We had a lot of hockey action for several days, but we do have a light night Friday. There are only three games on the docket, but we still get a few of the more porous defenses in the NHL in action, which is good for the DFS players out there. These are my recommendations for the guys to target, and to avoid, for your DFS lineups.
GOALIE
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, BUF at CLM ($27): Connor Hellebuyck is in line to start against the Blackhawks, which is a strikingly obvious option, but sometimes when a choice is so clear, I like to look elsewhere to give you another name to consider if possible. If I didn’t like Luukkonen against Columbus, I wouldn’t recommend him just for the sake of it, but the Finnish goalie has an 1.82 GAA and .933 save percentage in his last 15 outings. The Jackets, 21st in goals per game, are better than I expected on that front, but they rank 31st in GAA, so I like the odds of Luukkonen winning.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Stuart Skinner, EDM vs. MIN ($26): After playing the best hockey of his career and helping to get the Oilers on track, Skinner has slipped again. He has an .863 save percentage over his last five games. The Wild have averaged 3.11 goals per game, which is right in the middle of the league, but they were notably lower earlier. A change in coach, and the return to health of Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello, has changed the landscape in Minnesota.
CENTER
Sean Monahan, WPG at CHI ($23): Monahan wouldn’t be the first player to be dealt from an also-ran to a Cup contender and pick up their play. Through seven games with the Jets, the former Flame and Hab (guy loves Canada) has five goals. The Blackhawks have a 3.53 GAA, which is bottom six in the NHL. Monahan certainly has better linemates than he had in Montreal, if nothing else.
CENTER TO AVOID
Connor Bedard, CHI vs. WPG ($22): The Jets have a 2.35 GAA, lowest in the NHL, and indeed Hellebuyck has played a big part in that. However, let’s say for the sake of argument Laurent Brossoit is in net with an easy matchup on the schedule. Well, he has a 2.28 GAA and .920 save percentage, so that will provide no relief to Bedard.
WING
Zach Hyman, EDM vs. MIN ($25): Hyman had 36 goals last year, which was quite impressive. This year, he’s enjoyed playing with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl even more. Hyman already has 34 goals through only 52 games. Nine of them have come on the power play, and the Wild have a bottom-five penalty kill.
Jordan Greenway, BUF at CLM ($19): Greenway hasn’t always found a steady role in the NHL, but injuries have thrust him onto the second line for the Sabres. To that end, he has eight points in his last 10 contests. Columbus has a 3.73 GAA, which is second highest in the NHL, so maybe Greenway stays hot while he’s here on the second line.
WINGS TO AVOID
Kirill Marchenko, CLM vs. BUF ($15): Marchenko had 21 goals as a rookie, though with only four assists, and this year his 16 goals are paired with 12 helpers. As I noted, though, Luukkonen has an 1.82 GAA over his last 15 outings. Plus, the Sabres have an above-average penalty kill, and seven of those 16 goals for Marchenko have come on the power play.
Marcus Johansson, MIN at EDM ($10): Johansson is the one top-six wing on the Wild who doesn’t play on the first power-play unit. He won’t face Edmonton’s flagging penalty kill much. Additionally, he has an 9.4 shooting percentage, and the Oilers have only allowed 28.2 shots on net per game.
DEFENSE
Josh Morrissey, WPG at CHI ($21): Morrissey has three assists over his last two outings. That gives him 38 points on the season, including 10 with the extra man. Chicago, as I noted, has a 3.53 GAA, and it has also allowed 32.6 shots on net per game.
Henri Jokiharju, BUF at CLM ($16): With Owen Power out, Jokiharju has been skating next to Rasmus Dahlin on the top pairing for the Sabres. The points haven’t always been there, but he has a three-game point streak. Columbus has a 3.73 GAA, second highest in the NHL, and has also given up 33.3 shots on net per game for good measure.
DEFENSE TO AVOID
Zach Werenski, CLM vs. BUF ($24): Werenski has been on fire since returning from injury, save for a lack of power-play success. Of course, Luukkonen has also been hot. The Sabres have held opponents to 29.1 shots on goal per contest, and that paired with Luukkonen’s play doesn’t bode well for Werenski.
Seth Jones, CHI vs. WPG ($14): The Jets have the league’s lowest GAA, even with a below-average penalty kill. Alas, Jones only has two power-play points. Even this one silver lining won’t play into Jones’ performance this season.
