This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
There may not be any sky rockets in flight, but the NHL is still bringing you some afternoon delight Sunday. The first game of the day kicks off at 3:00, and a full four games will drop the puck by 6:00, so if you want to play daily fantasy today with a full slate, you'd better stay on top of things. It may also behoove you to take the advice below on who to start, and who to avoid.
GOALIE
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TAM at CAR ($37): A lot of the teams in action Sunday also played Saturday, including both the Lightning and the Hurricanes. Neither of these teams get the advantage on that front, but Tampa is better than Carolina, as their respective goal differentials (plus-6 to minus-8) can tell you. On top of that, Vasilevskiy has a .930 save percentage, so he will likely be a key cog in any potential Lightning win. He's one of the more expensive goalies, but he's worth it.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Anthony Stolarz, PHI at NAS ($37): The Flyers are 29th in goals allowed per game, and 23rd on the penalty kill. Stolarz is a rookie who has played in exactly one NHL game, where he allowed three goals on 32 shots. As such, it's a bit puzzling why Stolarz is tied for being the fourth-most expensive goalie on Sunday?
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CENTER
Ryan Johansen, NAS vs. PHI ($18): We just mentioned Philly's goal prevention issues and the fact they will likely be starting a rookie in net with one game of NHL experience under his belt. Johansen, meanwhile, has seven points in his last five games, and he's taken 53 shots on goal in 23 games. He also has eight power-play points, which is an encouraging sign given the Flyers' penalty kill. Johansen is also pretty reasonably priced, so you could be getting quite the bang for your buck.
CENTER TO AVOID
Anze Kopitar, LOS vs. MON ($21): Kopitar has been snake bitten this year, as he's only managed to score two goals in 19 games. While it's easy to believe he'll turn things around eventually, especially when you look at his shooting percentage, it seems less than likely that he'll do it against the Canadiens. He and his fellow Kings have to take on Carey Price, who has the league's best save percentage. That'll make it hard for Kopitar to get on track.
WING
Marian Hossa, CHI vs. WPG ($22): Connor Hellebuyck and his .908 save percentage will likely be in net for the Jets on Sunday. That's a good sign for the ageless Hossa, who has seemingly not lost a step at 37. He's got 12 goals and 18 points, and while his power-play minutes are a little down he has six points with the extra man.
Brock Nelson, NYI vs. DET ($16): The Islanders get to take on a Red Wings team that played Pittsburgh on Saturday, while New York had the night off. Detroit did give Jared Coreau his first start in that game, leaving Petr Mrazek to start Sunday, but his 2.83 GAA and .907 save percentage are not intimidating. In addition to putting 47 shots on goal in 23 games and playing 2:12 a night on the power play, Nelson has blocked 20 shots, which is pretty good for a wing.
WINGS TO AVOID
Jordan Eberle, EDM vs. MIN ($21): Eberle notched two assists last night, so it may not seem like a great time to avoid him. However, that was against Anaheim, and this is a matchup with a Minnesota team that didn't play Saturday. The Wild rank second in the league in goal prevention, and fittingly Devan Dubnyk is second with a .945 save percentage. It seems quite unlikely that Eberle will be in for another multi-point game.
Tanner Pearson, LOS vs. MON ($17): Pearson has gone a bit cold recently, and he hasn't exactly been active in the offense. In his last six games, he's only taken three shots on goal, and he only has 38 shots in 22 games on the season. Even if Pearson takes more than one shot on goal for the first time since November 17, it'll be hard for him to beat Price. Despite the fact he's not terribly expensive, it still seems unlikely Pearson is going to pay off.
DEFENSE
Brent Seabrook, CHI vs. WPG ($19): The Jets are 25th in both goals allowed and penalty-kill percentage, and we already mentioned Hellebuyck's lackluster save percentage. Seabrook averages 3:48 per game with the extra man, and he has five power-play points. He's playing a ton of minutes, which should yield plenty of opportunity against a questionable Winnipeg defense.
Dougie Hamilton, CGY vs. ANA ($14): It's been quite a while since Hamilton scored a goal, and he only has two on the season, but he's put 73 shots on goal in 27 games. The goals are going to come, especially with Hamilton playing 2:37 a night on the power play. Anaheim hasn't exactly been easy to score on, but they will be on the second night of a back-to-back, and Calgary will not be. Hamilton takes shots and blocks shots, and his slow start has made him quite cheap. He's a more talented player than this price would indicate, which could make him a steal.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Drew Doughty, LOS vs. MON ($21): This is not a knock on Doughty, although his three goals and 11 points are perhaps a little lower than expected for him. It is, once again, about the matchup, and the tall task of facing off with Price, who seems intent on winning another Vezina. With 14 teams in action, you can find better matchups to take advantage of, and probably at a lower price as well.
Justin Faulk, CAR vs. TAM ($16): While Faulk has taken 56 shots on goal in 21 games, he only has seven points, and he only has one point in the 10 games he's played since returning from an injury. Tampa Bay's overall goal prevention numbers aren't great, but a lot of that stems from Ben Bishop's surprising struggles. As mentioned, Vasilevskiy has a .930 save percentage, so it will be a tough row to hoe for Faulk.
