This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Both games Sunday could be the final game this season for two of the teams in action. The playoffs are getting down to the nitty-gritty. Make the most of your daily fantasy hockey opportunities while you can, and on that front here are some players to target, and to avoid, Sunday.
GOALIE
Pekka Rinne, NAS vs. STL ($39): OK, so Rinne took a loss in Game 5, but it certainly wasn't his fault. He made 30 saves on 32 shots, and in the playoffs he has a 1.41 GAA and a .951 save percentage. Both are a league best in the postseason. The Predators have not lost a home game yet in the playoffs, and they went 24-9-8 at home during the regular season.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Cam Talbot, EDM vs. ANA ($31): Neither Talbot nor John Gibson have had a good postseason, but Talbot will cost you $3 more than Gibson, so his threshold for success is higher. Talbot has given up at least four goals in each of his last three games, and in his last eight contests he has a 3.25 GAA and a .907 save percentage. The Oilers have lost three games in a row, including two home games, and it wouldn't be surprising to see that stretch to four.
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CENTER
Rickard Rakell, ANA at EDM ($17): Rakell tallied two points in Game 4, giving him a three-game point streak. He now has nine points, and 28 shots on goal, in the postseason. He's averaged 7.7 fantasy points per game, third most of any center. As previously noted, Talbot has struggled in net over his last eight games, particularly in this series. Rakell also tallied 12 power-play points in 71 games, and the Oilers had the 25th-ranked penalty kill after the All-Star break.
CENTER TO AVOID
Ryan Johansen, NAS vs. STL ($18): Johansen has been held without a point for four straight games, and without a shot in his last two. Granted, he's more of a playmaker than a goal scorer, but that's still concerning. The Blues allowed a league-low 1.88 goals per game after the All-Star break, and Jake Allen has kept up his strong play on the postseason. He has a 1.94 GAA and a .937 save percentage in 10 playoff games.
WING
Corey Perry, ANA at EDM ($18): Getting moved up to the top line with Rakell and Ryan Getzlaf has been a tremendous boon for Perry. He's got four points in two games since the move, and he put seven shots on goal in his last contest. Even if Patrick Eaves returns for this game, it would be surprising to see Perry get removed from this line, given how well this trio has played together. Perry has also averaged 3:44 per game on the power play in this series, and as noted earlier the Oilers had the 25th-ranked penalty kill after the All-Star break.
Milan Lucic, EDM vs. ANA ($16): Lucic's playoffs haven't been great, but he ended the regular season with seven points in his last five games. Plus, he notched 25 points on the power play this year, so clearly he has the capability of doing damage with the extra man. Gibson has a 2.71 GAA and a .912 save percentage in the playoffs, and Anaheim's penalty kill has had issues in the postseason. Lucic comes at a relatively cheap price, and with so few teams in action it's worth it to take a gamble on Lucic finding his regular season form.
WINGS TO AVOID
Vladimir Tarasenko, STL at NAS ($30): Tarasenko only has two points in the series, although that's forgivable considering how great Rinne has been. As noted earlier, he has a 1.41 GAA and a .951 save percentage during the playoffs. Tarasenko will cost you $7 more than any other forward, and with the way Rinne is playing it's hard to justify paying such a lofty price for Tarasenko, especially on the road.
Viktor Arvidsson, NAS vs. STL ($23): Arvidsson is one of the players who will cost you $7 less than Tarasenko, but he's had an even rougher series than Tarasenko has. He's been held pointless by the Blues, who, as previously noted, were the best defensive team in the league after the All-Star break. If not for how great Rinne has been, Allen would be getting more attention for his great play. This has been a low-scoring, defensively-minded series, and that makes it hard for the pricier forwards to pay off.
DEFENSE
Oscar Klefbom, EDM vs. ANA ($18): As a defenseman, Klefbom put 201 shots on goal this season and he added 146 blocked shots. He's put 23 shots on goal in the playoffs, and also blocked 23 shots, so he's remained strong. Klefbom has also averaged 3:27 per game on the power play in the postseason, giving him a ton of opportunity to succeed with the extra man. If he does that, it could be a real boon for your daily fantasy lineup.
Sami Vatanen, ANA at EDM ($15): Vatanen had quite a bit of power-play success this year. He played 3:00 a night on the power play, and he tallied 14 power-play points in 71 games. While he hasn't found any power-play success in the three playoff games he's been able to play, the talent is still there. Plus, as mentioned previously the Oilers had the 25th-ranked penalty kill after the All-Star break, and Talbot has a 3.25 GAA in his last eight tilts.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
P.K. Subban, NAS vs. STL ($21): Subban has two assists in his last three games, which is good. However, he also only has two shots on goal in his last four contests, which is not so good. He's scored one goal in his last 13 contests, and it's hard to bet on Subban scoring given how well Allen has played. Subban probably needs to start putting the puck on net again to justify this price point.
Hampus Lindholm, ANA at EDM ($18): Lindholm has only averaged 4.9 fantasy points per game, and there are several players who have better averages that come at a cheaper price. It's not like he's been great in the playoffs either, as he only has three points, and only one against Edmonton. He's also put exactly one shot on goal in his last four games, and he rarely plays on the power play. Even with Talbot's struggles, Lindholm feels too pricey.
