This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
You may be well rested on Sunday, but the four NHL teams in action won't be as they are all on the second day of a back-to-back. It might be a night for backup goalies, which can often lead to more scoring depending on the quality of the backups. Here are some players to target, and to avoid, for your daily fantasy lineup.
GOALIE
Carter Hutton, BUF at CHI ($37): I wasn't happy with any of the goalie options available, to be honest. Hutton at least has a 2.62 GAA. He's endured a couple poor starts and he's on the road, but he should get some offensive support from his team - especially since the Blackhawks have been porous defensively in the best of times. With a shrug, I recommend Hutton.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Marc-Andre Fleury, VGK vs. CGY ($34): Fleury has posted a 2.68 GAA, but has struggled with a 3.81 GAA and .868 save percentage over his last six games. Now, I know what you might be thinking. The Golden Knights are so good at home, so this is a time to take a chance anyway even if his personal numbers aren't so great. Ah, but guess again. In fact, Vegas maintains a 3.60 GAA at home this year, which is the league's worst mark.
CENTER
William Karlsson, VGK vs. CGY ($22): Remember when Wild Bill broke out with 43 goals in his first campaign with the Golden Knights? He only has notched six goals this year, but with a 9.8 shooting percentage that's bound to improve. And he's racked up 14 assists for good measure. Cam Talbot is likely to be in net for the Flames with his solid 2.69 GAA but mediocre .907 save percentage. Will his defense be able to bail him out on the road for the second game of a back-to-back?
CENTER TO AVOID
Sean Monahan, CGY at VGK ($23): Vegas has struggled at home, but there may be some cognitive dissonance in these recommendations since there's not any matchup that really scares me. As a result, finding players to avoid becomes a little tricky. However, Monahan has notched seven of his 17 points on the power play, but that may be a problem as the Golden Knights own a top-five penalty kill.
WING
Sam Reinhart, BUF at CHI ($17): After recording 65 points last year, Reinhart has 17 points in 19 games. He's been a weapon on the power play since even before his breakout campaign, and he's averaged over three minutes per game with the extra man in each of the last three seasons. Corey Crawford will probably be in net for the Blackhawks on Sunday, and he enters with a 3.24 GAA and .908 save percentage.
Dominik Kubalik, CHI vs. BUF ($13): Kubalik claims a spot on Chicago's second power-play unit, which could help out here. Three of his eight points have also come with the extra man. The Sabres have a bottom-five penalty kill, so there's chance for Kubalik to prove a good value at this price.
WINGS TO AVOID
Mark Stone, VGK vs. CGY ($26): Stone doesn't have a point in his last six games, which counts as a bit of a lull. And seven of his 18 points have come with the extra man, though he's only registered one power-play point over his last 10 games. The Flames maintain a top-eight penalty kill, so Stone may not get back to his old form in this one.
Alexander Nylander, CHI vs. BUF ($10): Nylander is on Chicago's first line, but it hasn't led him to a breakout campaign as some hoped. He did just get two goals in a strange blowout of the Predators on Saturday, so you might be intrigued by him. However, being on the top line hasn't gotten him much power play time. With Carter Hutton in net, and without a chance to face Buffalo's penalty kill, Nylander's struggles should continue. Even at this price, I don't think he's worth it.
DEFENSE
Rasmus Dahlin, BUF at CHI ($19): Dahlin is actually playing fewer minutes per game compared to his rookie year, but he's playing a minute more on the power play. Plus, he's started 57.0 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, second highest on the Sabres. This all helps out defensively, especially against a Blackhawks' team that has allowed the most shots on goal per game in the NHL.
Nate Schmidt, VGK vs. CGY ($17): Schmidt has been eased into the lineup since returning from injury, especially on the power play. However, he has started 60.6 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, third most on the Golden Knights. He's also put 22 shots on goal and blocked 19 shots. And as previously noted, Cam Talbot comes in with a .907 save percentage.
DEFENSE TO AVOID
Shea Theodore, VGK vs. CGY ($17): Theodore got off to a hot start to the season, but he only has tallied three points in his last 15 games. On top of that, four of his eight points have come with the extra man. The Flames own a top-10 penalty kill, so Theodore may not turn things around here.
Erik Gustafsson, CHI vs. BUF ($15): Last year, Gustafsson broke out with 17 goals and 43 assists. This year, he has only six points with only two on the power play. That doesn't make Gustafsson a likely candidate to take advantage of Buffalo's penalty kill.
