This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
The National Hockey League has seven games on tap for Sunday, starting on the prairie of Southern Alberta and wrapping up in the desert of Arizona.
Let's get started.
GOALIE
Matt Murray, PIT vs. BUF ($36): Murray will cost you a pretty penny Sunday, but he is worth it against a Sabres team entering play with just one victory over their past five outings. Plus, the Sabres have struggled for years in the Steel City, going just 7-19-2 in their past 28 visits to PPG Paints Arena. Of course, no one has had much success against the Pens in their barn lately, as the Pens are 26-4-3 at home this season. Spend heavily on Murray and you'll be rewarded with a win and plenty of fantasy points in return.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Cam Ward, CAR at ARI ($24): Based on his price tag Ward is a tempting play against the Coyotes, a team ranked 29th in the NHL in goal differential. However, the veteran goaltender lost the front end of the home-and-home with the Coyotes on Friday at PNC Arena, stopping just 18 of the 21 shots he faced. Despite the tough turnaround, Ward is likely to draw the start as Eddie Lack has fallen out of favor with head coach Bill Peters.
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CENTER
Patrik Berglund, STL at COL ($14): Berglund is the ultimate contrarian play Sunday, as he enters the game with no goals and just one assist with a minus-6 rating since he exploded for a hat trick in Montreal on Feb. 11. The potential is there for a big game, though, as the Avalanche are terrible. Colorado had their doors blown off in Winnipeg on Saturday, and now face a quick turnaround of their own. The Avalanche cannot handle easy tasks, let alone a little adversity. They rank dead last in the NHL in goal differential at minus-88, and they're miles ahead of everyone else in futility. Berglund could have a big game at a cut-rate price.
CENTER TO AVOID
John Tavares, NYI at CGY ($28): Tavares is an obvious top-notch talent, but he is facing a Calgary team that has had it on lockdown lately. The Flames are allowing just 2.0 goals per game over the past eight outings, and they have allowed just four total goals over their past three games at the Saddledome. This isn't the spot to spend top dollar on Tavares. Consider him later in the week in more attractive matchups in Vancouver and St. Louis.
WING
Vladimir Tarasenko, STL at COL ($29): Based on his production lately Tarasenko is not a great value, going scoreless with a minus-3 rating over his past four games. However, he is too talented to continue on this downward trajectory. Facing the league's worst defensive team should be the elixir to cure his scoring ills. The Avalanche rank 29th in the NHL in high-danger save percentage (.838), and they allowed four high-danger goals in Saturday's 6-1 loss.
Radim Vrbata, ARI vs. CAR ($17): Vrbata is an outstanding value on home ice. He enters play with four goals, 13 points and a plus-1 rating over the past 12 games. You have to pick and choose your spots with Vrbata, as his plus-minus rating can sometimes be a deterrent. However, the Coyotes doubled up the Hurricanes on Friday and they're in a rare spot where they're actually expected to win Sunday. Vrbata is the leader of the Coyotes' pack with 15 goals and 48 points. He spends plenty of time on the power play and it won't take much production to exceed his salary expectations Sunday.
WINGS TO AVOID
Cam Atkinson, CLM at NJD ($27): DFS players are continually being asked to pay a high price tag for past performances, and that's especially the situation with Atkinson. He is enjoying a career year with 29 goals and 54 points, but only two of those markers have come in the past nine games, and both came in the same game on Feb. 26. That's a lot of goalless evenings lately. In fact, he has just one assist, a minus-1 rating and seven shots on goal while averaging a mere 4.3 fantasy points per contest over his past three outings. When you're paying superstar prices you expect superstar results, and Atkinson just isn't delivering those type of stat lines lately.
Jason Pominville, MIN vs. SAN ($15): Pominville (illness) intends to play in Sunday's game, but he is making his way back from a bout of the mumps. He could have considerable rust after being quarantined and out of action since Feb. 21. Before he was sent to the shelf he was without a goal in seven straight games. Lighting the lamp against the Sharks, a team which ranks third in the NHL in high-danger save percentage (.900), would be nothing short of a miracle.
DEFENSE
Mark Giordano, CGY vs. NYI ($18): Giordano will be very busy blocking shots against an Islanders offense that takes 30.7 shots per game. He has rolled up 147 blocked shots over 65 games while posting a respectable plus-16 rating. At this mid-level price he is a good value for his blocks, occasional offense and semi-frequent trips to the sin bin. He has three goals, seven points and a plus-7 rating over his past eight games, making him mighty attractive at this salary.
Rasmus Ristolainen, BUF at PIT ($22): Ristolainen is always an attractive play, regardless of the matchup, as he blocks a high rate of shots. He'll be called upon to sacrifice his body early and often against a team tied for first in the NHL with 33.9 shots per game. While Ristolainen could potentially take it on the chin in plus-minus, he'll make up for it with plenty of blocked shots. If he is able to add any offense at all, it will be a bonus.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Erik Johnson, COL vs. STL ($18): Johnson has four games under his belt since returning from a broken leg, but he is scoreless over his past three games and he has yet to post a goal in his return. Over the weekend he reported feeling very comfortable and more like himself after having some expected rust in the first couple of games back. Still, he isn't a recommended play given the situation in Denver. Colorado allows far too many goals so his plus-minus rating will be atrocious most nights, and he isn't comfortable enough yet on the offensive end to make up the difference.
Ryan Suter, MIN vs. SAN ($21): Suter faces a difficult matchup against the high-octane Sharks offense. He recently made his way back from a lower-body injury, but he hasn't looked right. The rearguard is scoreless in each of his past four games with a minus-1 rating, and he has averaged just 1.25 fantasy points per game during that stretch. Now is not the time to gamble on Suter breaking out of his offensive slump.
