This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Sunday marks the end of the Thanksgiving weekend and nearly the end of November. Before we get to December, there are still a few more shots at DFS glory. There are four NHL games Sunday night. Here are my players to target, and to avoid, for your DFS lineups.
GOALIE
Martin Jones, SEA at ANA ($35): Jones' personal performance has been hit-or-miss, but he's posted a 2.49 GAA as the Kraken defense has only allowed 27.2 shots on net per game. The Ducks, meanwhile, have managed a mere 2.48 goals. Since scoring fractions of goals can't happen, I'd bet on the under with a win for Jones and Seattle.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Cam Talbot, OTT at LOS ($28): Talbot has looked good since returning with a .918 save percentage in his first nine games as a Senator. These teams are actually directly in the middle in terms of goals scored, but the Kings have averaged 32.6 shots while the Sens have allowed 33.9. Could be a busy night on the road for Talbot.
CENTER
Logan Couture, SAN vs. VAN ($18): When the Sharks hit the power play, Couture gets the chance to play with the big stars on the squad as opposed to carrying the second line solo. He's averaged 2:49 with the extra man to go with seven power-play points. The Canucks, the one team Sunday on the second leg of a back-to-back, are also battling the lowly Ducks for the league's worst penalty kill.
CENTER TO AVOID
Bo Horvat, VAN at SAN ($24): Horvat has notched six of his 16 goals on the power play. The Sharks boast the league's best penalty kill. That may seem surprising, but they finished in the top-five last year.
WING
Andre Burakovsky, SEA at ANA ($20): Bad offense is just the beginning of the issues for the Ducks. I mentioned their awful penalty kill, but defensively they've been a mess with a 4.19 GAA while allowing an average of 37.6 shots. Burakovsky has racked up 20 points in 20 games, including five in his last two.
Sam Gagner, WPG at CHI ($11): What do you do when you have a couple of wingers injured and don't want to move Blake Wheeler off his line? You move Gagner up to the top trio and also give him a spot on the first power play. Over his last six games, he's averaged 17:11 in ice time – 2:29 on the man-advantage – with two points and 17 shots on goal. The Blackhawks rank bottom-10 in GAA, shots on net allowed, and penalty-kill percentage.
WINGS TO AVOID
Patrick Kane, CHI vs. WPG ($22): The NHL's top regression-toward-the-mean candidate, Kane's 4.9 shooting perhaps will improve and probably at some point double. For now, he's struggled to get things going. Kane is set to go up against Connor Hellebuyck, who enters with a 2.46 GAA and .926 save percentage.
Frank Vatrano, ANA vs. SEA ($12): The Ducks added Vatrano and gave him the bigger role of his career and he's responded with…four goals and a 6.5 shooting percentage. His luck may improve, but to do so it helps to have opportunity and the Kraken only allow 27.2 shots on net.
DEFENSE
Justin Schultz, SEA at ANA ($18): Schultz is on a four-game point streak, and now gets to face a team with a 4.19 GAA. He's also averaged 2:29 with the extra man, and the Ducks maintain a bottom-five penalty kill.
Jake Sanderson, OTT at LOS ($17): Thomas Chabot's return to the lineup didn't end up cramping Sanderson's style. He still logged 24:00, including 3:33 on the power play, and picked up an assist, four shots on goal, and two blocked shots. The Kings have a 3.39 GAA, but that's with solid defending and not as much Jonathan Quick's .895 save percentage.
DEFENSE TO AVOID
Quinn Hughes, VAN at SAN ($20): Hughes is particularly hindered by a matchup like this. He's mainly a power-play specialist, and the Sharks have the league's best penalty kill. If that wasn't enough, Hughes and company are on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back.
Seth Jones, CHI vs. WPG ($16): Jones has looked no worse for the wear since returning to the lineup, but that doesn't make this matchup any easier. As I noted earlier, Hellebuyck has produced a 2.46 GAA and .926 save percentage. The Jets also happen to have a top-five penalty kill.
