This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
There are only a couple days left until the NHL takes its break for Christmas. The league's pulling out all the stops before the holiday, with 10 games on the docket Thursday. Here are some players to target and to avoid among the 20 teams in action.
GOALIE
Frederik Andersen, TOR at COL ($35): Andersen's save percentage is a solid .918, although his 2.65 GAA is somewhat middling. That may not matter here, though. The Avs are at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to goals scored, averaging a mere 2.1 per game, And their minus-34 goal differential is dead last in the league. Colorado doesn't seem likely to give Andersen and the Leafs much of a challenge; you aren't going to find a better matchup Thursday.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Jake Allen, STL at TAM ($35): Allen has played in 27 games now, and he only has a .907 save percentage. That's starting to feel less and less like a small sample size. The Lightning are averaging 2.82 goals per game, which is 10th in the NHL, so they won't make it easy on Allen. St. Louis has been excellent at home, but is only 5-9-1 on the road, which is another point against Allen.
CENTER
Bryan Little, WPG at VAN ($19): The Canucks have struggled to prevent goals, giving up 3.03 a game, in part because their goaltenders have a .900 save percentage. Little got injured in the season opener, but in 11 games since returning, he's notched eight points. He's only averaging 1:56 per game on the power play, but he played 3:51 in Winnipeg's last game, so it could be more a matter of opportunity. Vancouver has the 20th-ranked penalty kill, so if Little gets opportunity with the extra man, it could work out well for him.
CENTER TO AVOID
Aleksander Barkov, FLA vs. BOS ($24): Barkov's really picked up his play recently, but thanks to a slow start, he's only averaging seven fantasy points per game. This is a tough matchup for Barkov as well, as Tuukka Rask has a 1.91 GAA and a .929 save percentage. The Bruins only give up 2.72 shots per game, so Barkov could be in for a long night.
WING
Wayne Simmonds, PHI at NJD ($23): While Simmonds has had a good amount of puck luck, the fact remains that he has 16 goals and 14 power-play points. The Devils do rank 11th on the penalty kill, so it's not a great matchup on that front, but Jersey isn't daunting enough to worry about a player like Simmonds too much. However, the fact that the Devils are solid on the penalty kill doesn't mean they've been strong defensively overall. They're giving up three goals per game and 31.9 shots per tilt. Even if Simmonds doesn't find the back of the net, he should get a handful of opportunities.
Mark Stone, OTT vs. ANA ($17): John Gibson has a 2.66 GAA and a .908 save percentage for the Ducks, and he's had five-goal disasters in two of his last five appearances. Stone hasn't put a ton of shots on net, but he has 26 points in 32 games, including 10 on the power play. Anaheim ranks 19th on the penalty kill, so Stone has a favorable matchup there. He looks like a nice mid-priced option on the wing.
WINGS TO AVOID
Phil Kessel, PIT at CLM ($24): Columbus has been on a tear recently, and the Jackets are now second in the league in goals allowed (2.07). Sergei Bobrovsky has played a big part of that, posting a .932 save percentage. Kessel's having a good season, but he's pricey, and with so many teams in action, you can find a better option. There are obviously several teams with more favorable matchups.
Zach Parise, MIN at MON ($22): Parise will have to deal with Carey Price, who has a 1.87 GAA and .936 save percentage. Although Parise's shooting percentage is likely to rise, that doesn't change the fact that he only has five goals and three power-play points this year. He's averaging 6.9 fantasy points per game, and even doing that is going to be quite difficult against the Canadiens.
DEFENSEMEN
Morgan Rielly, TOR at COL ($16): The Avalanche aren't just bad offensively, they're equally atrocious defensively. Colorado gives up the most goals per game (3.16) as well as a ton of shots (32.1). Rielly takes plenty of shots, putting 73 on goal in 31 games. Only one of those have gone in, but if he keeps shooting, that's going to change, and the Avalanche seem like the kind of team it could change against.
Justin Faulk, CAR at BUF ($16): While the Sabres' GAA isn't that bad (2.52) they're giving up the fourth-most NHL shots per game (32.3). They've also managed to do the seemingly impossible, replacing the Blackhawks as the league's worst penalty kill. Faulk has taken 85 shots on goal in 28 games, and in the last two seasons, he hasn't had fewer than 17 power-play points. He's in good position to take advantage of this matchup.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Shea Weber, MON vs. MIN ($27): This is a particularly tough matchup for Weber, considering the Wild give up a miniscule 1.87 goals per game. When Devan Dubnyk is in net, they're even better, as Dubnyk has a 1.55 GAA. Weber is having a really good season, but he's the third-most-expensive defenseman (and the second-most-expensive healthy one), and it will be very hard for him to earn this price point.
P.K. Subban, NAS vs. LOS ($22): Subban has missed a few games with an upper-body injury, but even if he returns to action, there's reason to steer clear of the man traded for Weber this offseason. The Kings give up a mere 25.8 shots per game, the lowest total in the league. Los Angeles also ranks in the top 10 in goals allowed and penalty-kill percentage. Even a healthy Subban would be in for a rough game in this matchup.
