This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Saturday's NHL docket features nine games after 7 p.m. EST, highlighted by two fantasy-friendly division leaders taking to the road against inferior opponents. While the Blues and Predators (at Toronto and Carolina, respectively) figure to join the Stars and Capitals in churning out many oft-used players, there are also valuable fantasy assets to be found on the multitude of other rosters available. These players have been handpicked as the best possible values due to a combination of role, momentum, price and opponent.
GOALIE
Braden Holtby, WAS at CLS ($41) - Holtby should be worth his lofty price tag in this one, as he's nearly a lock to pick up his 25th win of the season against the cellar-dwelling Blue Jackets. His sparkling 24-4-1 record, 1.84 GAA and .934 save percentage make him the surest bet among NHL goaltenders, and investing in him makes sense on a night where others have some questions surrounding them. Making a few smart value picks at other positions should allow you to lock the Washington netminder in, and still have plenty of money to spend on some star skaters.
Goalie to Avoid:
Semyon Varlamov, COL vs. CGY ($38) - Varlamov makes for a tempting play at home against the underachieving Flames, but it's tough to justify spending $38 on a goaltender who has allowed 12 goals while posting just 16.0 total points in his last three starts. Calgary has failed to score two goals just once in its last seven road games, so don't expect the Flames to just lay down for Varlamov.
CENTER
Eric Staal, CAR vs. NSH ($18) - Carolina's captain has carried his team's offense with a symmetric output of three goals, three assists and a plus-3 rating over the last five games, and he has a great chance of expanding on his recent excellence against struggling Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne. Rinne is 0-6-2 with a 3.51 GAA and .874 save percentage on the road since Nov. 5, making the normally reliable netminder an outstanding option to stack against Saturday.
Centers to Avoid:
Derick Brassard, NYR at FLA ($19) - Brassard's two-goal game against Anaheim on Dec. 22 makes his overall recent stats look all right, but his recent results have been downright shameful; the talented center has just 5.0 total fantasy points in his last five games outside of that outburst. Chances are he won't find his mojo against a Panthers team vying for its eighth straight win.
John Tavares, NYI at PIT ($21) - Tavares has heated up lately, but he has historically struggled against the Penguins to the tune of just eight goals and 15 assists in 31 career regular-season meetings, as well as a minus-16 rating that is by far his worst against any opponent. Expect history to repeat itself, as Pittsburgh should be in prime position to contain him after giving up just 11 total goals in the last six games.
WING
Nino Niederreiter, MIN at TB ($15) - Niederreiter has fired 2.8 shots on goal per game over his last five contests after averaging just 1.5 over the season's first 31 games, and the Swiss winger's increased aggressiveness has paid off to the tune of two goals, four assists and a plus-4 rating over that span. The Lightning team he faces Saturday has given up 24 goals over its last seven games, suggesting Tampa Bay's defense in its current state will struggle to stop Niederreiter from building on his strong recent form.
Mats Zuccarello, NYR at FLA ($16) - Zuccarello shined in his last trip to Sunrise, totaling a goal, two assists and 20.0 fantasy points in a 5-4 win on Nov. 21. While the Panthers and Rangers are trending in different directions, the diminutive winger is much too good a value to pass up at just $16. New York's leading scorer has been consistently productive all season with 16 goals and 15 assists in 38 games played, making this an excellent opportunity to grab a proven forward at well below his market value.
Wings to Avoid:
Jason Chimera, WAS at CLS ($17) - Chimera's three-game goal streak ended Dec. 26, yet it has had a lasting effect on his price tag. The 36-year-old winger has averaged less than 0.4 points per game in his career, and he's unlikely to improve on that production at his age while toiling away on Washington's third line. With many more talented players available for less, there's no need to overpay for Chimera.
Chris Kunitz, PIT vs. NYI ($18) - Kunitz's price has surged all the way to $18 due to his reunion with center Sidney Crosby on Pittsburgh's top line, but that doesn't change the fact that he has just 13 points in 37 games this season. The veteran winger wasn't very productive while playing alongside Crosby earlier this season, and nothing that has happened since suggests Kunitz will have any more success this time around.
DEFENSE
Mark Giordano, CGY at COL ($26) - It's tough to overstate how impressive Giordano has been lately -- he averaged 10.7 fantasy points per game in December while posting five goals and seven assists in 13 games played. When you consider that $25 defenseman Shea Weber averaged more than a full point per game less last month, Calgary's captain is a steal at $26, especially against an Avalanche team that gives up goals at the 10th-highest rate in the NHL.
Ryan Suter, MIN at TB ($18) - Suter's scoreless streak has hit six games, but the price drop that came with it makes the veteran defenseman an excellent buy-low candidate. His 2.3 shots on goal and 1.8 blocks per game create an exceptionally high floor, and Suter is still on pace for a fantastic 52-point season despite the recent slump. Invest in the Minnesota blueliner with confidence, as his fantastic overall resume and long track record of productivity far outweighs one lousy two-week stretch.
Defenseman to Avoid:
Jacob Trouba, WPG at SJ ($19) - Trouba's two-goal game against Detroit on Tuesday was the definition of a fluke, as the stay-at-home defenseman has exactly zero points in the previous 10 games. His price was nonetheless driven all the way up to $19 by the performance, putting the low-ceiling blueliner firmly on the avoid list until his valuation drops into its normal mid-teen range.
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