This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Happy Hockey Day in America! To celebrate the occasion, we have an awfully busy Sunday of hockey. For the festivities, part of me wants to include the full nine games on the slate, including the 12:30 PM ET start - especially since that game is the Penguins hosting a Red Wings' team on the second night of a back-to-back. If you could have a lineup that was nothing but Pens, I wouldn't fault you. However, I also want to think about all of you DFS players out on the West Coast who would have to basically wake up and put a lineup in. Instead, I'm going to focus on the five games starting at 6:00 PM ET or later. Since there was the usual busy Saturday, we've got a lot of teams on back-to-backs Sunday. Here are some players to target, and to avoid, for your daily fantasy lineup.
GOALIE
Anton Khudobin, DAL at OTT ($31): It doesn't matter who is in net for the Stars, as they boast two elite goalies. Ben Bishop is the de facto starter and he's earned that, but Khudobin has been absolutely stellar himself with a 2.26 GAA and .928 save percentage. Although the Stars are on the second leg of a back-to-back, the Senators are too and the Stars clearly represent the better team here.
GOALIES TO AVOID
Jordan Binnington, STL at NAS ($26): The Blues and Predators are playing a home-and-home this weekend, so there isn't a lot of advantage to be found. If either goalie is at a disadvantage, it would be Binnington as he plays on the road. Binnington is in a bit of a sophomore slump with a 2.74 GAA and .909 save percentage. Additionally, the Predators have averaged 3.23 goals and 33.3 shots on net per contest.
CENTER
Pierre-Luc Dubois, CLM at NJD ($20): Dubois has started 63.0 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, highest on the Blue Jackets. That's helped him notch 43 points in 59 games. Sunday he'll be facing a Devils team with a 3.42 GAA, second highest in the NHL.
CENTER TO AVOID
Jonathan Toews, CHI at WPG ($20): Toews has put his bad puck luck behind him, but his numbers are still lacking on the power play. That's unfortunate for him, given that the Jets own the 27th-ranked penalty kill. Despite that, Connor Hellebuyck has a 2.72 GAA and .919 save percentage for Winnipeg, so clearly he's been excelling in 5-on-5 situations.
WING
Patrik Laine, WPG vs. CHI ($25): When Laine was having issues putting the puck in the net early, he found himself an unexpected playmaker. The sharpshooting Finn eventually found his old form and now has 24 goals from 199 shots on net through 57 games. The Blackhawks possess good goaltending, but they've also allowed 35.9 shots on goal per contest. Also, they're playing on consecutive nights.
Jaden Schwartz, STL at NAS ($17): Schwartz has bounced back nicely from last year when he had a puzzling 6.0 shooting percentage, thanks in large part to his power-play success. He's played 2:53 per game with the extra man and tallied 19 power-play points in 58 games. Meanwhile, speaking of puzzling things, the Predators somehow have the league's worst penalty kill this season.
WINGS TO AVOID
Kyle Palmieri, NJD vs. CLM ($19): Palmieri is no Taylor Hall, but he's no slouch. In fact, he's notched 21 goals in 53 games, marking his fifth-straight season with over 20. But not many people are scoring on Elvis Merzlikins and the Jackets this year. Since taking over as Columbus's starter, the Latvian goalie has sparkled with a 1.60 GAA and .948 save percentage.
Anthony Duclair, OTT vs. DAL ($12): Duclair was a cool story when he made the All-Star Game, but things have fallen by the wayside since. In fact, he's gone without a goal in his last 20 games. Now Duclair has to face a Stars' squad with a 2.49 GAA. Best of luck with that.
DEFENSE
Rasmus Dahlin, BUF vs. TOR ($18): Admittedly, the Sabres make it easy on Dahlin offensively. He's started a team-high 57.8 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone and has averaged 3:25 per game with the extra man. Fortunately for Buffalo it's worked out, and Dahlin has 13 points in his last 14 contests. The Maple Leafs are on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back. And while Frederik Andersen is back, he's posted a .909 save percentage.
Miro Heiskanen, DAL at OTT ($18): Heiskanen was impressive as a 19-year-old rookie, and he's suffered no sophomore slump. The Finn has produced 29 points in 57 games and has fired 138 shots on goal while blocking 71 shots. As for the Senators, they have a 3.30 GAA and have given up 33.6 shots on net per game, and they are also on the second night of a back-to-back.
DEFENSE TO AVOID
Mattias Ekholm, NAS vs. STL ($18): Ekholm is a talented defenseman who has 31 points in 56 games, but his power-play time is limited. He's only played 1:24 per game with the extra man, and only has registered five power-play points. The Blues don't have a very solid penalty kill, but Ekholm may not be able to take advantage of that. That's concerning, even if Jordan Binnington does have a .909 save percentage. After all, he did record a .927 save percentage as a rookie.
P.K. Subban, NJD vs. CLM ($14): Subban, a former Predator himself - it's hard to write that without it sounding weird - has endured a rough season in New Jersey. However, he's still got that name recognition that entices some DFS players and keeps his price higher than it should be. Even if Subban didn't look like a shell of his former self, I wouldn't like him in this matchup. After all, Elvis Merzlikins comes in with a 1.60 GAA and .948 save percentage as a starter.
