This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Welcome to March! The NHL is bringing us into the new month with six games, but two are in the afternoon. That means I am focusing on the four evening contests for daily fantasy purposes. Here are some players to target, and to avoid, for your daily fantasy lineup.
GOALIE
John Gibson, ANA vs. NJD ($22): Gibson's numbers are down this year (2.99 GAA, .904 save percentage), but he has posted a 2.65 GAA and .915 save percentage over his last six starts. What he really has going for him here is the fact the Devils will be on the road for the second game of a back-to-back. New Jersey has scored a mere 2.68 goals per game, and it has seen a few significant players leave during the season.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Braden Holtby, WAS at MIN ($20): Holtby is getting the start Sunday, though he's definitely had an inferior campaign to his teammate Ilya Samsonov. The 30-year-old netminder has struggled with a 3.12 GAA and .897 save percentage. While the Wild have been middling offensively on the year, they enjoyed a solid month in February by averaging 3.29 goals per game.
CENTER
William Karlsson, VGK vs. LOS ($20): Wild Bill will never live up to his first campaign in Vegas when he scored 43 goals and managed a ridiculously high 23.4 shooting percentage, but he has accumulated eight points over his last eight games. The Kings enter with a 3.46 road GAA and are on the second leg of a back-to-back.
CENTER TO AVOID
Elias Pettersson, VAN at CLM ($28): Pettersson has shown that his rookie season was no fluke, but it's hard for even a young player to be on the road for a second straight game. While the Blue Jackets have looked a little worse defensively recently, the overall numbers are impressive with a 2.26 GAA at home while only allowing 28.2 shots on net per contest in their own arena.
WING
Sonny Milano, ANA vs. NJD ($11): Milano was recently traded to Anaheim from Columbus, and he's already on the top line and the first power-play unit. The Devils have allowed a whopping 34.5 shots on net per contest on the road and are on the second leg of a back-to-back. And it's also possible Cory Schneider and his 4.08 GAA and .868 save percentage will be in net.
Emil Bemstrom, CLM vs. VAN ($11): Bemstrom has started 60.1 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, second highest among NHL forwards. The rookie only has 18 points on the season, but four have come during the last six games. Maybe because they are so far from most NHL teams, the Canucks have produced a 3.44 road GAA. And with Jacob Markstrom injured, the newly-acquired Louis Domingue and his 3.79/.882 line may be in net for Vancouver.
WINGS TO AVOID
Jakub Vrana, WAS at MIN ($21): Vrana has impressed with a breakout campaign, scoring 25 goals and adding 26 assists in 64 games. However, only one of his goals have come with the extra man, so he may not take advantage of Minnesota's 27th-ranked penalty kill. The Wild's penalty kill has actually improved of late because Alex Stalock has been red hot with a 1.76 GAA and .932 save percentage over his last nine starts.
Alex Iafallo, LOS at VGK ($17): With Tyler Toffoli gone, Iafallo remains the best the Kings have to offer on the wing. The Kings are playing their second game in as many days, and the Golden Knights have started to turn it around defensively. Since the All-Star break, Vegas has registered a 2.71 GAA, and it recently swapped Malcolm Subban out for Robin Lehner - which counts as a massive improvement.
DEFENSE
Shea Theodore, VGK vs. LOS ($22): Theodore has notched a point in four of his last five games, and 15 points - along with 60 shots on net - across 16 contests. The Kings have a bottom-10 GAA and the 28th-ranked penalty kill. Meanwhile, Theodore has averaged 3:11 per game with the extra man.
Zach Werenski, CLM vs. VAN ($20): Anytime a defenseman scores 20 goals in a season, it turns heads. Werenski is currently at 19 goals on 174 shots over 59 games, so he's likely to hit that mark. It could easily happen against the Canucks on Sunday. After all, they will be on the second night of a back-to-back and sport a 3.44 road GAA.
DEFENSE TO AVOID
Ryan Suter, MIN vs. WAS ($17): It's impressive what Suter is doing as a 35-year-old defenseman, but he's also done a lot of his damage with the extra man. Seventeen of Suter's 43 points have come on the power play. While I'm down on Braden Holtby and his below-average numbers, the Capitals do own the third-ranked penalty kill.
Drew Doughty, LOS at VGK ($11): With less talent around him than in the past, Doughty has had trouble staying as involved offensively. In fact, he only has 14 shots on goal in his last 12 games, despite averaging 2:20 per game with the extra man. The Golden Knights have only allowed 29.8 shots on net per contest, so Doughty could be kept in check again.
