Next weekend, we’ll be in the lead up to Christmas, so this weekend some NHL action is much appreciated. Friday brings us six games, with the first starting at 7 p.m. ET as per usual. These are my players to target, and to avoid, for your DFS lineups.
GOALIE
Juuse Saros, NAS at CAR ($27): Saros has been on his game, posting a 2.23 GAA and .932 save percentage over his last 10 starts. The Hurricanes are in the middle of the league in goals per contest, but they are on the second leg of a back-to-back. That’s enough to push me to going with the Finnish netminder.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Linus Ullmark, BOS at NYI ($35): Ullmark has a .917 save percentage, which isn’t up to his Vezina-winning level but is good. However, the loss of Patrice Bergeron is perhaps being felt, as the Bruins have allowed 32.1 shots on net per game. That means Ullmark has a 2.71 GAA. Scoring is up, but that’s still not stellar. The Islanders, meanwhile, have been on an offensive uptick, having scored at least three goals in each of their last eight games.
CENTER
Nick Bjugstad, ARI vs. SAN ($15): The second line for the Coyotes has been stable, with Bjugstad between Lawson Crouse and Matias Maccelli. Bjugstad personally has been consistent. He didn’t pick up a point in his first three games, but since then hasn’t gone more than a single outing without scoring. There’s a good chance he’ll pick up a point or two against the Sharks, who are last in GAA and shots on net allowed per game.
CENTER TO AVOID
Sebastian Aho, CAR vs. NAS ($25): This is the flipside of me recommending Saros. Aho is one of those Hurricanes on the second leg of a back-to-back. He has to try and solve Nashville’s red-hot goalie. With Aho’s lofty salary, that’s too risky.
WING
Ivan Barbashev, VGK vs. BUF ($18): It took some time for Barbashev to start contributing as a first-line wing for the Golden Knights. Given that he has gotten to skate next to Jack Eichel and Mark Stone, that was concerning. Well, over his last seven games he has seven points, so he has hopefully found his groove. Even using three goalies the Sabres have failed to find any groove, as they are in the bottom 10 in GAA.
Mason Marchment, DAL vs. OTT ($17): Marchment’s first season with the Stars was a bit disappointing, but his shooting percentage fell to 8.1, which played a role in that. His shooting has recovered and he already has nine goals in 27 games, and Marchment also has five multi-point games in his last 12 outings. The Senators are on the second leg of a back-to-back, and Anton Forsberg has a career .906 save percentage.
WINGS TO AVOID
Alex Tuch, BUF at VGK ($24): Tuch, a former Golden Knight, returned just in time for a matchup with his old team. Unfortunately for him, said previous squad is fighting to win the Jennings Trophy this season. Vegas’ 2.40 GAA is lowest in the league, and at some point Adin Hill is going to (finally) return.
Drake Batherson, OTT at DAL ($23): Batherson has spent his career as a power-play performer. Take last year, when 29 of his 62 points came with the extra man. However, he’s on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back here. While Jake Oettinger has had some issues recently, the Stars still have a top-five penalty kill.
DEFENSE
K’Andre Miller, NYR vs. ANA ($14): Miller is a guy who produces in fits and starts. That helped him tally 43 points last year, and he has eight points over his last eight games. The Ducks are up to a 3.43 GAA, because John Gibson’s wheels have fallen off. He has an .881 save percentage over his last 10 outings.
Juuso Valimaki, ARI vs. SAN ($10): Valimaki has two points over his last three games. Also, Sean Durzi is not expected to return Friday, while would presumably lead to Valimaki being on the first power-play unit. The Sharks are last in GAA and shots on net allowed per game, but they are also in the bottom five in penalty-kill percentage.
DEFENSE TO AVOID
Rasmus Dahlin, BUF at VGK ($21): Will Dahlin score against the Golden Knights? Well, the Knights are first in GAA. Maybe he’ll still generate some shots? Vegas has given up 29.4 shots on goal per game, which is above average. Okay, but what about his power-play minutes? Yeah, the Golden Knights have a top-five penalty kill for good measure.
Jaccob Slavin, CAR vs. NAS ($16): Slavin has been producing recently, with six points over his last eight games. Scoring against the hot Saros could prove tricky, though, especially on the second day of a back-to-back. Also, though the Predators have a below-average penalty kill, Slavin doesn’t play on the power play much at all.
