This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
There are a few afternoon games Saturday with the Penguins heading to Los Angeles to take on the Kings and the Capitals traveling up to Winnipeg to face the Jets. Unfortunately, that means players from those teams won't be included in the main contests. There are still eight games and 16 teams to pick from, though the top options are pretty lackluster. With a lot of quality goaltender and low-scoring teams set to take the ice, there's a decent shot that fantasy points will be difficult to come by. With this in mind, considering targeting a few games that should see a lot of goals; the Canadiens at Carolina, the Avalanche at Minnesota and the Bruins at Vancouver.
GOALIE
Steve Mason, PHI vs. CBJ ($30) - Over his past two starts, Mason is 2-0-0, allowing two goals on 49 shots. He pitched a 24-save shutout against the Rangers in Madison Square Garden a week ago and is the safest pick Saturday against a Blue Jackets squad that has scored six goals in its last four games. It's been a while since Mason was traded by Columbus to Philadelphia, but there's got to be some added incentive for him even after all these years. Devan Dubnyk ($33) is also starting to get hot but has a tougher matchup against the Avalanche.
Goalie to Avoid:
Craig Anderson, OTT vs. NYI ($37) - The Islanders played the Blues on Friday, but they have plenty of experience playing twice in two nights. This will be the sixth set of back-to-back games for the Isles this season, and they're 3-2-0 in the second game. Anderson has allowed three or more goals in his last five starts and is still the second-highest priced goalie behind Jaroslav Halak ($38), against whom he'll play. This game should be high scoring, so it may be wise to fade both goalies.
CENTER
David Desharnais, MTL at CAR ($14) - If you watched the Devils-Hurricanes game Thursday night -- it's OK if you didn't -- you saw what New Jersey accomplished against Carolina, that is, a five-goal outburst. Desharnais was just reunited with Max Pacioretty on the top line, and while he didn't score Thursday, Pacioretty registered a game-high nine shots on goal. The Hurricanes will be much easier to score on, and Desharnais should get first dibs on assists. With his low price, Desharnais makes for a great tournament play but is a bit risky for cash games.
Center to Avoid:
David Backes, STL vs. TOR ($21) - There is apparently still a bit of name value for Backes, and while he has two points in his last two games, the Blues likely will have to deal with James Reimer in net for Toronto. Backes is also 31 and will be on the second game of a back-to-back. Sure, he's been bumped up to the second line with Alex Steen and Troy Brouwer, but neither has done much lately. Henrik Sedin ($19) and David Krejci ($18) are a few cheaper options who have more offensive upside.
WING
Zach Parise, MIN vs. COL ($22) - Parise has just an assist in four games since returning from a knee injury but has had the Avalanche's number throughout his career. In 22 career games against Colorado, Parise has 10 goals, 24 points and is plus-11 while averaging almost five shots per game. The Wild are 5-1-0 with 19 goals in their last six games against the Avalanche. Parise is a bargain who has the ability to produce huge fantasy numbers.
Matt Beleskey, BOS at VAN ($16) - Beleskey is mired in a 13-game goal drought but has registered 12 shots on goal in his last two games. The Canucks have got poor goaltending from Ryan Miller and Jacob Markstrom this season, so the Bruins' high-powered offense should be able to do work in a rematch of the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals. Patrice Bergeron's line should be matched up against the Sedin twins, so Beleskey, David Krejci and Loui Eriksson will have an easier night against the rest of Vancouver's young lineup.
Wings to Avoid:
Gabriel Landeskog, COL at MIN ($23) - If Devan Dubnyk's hot streak doesn't scare you, consider a few things. Landeskog has just an assist over three games on the Avalanche's four-game road trip. In fact, he's been pretty bad away from Pepsi Center this season with just a goal and six assists in 14 games. It's tough to fade a guy who's playing with the blistering Matt Duchene and Nathan MacKinnon, but chances are he'll continue his disappearing act -- at least from a fantasy perspective -- Saturday.
Nikita Kucherov, TBL at SJ ($20) - Speaking of slumps, let's talk about the Tampa Bay Lightning -- specifically Kucherov -- for a second. As the only remaining "Triplet" who isn't injured, Kucherov has been forced to play with Jonathan Drouin and Vladislav Namestnikov on the second line, which has resulted in zero scoring the last four games. The Lightning haven't scored more than two goals since Nov. 21, and, unfortunately for them, backup goalie Alex Stalock has played well lately.
DEFENSEMEN
P.K. Subban, MTL at CAR ($23) - This seems like the chalk play of the century despite Subban's goal-scoring struggles this season. He still has 20 assists and will captain a power play matchup against the Hurricanes' 29th-ranked penalty kill unit. A lot of owners will be on Subban, so try to avoid him in big tournaments, but consider him guaranteed points out of one of your defenseman slots.
Jared Spurgeon, MIN vs. COL ($16) - The Wild's dominance against the Avalanche was well documented in the Zach Parise blurb above, so if you need another refresher on that just scroll up a bit. Spurgeon has picked up an assist in back-to-back games -- including one on the power play in Thursday's win against the Leafs. Colorado's penalty kill is still a work in progress, and Spurgeon should be able to use his speed to make Avalanche defenders look dumbfounded. He's a strong tournament play at a low cost in a game that should see plenty of scoring, particularly from his side.
Defenseman to Avoid:
Justin Faulk, CAR vs. MTL ($22) - It's been many moons since Faulk lit the lamp, five games to be exact, plus he hasn't registered a point in three straight. Faulk is never going to put up points through secondary fantasy categories, so he's reliant on scoring, which hurts his value as one of the higher-priced defensemen in Yahoo Daily Fantasy Hockey. Considering it's been difficult to score on the Canadiens this season no matter who's in net, fade Faulk along with most of his teammates.
Alex Pietrangelo, STL vs. TOR ($22) - If you took away Pietrangelo's 18-point performance against Pittsburgh on Nov. 25, he'd have a grand total of 29 fantasy points over his past 10 games entering Friday. The return of Kevin Shattenkirk at the beginning of November really cut into Pietrangelo's power-play time, which has thusly stunted his fantasy value. The Maple Leafs played a tight game Thursday against the Wild, so expect the points to be scarce in this contest.
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