Yahoo DFS Hockey: Sunday Picks

Yahoo DFS Hockey: Sunday Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.

Let us settle in Sunday to enjoy what will be the last day of the NHL season with three games on the slate. The first of these games starts at 1:30 p.m. EDT. Here are some players to target and avoid for your DFS lineups.

GOALIE

Antti Raanta, CAR at NYR ($30): The Hurricanes allowed an NHL-low 28.2 shots on net per game this season and had the top penalty kill to boot. No wonder they haven't skipped a beat with their backup Raanta in net. Meanwhile, the Rangers ranked 17th in goals per game this season.

GOALIE TO AVOID

Jacob Markstrom, CGY at EDM ($31): While two games doesn't mean as much as a full season, Markstrom does have a 5.65 GAA and .838 save percentage in this series. This is a tough matchup, as the Oilers ranked seventh in goals per game and have Connor McDavid. On top of that, this series is moving to Edmonton, so Markstrom is on the road.

CENTER

Sebastian Aho, CAR at NYR ($26): Igor Shesterkin has looked good in this series, but you know who hasn't been deterred by that? Aho, who has three points even though the Hurricanes have only scored four goals. This isn't surprising, given that the Finn had 81 points in 79 games and clearly drives the Carolina offense. Sometimes, you have to bet on stars in the playoffs.

CENTER TO AVOID

Ryan Strome, NYR vs. CAR ($17): Strome looked good in the first round, though he didn't have a single multi-point game, but in this series he doesn't have a point, and only three shots on goal. Going from facing the Penguins to the Hurricanes does matter. The Hurricanes are the team that finished first in GAA, shots on net allowed and penalty-kill percentage after all.

WING

Evander Kane, EDM vs. CGY ($27): Kane's greatest strength is that fact he's likely to be skating on Edmonton's first line with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Of course, Kane isn't just along for the ride. He had 39 points in 43 games this season. Throw on top of that Markstrom's poor play in this series as well.

Tyler Toffoli, CGY at EDM ($16): Toffoli has a point in three consecutive games and a power-play point in his last two games. He has a spot on the top power-play unit and faces an Oilers penalty kill that ranked 17th this season.

WINGS TO AVOID

Chris Kreider, NYR vs. CAR ($26): Kreider has been kept in check by the Hurricanes. Not only does he not have a point, he's only put one shot on net. The Hurricanes allowed a mere 28.2 shots on net per game, so even with this series moving to New York, the Hurricanes can keep holding Kreider in check.

Carter Verhaeghe, FLA at TAM ($20): Verhaeghe was hot in the first round, but there are reports he is dealing with a nagging, undisclosed injury. He doesn't have a point yet in this series and didn't even get a shot on goal in Game 2. Meanwhile, Andrei Vasilevskiy has only allowed a single goal in each of his last three starts.

DEFENSE

Noah Hanifin, CGY at EDM ($18): Hanifin only has two points in the playoffs, but he's put 32 shots on net in nine games. That's still a lot of productivity. Hanifin has also averaged 2:36 per game with the extra man, and the Oilers had the 17th-ranked penalty kill.

Mikhail Sergachev, TAM vs. FLA ($14): Sergachev has started 60.5 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone in the playoffs, a high number for a defenseman and above average on the Lightning. He also has a power-play point in this series, and the Panthers had the 16th-ranked penalty kill.

DEFENSE TO AVOID

Adam Fox, NYR vs. CAR ($25): I don't want to risk having Fox's salary allotment working against me in this matchup. I haven't mentioned Raanta's play yet, but he's been impressive in the postseason himself. In the playoffs the Finnish netminder has an 1.83 GAA and .939 save percentage.

MacKenzie Weegar, FLA at TAM ($20): I've been out on Weegar for a bit due to his performance, and nothing he's doing is changing my mind. In this series he has not only zero points, but only one shot on goal and one blocked shot. The current production isn't matching the salary.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Chris Morgan plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: cmorgan3, DraftKings: cmorgan3.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chris Morgan
Chris Morgan is a writer of sports, pop culture, and humor articles, a book author, a podcaster, and a fan of all Detroit sports teams.
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