rested Rangers team. On top of that, Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin has a 2.12 GAA and .927 save percentage over his last 13 starts.

Clayton Keller, ARI at WPG ($15): Keller is a rare bright spot on the Coyotes, but he has to deal with playing his second game in as many days. Plus, as I noted, Hellebuyck has a 2.41 GAA and .925 save percentage. He can keep Keller in check Sunday.

DEFENSE

Brent Burns, CAR vs. VAN ($23): Well, I did note that Canucks have the league's worst penalty kill. Burns has manned the point for the Hurricanes' top power-play unit, a role he got accustomed to in his time with the Sharks. The veteran defenseman has 14 points with the extra man in 43 games.

Jacob Trouba, WPG vs. ARI ($17): For the longest time, Trouba had brutal puck luck, and he still has a 2.5 shooting percentage as a result. However, all three of his goals have come over his last 12 games. He's put 118 shots on net through 43 contests, impressive for a defenseman, and the Coyotes have allowed the third-most shots on net per game.

DEFENSE TO AVOID

Jakob Chychrun, ARI at WPG ($21): Chychrun has played well since returning from injury, boosting his trade potential, but he's on the road for the second day of a back-to-back here. Hellebuyck has a 2.41 GAA and .925 save percentage, as I noted, and the Jets also have a top-five penalty kill for good measure.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson, VAN at CAR ($10): The veteran defenseman has 19 points this season, but also has only 69 shots on net through 41 games. Not bad for a defenseman, but concerning against a team that ranks first in limiting shots on goal. Plus, with Quinn Hughes around, Ekman-Larsson basically never gets to play on the power play.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Chris Morgan plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: cmorgan3, DraftKings: cmorgan3.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chris Morgan
Chris Morgan is a writer of sports, pop culture, and humor articles, a book author, a podcaster, and a fan of all Detroit sports teams.
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