This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Right now, we have one series all even through two games and one series that features a team up two games to none. Where will we be by Saturday? Done with these games featured in today's contest, for one. Here are some picks for players to target and to avoid. Oh, and thanks for not letting the start of the NFL season distract you from what really matters: playoff hockey.
GOALIE
Robin Lehner, VGK at DAL ($32): Marc-Andre Fleury has gotten a couple starts in the playoffs, but not because of Lehner's performance. He has a 1.84 GAA and .924 save percentage in the postseason with four shutouts. While Dallas got hot offensively against Calgary, and stayed hot against Colorado, during the regular season the Stars scored only 2.58 goals per game.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Anton Khudobin, DAL vs. VGK ($32): The Golden Knights don't make it easy on goalies. They led the NHL in shots on net per game in the regular season and have averaged 36.1 shots on goal per contest in the playoffs. That's not great for Khudobin, who had a fine regular season himself but has a .912 save percentage in the postseason.
CENTER
Anthony Cirelli, TAM at NYI ($14): Cirelli is known for his defensive prowess, but he can score a bit as well. He had 19 goals as a rookie and 16 in 68 games this season. He could also find himself centering Tampa's top line Friday, which leads into the next name I will be mentioning.
CENTER TO AVOID
Brayden Point, TAM at NYI ($29): Point has been great in the playoffs, but he also suffered an injury in the second period of Game 2 and did not return. He has the highest salary of any center, but he may not be able to play. If he can play, he may not be full strength. That's enough to concern me.
WING
Ondrej Palat, TAM at NYI ($20): Palat didn't register a point in Game 2, but that ended a six-game point streak. In that time he also put 25 shots on net. While Semyon Varlamov allowed only two goals in his last start after allowing at least four goals in his previous three games, that was on just 21 shots.
Alex Tuch, VGK at DAL ($17): Tuch started 60.1 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, highest among Vegas forwards. While he has cooled down in the playoffs, he still has eight postseason tallies. He hasn't registered a point against Dallas yet, but if he can reclaim that old form from earlier in the playoffs that could change.
WINGS TO AVOID
Jonathan Marchessault, VGK at DAL ($23): With only four teams left in action, sometimes you just have to avoid the guys who have gone cold. Take Marchessault, for example. He's a good player, but he has one point, an assist, in his last eight games. I don't want to use this much salary on a guy who really needs to turn things around.
Josh Bailey, NYI vs. TAM ($17): Bailey has quite a few assists in the playoffs, but he doesn't really get involved in the offense directly all that much. This season he only had 94 shots on goal in 68 games. Bailey has zero points and only one shot on goal in this series, and Andrei Vasilevskiy has a 1.86 GAA and .932 save percentage in the playoffs.
DEFENSE
John Klingberg, DAL vs. VGK ($19): While Lehner has played some strong hockey in the playoffs, the Golden Knights did have the 27th-ranked penalty kill in the regular season. Klingberg is quite the weapon on the power play. He had 17 points with the extra man in 58 games this year after having 20 in 64 games last season.
Nate Schmidt, VGK at DAL ($17): Schmidt has stayed active offensively, as he's put 59 shots on goal in 17 games. Meanwhile, the Stars have given up 32.6 shots on net per contest in the playoffs. That's the most of these four teams, and with Khudobin posting a .912 save percentage in the playoffs that could bode well for Schmidt.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Ryan Pulock, NYI at TAM ($18): Pulock has two points, both assists, in his last 11 games. That hot start to the playoffs feels like forever ago. Hey, I can't blame Pulock for struggling to get it done against the Lightning. Vasilevskiy has a Vezina to his name and a .932 save percentage in the playoffs. Pulock could easily be kept off the scoresheet again.
Alec Martinez, VGK at DAL ($17): Martinez doesn't shoot quite as often as his teammate Schmidt. He had 75 shots on goal in 51 games during the regular season and only has one shot in this series. Martinez also doesn't have a point in his last five games. Even with Khudobin not playing like he did in the regular season I'm still down on Martinez.
