This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Thursday we welcome back Tampa Bay and Buffalo from their European vacation. In addition to those two teams, there are 14 other squads in action. That gives you plenty of options, but you don't want to just pick names out of a hat. Here are some players to target, and to avoid, for your daily fantasy lineup.
GOALIE
Jacob Markstrom, VAN vs. DAL ($32): Markstrom is off to a strong start to the season, as his .918 save percentage is a personal best. He also has a 2.47 GAA in part because of that. The Stars are off to a slow start offensively, as they are in the bottom three in goals per game. To make the task even more difficult for them, Dallas is on the road for the second game of a back-to-back.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Carter Hutton, BUF vs. CAR ($36): This year Hutton has been looking more like the goalie he was in St. Louis, as he has a 2.39 GAA and .921 save percentage. However, even with his time off he's going to have to be on his game in this matchup. The Hurricanes have scored 3.33 goals per game and put 34.1 shots on net per contest. Buffalo has given up 33.2 shots on goal per game, so Hutton could be incredibly busy.
CENTER
Dylan Larkin, DET at LOS ($23): Larkin has been doing his best to give Detroit's offense a shot in the arm. He's tallied 15 points in 20 games, and he has a point in each of his last three games. This is a chance for the 23-year-old to maybe really get the offense going, as the Kings have a 3.72 GAA, thanks in part to a woeful .875 team save percentage.
CENTER TO AVOID
Tyler Seguin, DAL at VAN ($28): Seguin got lit up by a member of Dallas' front office last season, and his play this year might earn him more scorn. He's only managed three goals through 18 games to start the campaign. The Canucks have a 2.58 GAA as a team, and as previously noted Markstrom's GAA is 2.47.
WING
Ondrej Palat, TAM vs. NYR ($18): Palat has notched five goals on 31 shots through 15 games, and he's added four assists for good measure. The Rangers have been quite porous defensively, so this could be a productive night for the long-time Lightning winger. New York has given up a whopping 35.9 shots on net per game.
Dustin Brown, LOS vs. DET ($18): Brown has picked up 10 points in 18 games, even though he only has one point on the power play. He's tallied nine goals with the extra man in each of his last two seasons, and he's averaged 3:16 in power-play time. This is a great matchup for him to finally turn that around. The Red Wings have the league's worst penalty kill, and also the league's worst GAA for good measure.
WINGS TO AVOID
Victor Olofsson, BUF vs. CAR ($19): Olofsson scored a goal in his last game in Sweden, but that was his first goal in 10 contests. He had gotten off to a hot start, but he's only played in 23 total games in his NHL career, so we don't really have a great sample size on him yet. We do know the Hurricanes have only allowed 28.7 shots on net per game, lowest in the NHL. Shot suppression has been Carolina's specialty for a few years, so there's plenty of reason to believe in that skill.
Frank Vatrano, FLA vs. WPG ($17): Vatrano has four points in his last five games, but he's the most notable forward on the Panthers that doesn't see a ton of power-play time. The Jets rank 29th on the penalty kill, but Vatrano won't be in line to really take advantage of that. Without that opportunity, that just means having to face Connor Hellebuyck and his .928 save percentage primarily at even strength, which doesn't bode well.
DEFENSE
Kevin Shattenkirk, TAM vs. NYR ($18): Shattenkirk has six points in his last four games, all assists. However, he's scored four goals and also put 42 shots on net. That's the second-most shots of anybody on the Lightning. As I noted, Shattenkirk's former team the Rangers have allowed 35.9 shots on goal per contest. It's a great chance for the defenseman to get his revenge.
Josh Morrissey, WPG at FLA ($17): Morrissey is the only real weapon the Jets have on the blue line, as he has 11 points in 17 games. However, he only has one goal, but that's with 2.3 percent shooting. Morrissey is getting more minutes and more opportunity, so he should eventually be able to manage even more points. Maybe he will light the lamp against the Panthers, as they have a 3.56 GAA.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Cale Makar, COL at EDM ($19): I'm still not certain about the Oilers' 2.65 GAA as a team. Mike Smith just got walloped in his last start, but Mikko Koskinen still has a 2.16 GAA and .928 save percentage and hasn't been solved just yet. On top of that, the Oilers have a top-five penalty kill. Eight of Makar's 18 points have come with the extra man, so this might not be the night for him.
Ryan Suter, MIN vs. ARI ($14): It's impressive how many minutes Suter is still able to play at 34, and he's also still fairly productive. On the other hand, he's only put 28 shots on net through 18 games. Even if he was more active, this is a terrible matchup for Suter and the Wild. The Coyotes have a robust 2.42 GAA.
