This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
The two Stanley Cup finalists of last year will face off, on the same ice that saw the Blues crowned champions for the first time. It's a revenge game in every sense of the phrase, as neither team made major changes to their rosters, and they're both contenders yet again. This is just the first of eight games that fire up for the evening slate, which starts at 7:00 p.m. ET. There's also an afternoon game between the Blackhawks and Hurricanes at 1:00 p.m. ET, although this article focuses on the later ones.
GOALIE
Pavel Francouz, COL vs. ANA ($29): Francouz only has two starts this year but they were both superb, allowing just two goals in each outing despite facing a combined 82 shots. He was one of the top KHL goalies for multiple years, so this success could be real. At the very least, it shouldn't die down in this matchup, as the Ducks have scored just 2.27 goals per game (29th in the league) and sport a 7.4 power-play percentage (29th).
GOALIE TO AVOID
Carter Hart, PHI vs. CLS ($35): There's a chance the Flyers go with Brian Elliott ($26) after Hart's suspect start to the season, but fantasy gamers will want to stay away if Hart gets the nod. The 21-year-old has lost three straight outings, and he has a season-long .889 save percentage. The Blue Jackets are showing life lately by putting up four goals in back-to-back games, so it looks like it'll be tough sledding to turn things around.
CENTER
Max Domi, MON vs. TOR ($21): Out to prove last year wasn't a fluke, Domi rides a seven-game point streak into this contest. Michael Hutchinson will be patrolling the road crease, and he's left the floodgates open this year with at least four goals against in each start.
CENTER TO AVOID
Sean Monahan, CGY at WPG ($26): Monahan has been held below 4.0 fantasy points in five of the last seven games, and going on the road against the Jets isn't the elixir. Connor Hellebuyck has a .935 save percentage over four home starts this year, and he has a lifetime 2.13 GAA against the Flames.
WING
David Pastrnak, BOS vs. STL ($30): Pastrnak's on a ridiculous pace. The Czech winger leads the league with 10 goals, and he's rung up multiple points in four straight games. He hasn't done his damage against slouches, either, as he lit the lamp on John Gibson, Andrei Vasilevskiy and Frederik Andersen in that span. Jordan Binnington may be a stout goaltender, but he's no more immune than those netminders. Chase the potential here.
Luke Kunin, MIN vs. LA ($11): Kunin doesn't mark up the scoresheet like crazy, but he has a solid scoring touch and a steady floor -- 16 shots on net over the last five outings. He's getting work on the second line and power play, too, and the matchup is perfect to harvest, as Los Angeles has allowed the most goals per game (3.90) and ranks 29th in penalty kill at 70.3 percent.
WINGS TO AVOID
Patrik Laine, WPG vs. CGY ($25): That Laine is streaky is an established fact. Last season, he endured four straight pointless contests on six different occasions, and he's currently in the midst of a three-game cold spell. Laine also finds most of his success with the man advantage, as 36.3 percent of his career points have come on the power play. It won't be easy to right the ship against the Flames' 88.9 percent kill rate.
Alexander Radulov, DAL vs. PIT ($21): it's been a tough go for Radulov, as he's failed to post a point in seven of the last eight contests, and he didn't even fire a shot on net in three of the last four. Dropping to the bottom six won't help his woes.
DEFENSE
Ryan Ellis, NSH at TB ($20): Ellis is on pace for 90 assists this year, and although it'll obviously regress, his 58.6 Corsi For percentage still points to a strong campaign. The Lightning have no answer for opposing power plays right now (71 percent kill rate), so Ellis will continue to be a top value play on the blue line.
Kevin Shattenkirk, TB vs. NSH ($18): After being bought out by the Rangers this summer, Shattenkirk has to be thrilled to be playing in the top four alongside Ryan McDonagh. He's earned it, though, and he's firing three shots on net per game over the last two weeks. That floor is appealing for this price range.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Tyson Barrie, TOR at MON ($19): Barrie was a dynamic, puck-moving defenseman for the Avalanche, but he's no longer the best blueliner on his team. He's battling an eight-game point drought, and the Maple Leafs' power play can't find its groove without John Tavares (finger) anyway with just one goal on the man advantage since he's been on the shelf.
Jamie Oleksiak, DAL vs. PIT ($17): Oleksiak is spending his time on the third pairing, and he hasn't surpassed 13:00 TOI in five straight contests. The 27-year-old won't be bumped up anytime soon, and a season-long average of 2.1 fantasy points per game isn't much potential to target.
