This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
GOALIE
Mikko Koskinen, EDM vs. VAN ($29): Koskinen seems to be on an upswing after an extended rough patch of play. Over his last 11 games he has a 2.47 GAA and .922 save percentage. Now he's facing a Canucks team that will be on the road for the second game of a back-to-back. They already have a bottom-five offense, and it almost certainly won't be at its best under those circumstances.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Carey Price, MON at SAN ($31): Price has enjoyed a nice return to form this season, but this is still a matchup that gives me pause. The Sharks have averaged 3.71 goals and 33.2 shots on net per game at home, and they added talent at the trade deadline. With so many teams in action, you can find several better options out there.
CENTER
Mika Zibanejad, NYR at DET ($24): Despite the Rangers having a down year, Zibanejad is having a career season. He's already notched 27 goals and 63 points in 66 games, and he's been stellar on the power play as well. The 25-year-old has 20 points with the extra man, including nine goals. Since the All-Star break, the Red Wings have a 3.67 GAA, and this season as whole they have the 26th-ranked penalty kill.
CENTER TO AVOID
Aleksander Barkov, FLA at BOS ($25): This isn't about Barkov, who is having a fine season down in Florida. You just don't want to mess with the Bruins on their own ice. Boston has a 2.31 GAA at home, which is lowest in the NHL.
WING
Anthony Mantha, DET vs. NYR ($19): The Wings have nothing to play for, but that hasn't mattered to Mantha. Over his last 10 games he's notched 12 points and 35 shots on net. Meanwhile, the Rangers have had issues defensively on the road all season. They have a 3.90 GAA in away games.
Jake DeBrusk, BOS vs. FLA ($19): If you want to talk about hot shooters, you basically have to start with DeBrusk. He's tallied a goal in eight of his last 10 games, and thrown seven assists in for good measure across those contests. Now he gets to shoot against a Panthers team that has an .879 save percentage on the road.
WINGS TO AVOID
Johnny Gaudreau, CGY at ARI ($31): Yes, Gaudreau is one of the league's leading scorers, although he only has one goal in his last 16 games. However, he and the Flames will be on the road for the second game of a back-to-back. If that's not enough, Darcy Kuemper has a 1.97 GAA and .937 save percentage in his last 11 starts.
Gabriel Landeskog, COL at DAL ($28): Landeskog will be fighting an uphill battle against the Stars. Dallas has a 2.38 GAA at home top five in the NHL. The Stars also have the sixth-ranked penalty kill. A whopping 24 of the Swedish wing's 69 points have come with the extra man, so this matchup could be particularly tricky for him.
DEFENSE
Duncan Keith, CHI vs. BUF ($18): Keith seems to have lost his goal-scoring touch for good, but he does have 10 points in his last 10 games. Plus, as bad as the Blackhawks have been defensively, since the All-Star break the Sabres have been just as porous. In 16 games since the break, Buffalo has a 3.81 GAA.
Rasmus Ristolainen, BUF at CHI ($14): Ristolainen will be the "other" Rasmus in Buffalo soon enough, if he isn't already, but the big Finn is still a good player in his own right. He's notched 39 points this season, including 14 on the power play, to go with 159 shots on 66 games. Of course, it doesn't take much to have success against the Blackhawks. They have both the league's highest GAA (3.77) and the league's worst penalty kill.
DEFENSE TO AVOID
Mark Giordano, CGY at ARI ($27): The argument against Giordano is the same argument that I used against Gaudreau. Calgary is on the second night of a back-to-back, and Darcy Kuemper has been hot (1.97 GAA, .937 save percentage in his last 11 starts). However, to add to my argument, the Coyotes also have the second-ranked penalty kill.
Ryan Suter, MIN at TAM ($18): It's a bad day for aging, but still productive, defensemen. Suter has 43 points, including 13 with the extra man, but you aren't going to find many worse matchups. For starters, the Lightning have the league's best penalty kill. Also, if we're talking play since the All-Star break, the Lighting have a 1.82 GAA in that time.
