This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
There are five games on Sunday's NHL slate, but we'll only be looking at the three that start at 7 p.m. Eastern or later for Yahoo Daily Fantasy Hockey purposes. Lineup options are limited as a result, so it's even more important than usual to hit all the right notes.
Since plus/minus and goalie wins play major roles in this scoring system, the most prudent strategy is to identify the teams you believe will win and emphasize their rosters in your lineups. The Islanders, Predators and Canadiens are favorites in their respective matchups, so some combination of their players will be seen in the majority of entries. Whether you want to blend in with the masses or attempt to gain larger returns by being a contrarian is up to you, but here are some options that should help you win regardless of strategy.
GOALIE
Pekka Rinne, NSH at ANH ($40) - Rinne costs as much as anyone, but it'd be foolish to overlook him against the cellar-dwelling Ducks if he gets the nod in net. Anaheim is off to a putrid 1-7-2 start and will be without superstar center Ryan Getzlaf to boot, making Rinne and the talented Predators a good bet to pick up a road victory. The Finnish netminder will probably be a mainstay in many lineups considering the lack of alternatives, but chances are ignoring his obvious upside will do you more harm than good.
Goalie to Avoid:
Ondrej Pavelec, WPG at MON ($29) - Don't get cute by trying to save money at goalie. The Canadiens have come back to earth lately, but they're still scoring at a healthy rate and are undefeated at the Bell Centre. Good goaltending performances are less random than scoring from skaters, so locking in safe bets in net should pay higher dividends than throwing caution to the wind and rolling out someone like Pavelec.
CENTER
Frans Nielsen, NYI vs. BUF ($21) - Islanders captain John Tavares missed Saturday's game in New Jersey with an illness, leaving him questionable to play Sunday. Nielsen was handed first-line minutes Saturday as a result and came through with an equalizing short-handed tally in the third period. The 31-year-old center makes for an excellent value play if Tavares is out again, but Nielsen's recent high level of play should still carry over even if he's demoted back off the first line in favor of a healthy Tavares.
Center to Avoid:
John Tavares, NYI vs. BUF ($28) - Even if he plays, Tavares won't be at 100 percent healthy after missing Saturday's game with an illness. It doesn't make sense to invest top dollar in anything less than a sure thing.
WING
Matt Moulson, BUF at NYI ($16) - Moulson comes with a fair bit of risk playing for an underdog but could pay major dividends if he finds the scoresheet due to his low ownership rate. The reasons we're going with Moulson over the plethora of Sabres who fall in this category are his familiarity with the Islanders and extra motivation he might have facing the team where he first made a name for himself. Moulson should be especially useful in GPP formats, where it's often necessary to go against the grain to stand out.
Corey Perry, ANH vs. NSH ($19) - Sticking with the underdog theme, now's as good a time as ever to grab Perry. He's missing his first-line center and faces an elite team with a superstar goaltender, but $19 for a bonafide superstar is too good a value to pass up. Perry has just three assists and a minus-4 rating through 10 games, but to an optimist that just means he's due for a breakout game. Make no mistake, the 2011 Rocket Richard winner still has plenty of skill at age 30, and his price will never be lower.
Wings to Avoid:
Jakob Silfverberg, ANH vs. NSH ($17) - Just because Perry's value is too good to pass up, that doesn't mean Ducks players in general shouldn't be avoided. Silfverberg carries plenty of downside as evidenced by his minus-6 rating, and the Swede's successful postseason run is starting to look like a small-sample fluke due to his lack of offensive production.
Tomas Fleischmann, MON vs. WPG ($15) - Fleischmann is firmly entrenched on the third line, and it's tough to score consistently when skating limited minutes alongside David Desharnais and Dale Weise. Even on a high-scoring team like Montreal, investing $15 on a bottom-six forward is not a recipe for success.
DEFENSEMEN
Travis Hamonic, NYI vs. BUF ($18) - Going back to the safe route, Hamonic makes for an excellent value play at home against the Sabres. The 25-year-old defenseman leads the team in time on ice at just a hair less than 24 minutes per game, meaning he'll see the most opportunities to pick up valuable plus/minus points. The Islanders should overcome an inexperienced Sabres squad even if captain John Tavares is forced to miss the game, so getting their most heavily-iced player at a rate below some of the team's other defenders is definitely a bargain.
Seth Jones, NSH at ANH ($14) - The fourth overall pick from the 2013 draft has showcased more of his offensive abilities with five points through nine games this season after averaging 26 over his first two NHL campaigns. Jones is often underrated due to his second-pairing role on a stacked Predators team, but he's a can't-miss value play in a favorable matchup at just $14. Don't overthink this one; just roll with the uber-talented 21-year-old.
Defensemen to Avoid:
Cam Fowler, ANH vs. NSH ($15) - Fowler at $15 seems like a decent value due to his high level of play over previous seasons, but the 23-year-old defenseman has struggled way too hard to justify rolling the dice on him. Some of it is a product of the lack of quality around him, but a minus-8 rating through 10 games is unacceptable under any circumstances.
Jacob Trouba, WPG at MON ($17) - Trouba doesn't offer the offensive upside of teammates Dustin Byfuglien or Tyler Myers from the blue line, so those using him are mostly hoping for contributions in the blocked shot and plus/minus categories. While he'll probably block a few shots, Trouba's chances of significantly contributing on the road against the Canadiens are low.
