This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Once football season ends, hockey (and basketball, but that's not my milieu) spread their wings on Sundays. That means spaced out schedules, and there are seven games with the first one starting at 1 p.m. EST. If you used to get your NFL rosters by then, why not bring that over to the NHL? Here are the players to target, and to avoid, for your DFS lineups Sunday.
GOALIE
Juuse Saros, NAS at ARI ($34): Saros enters with a .916 save percentage, but also a 2.82 GAA because the Preds allow a lot of shots. The Coyotes aren't exactly prolific firing a league-low 25.7 pucks on net, so Saros should likely be less busy than usual.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Ilya Samsonov, TOR at SEA ($34): Like Saros, Samsonov has a .916 save percentage, but with a 2.35 GAA because the Leafs play stingier defense. However, I'm not sure about him on the road against the Kraken as they've significantly improved in their sophomore season by averaging 3.48 goals, which ranks them fifth overall.
CENTER
Joel Eriksson Ek, MIN vs. CLM ($19): Eriksson Ek has recently slowed a bit, but he's still at 46 points on the season. He's done plenty of damage on the power play, where he's notched 21 points on the top unit. The Blue Jackets sit bottom-five in GAA and shots allowed, and will also be on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back.
CENTER TO AVOID
Pierre-Luc Dubois, WPG vs. NYI ($21): Like Eriksson Ek, Dubois has slightly tailed off offensively since he hasn't managed more than one point in any of his last 19 games. Hey, with players at Dubois' salary level, that matters. The difference here is the matchup as Ilya Sorokin enters with a 2.41 GAA and .924 save percentage.
WING
Jeff Skinner, BUF vs. WAS ($23): Skinner is riding a five-game point streak, including four goals. The Caps will be visiting the Sabres having also played Saturday afternoon. Charlie Lindgren is expected in net for Washington and has been used this season more than others, but still lists a career .906 save percentage.
Viktor Arvidsson, LOS at NYR ($17): The last couple years, Arvidsson has been more of a quantity scorer, but this season he's at a 12.2 shooting percentage. That's helped him tally 17 goals to go with 23 assists. The Rangers just skated Saturday, and Igor Shesterkin got the start. That means Jaroslav Halak will likely be in net, and he produced a .903 save percentage the last three seasons.
WINGS TO AVOID
Johnny Gaudreau, CLM at MIN ($18): Gaudreau hasn't been the issue with the Blue Jackets, but he's not matchup-proof. As I noted, the Blue Jackets are on the second leg of a back-to-back. Fighting for a playoff spot, the Wild have turned to Filip Gustavsson more and more. That makes sense based on his 2.11 GAA and .928 save percentage.
Anders Lee, NYI at WPG ($18): Lee has registered another 20-goal season and now has Bo Horvat as his center. On the flip side, he's visiting the Jets and will likely face Connor Hellebuyck. While his last start was rough, he's still excelled with a 2.46 GAA and .923 save percentage. The Jets also boast the second-ranked penalty kill, which is of concern for someone like Lee who's averaged 3:16 with the extra man.
DEFENSE
Roman Josi, NAS at ARI ($32): The matchup is quite favorable and the Preds don't have any other defenseman who are doing much on offense, so I'm going to shell out for Josi. He's enjoying another amazing campaign with 51 points and 235 shots. The Coyotes have allowed a whopping 35.5 shots on goal and also maintain a bottom-10 GAA of 3.48.
Calen Addison, MIN vs. CLM ($10): Addison has been the most productive Wild blueliner, owing almost entirely to the power play with 18 of his 27 points coming there. The Blue Jackets rank 20th in penalty kill, but Elvis Merzlikins with his 4.21 GAA and .873 save percentage will also likely start.
DEFENSE TO AVOID
Noah Dobson, NYI at WPG ($19): Dobson has been hot since returning from injury, but six of his nine points have been achieved with the extra man. As I mentioned, the Jets have the second-ranked penalty kill. This matchup is not up Dobson's alley, even if he's done well of late.
Vince Dunn, SEA vs. TOR ($14): Dunn potted a goal in his last outing, but it was his first \in 14 games. He's also directed 103 shots on net, which isn't terrible for a defenseman, but isn't exactly prolific. The Leafs have held opponents to 29.0 pucks on goal per game, so Dunn could be kept in check - and perhaps even held without a shot.
