Yahoo DFS Hockey: Thursday-Friday Picks

Yahoo DFS Hockey: Thursday-Friday Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.

Let's take a look at some player recommendations for a pair of Game 4s split between Thursday and Friday…

GOALIE

Craig Anderson, OTT vs. PIT ($32): Anderson had a 2.28 GAA and a .926 save percentage this season, and the Senators only allowed 2.32 goals per game at home. Before Game 3, Anderson had a 2.28 GAA and a .920 save percentage. While Pittsburgh has a good offense, Patric Hornqvist, Bryan Rust, and Justin Schultz all missed Game 3, and there's no guarantee any of them will be back for Game 4. That would certainly put a dent into the Penguins' offense.

GOALIE TO AVOID

John Gibson, ANA at NAS ($30): Gibson played well in Game 3 despite taking the loss, but he only has a 2.74 GAA and a .915 save percentage in the playoffs. Additionally, the Ducks have allowed at least 33 shots on goal in every game this series, and they've given up at least 40 shots twice. Overall, Anaheim has given up 33.4 shots on net per contest in the postseason. On top of that, the Predators went 24-9-8 at home, while the Ducks went 17-15-9 on the road.

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CENTER

Evgeni Malkin, PIT at OTT ($31): The two most expensive centers are both Penguins, so it's hard to get a bargain if you want a Pittsburgh pivot. However, Malkin can still be a good value at this price if he keeps

Let's take a look at some player recommendations for a pair of Game 4s split between Thursday and Friday…

GOALIE

Craig Anderson, OTT vs. PIT ($32): Anderson had a 2.28 GAA and a .926 save percentage this season, and the Senators only allowed 2.32 goals per game at home. Before Game 3, Anderson had a 2.28 GAA and a .920 save percentage. While Pittsburgh has a good offense, Patric Hornqvist, Bryan Rust, and Justin Schultz all missed Game 3, and there's no guarantee any of them will be back for Game 4. That would certainly put a dent into the Penguins' offense.

GOALIE TO AVOID

John Gibson, ANA at NAS ($30): Gibson played well in Game 3 despite taking the loss, but he only has a 2.74 GAA and a .915 save percentage in the playoffs. Additionally, the Ducks have allowed at least 33 shots on goal in every game this series, and they've given up at least 40 shots twice. Overall, Anaheim has given up 33.4 shots on net per contest in the postseason. On top of that, the Predators went 24-9-8 at home, while the Ducks went 17-15-9 on the road.

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CENTER

Evgeni Malkin, PIT at OTT ($31): The two most expensive centers are both Penguins, so it's hard to get a bargain if you want a Pittsburgh pivot. However, Malkin can still be a good value at this price if he keeps up his excellent play. He leads the postseason in scoring with 20 points, and he's put 38 shots on net in 15 games while averaging 3:44 on the power play.

CENTER TO AVOID

Jean-Gabriel Pageau, OTT vs. PIT ($24): Pageau has averaged 5.8 fantasy points per game, which means there are five cheaper centers that have averaged more. Yes, he's had an impressive postseason, but he only scored 12 goals during the regular season, and he has two power-play points in his career. Marc-Andre Fleury went into Game 3 with a 2.32 GAA and a .931 save percentage, and while Game 3 went poorly, it was just one game. If Pageau hadn't scored four goals in a single game against the Rangers, there's no way he'd be this expensive.

WING

Filip Forsberg, NAS vs. ANA ($23): Forsberg has scored a goal in all three games of this series and is currently in the midst of a four-game point streak. On top of lighting the lamp thrice, Forsberg has tallied 13 shots on goal against Anaheim. Overall, he has 11 points in 13 playoff games.

Conor Sheary, PIT at OTT ($19): If Hornqvist and Rust are healthy for Game 4, Sheary will not be as enticing. However, at the moment, he looks primed to take on a larger role. Thanks to his 23 goals and 30 assists in 61 games this season, Sheary averaged 6.9 fantasy points per game. He skated alongside Sidney Crosby in Game 3, and he played 17:50, including 2:53 on the power play.

WINGS TO AVOID

Corey Perry, ANA at NAS ($19): Perry did score a goal in Game 3, but that's his only point of this series, and he's only put two shots on net against Nashville. The Predators have only allowed 1.69 goals per game, and Pekka Rinne has a .942 save percentage in the playoffs. This is certainly a difficult matchup, and lineup shuffling is hurting Perry's minutes. He's only averaged 14:41 over his last two games.

Clarke MacArthur, OTT vs. PIT ($15): MacArthur isn't terribly pricey, but he's also only averaged 3.8 fantasy points per game. While it's great to see him back on the ice, he hasn't scored a goal since the first round, and he has only one point (an assist) in this series.

DEFENSEMEN

Ryan Ellis, NAS vs. ANA ($20): Ellis hasn't scored a goal in his last five games, but before that he had a three-game goal streak. Plus, it's not like he hasn't been getting opportunities, as he's put a whopping 16 shots on goal in this series. The Ducks have allowed 2.93 goals and 33.4 shots on net per game in the playoffs.

Sami Vatanen, ANA at NAS ($16): Vatanen has three points in his last four games, tallying power-play points in back-to-back contests. That's not terribly surprising, given that Vatanen played 3:09 per game with the extra man this year, notching 14 power-play points in 71 contests. Vatanen has also blocked 23 shots in eight playoff games, and the Predators ranked eighth in shot attempts per 60 minutes this season (58.6).

DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID

P.K. Subban, NAS vs. ANA ($20): Subban and Ellis cost the same price, but Ellis has had a decidedly better season. Ellis has averaged 7.6 fantasy points per game, while Subban has averaged 6.5. Subban also doesn't have a goal in his last eight contests, and he's only put seven shots on net in those games. He's also not adding a ton of value defensively with just 16 blocked shots in 13 playoff contests.

Shea Theodore, ANA at NAS ($17): Theodore got off to a hot start in the playoffs, but he hasn't scored in 11 games and only has one point in his last seven tilts. Additionally, in three of his last four games he's played fewer than 13 minutes, and the other game went into overtime. Rinne and the Predators have been the best defensive team in the playoffs, which is another strike against rolling with Theodore.

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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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