Yahoo DFS Hockey: Sunday Picks

Yahoo DFS Hockey: Sunday Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.

Sunday's All-Day NHL slate begins at 1:00 PM Eastern time and features 10 games. There's no shortage of strong value plays if you know where to look, so read on to see which players to target and which to avoid.

GOALIE

Michal Neuvirth, PHI vs. BUF ($27): Neuvirth's never quite taken that next step into a starter's role, but he's always been in the upper echelon of the league's backups and is currently available at a discount due to injury-related missed time. His price could climb quickly after this game, as Neuvirth has a great chance to reestablish his value with a home date against a Sabres club that ranks dead last offensively at 2.22 goals per game.

GOALIE TO AVOID

Marc-Andre Fleury, VGK vs. NYR ($35): Fleury's having a fantastic first season in Vegas, but the flower will likely wilt against this familiar foe. His 2.76 GAA and .908 save percentage in 58 career meetings with the Rangers leave much to be desired, and this New York offense is more potent than most with an average of 3.08 goals per game.

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CENTER

Nico Hischier, NJ at NYI ($18): Hischier's $18 price is representative of his contributions to this point, but it doesn't account for the continuous growth of his game. The 2017 first overall pick recorded an assist on his 19th birthday Thursday, giving him five points in his last five games, including three goals. That pace is unlikely to slow down against an Islanders team that's hemorrhaging a league-high 3.64 goals per game.

CENTER TO AVOID

Ryan Spooner, BOS at PIT ($18): This matchup isn't the worst given Pittsburgh's defensive struggles, but Spooner's outclassed by teammate David Krejci, who also costs $18 but averages 6.7 fantasy points per game to Spooner's 5.4. Both centers also take a slight dip in value because they're playing the second leg of a back-to-back.

WINGS

Patrick Kane, CHI vs. EDM ($33): Chicago's power play has been putrid this season, but the Blackhawks won't get a better opportunity to get it going than this home tilt against Edmonton's league-worst, 70.9 percent penalty kill. Kane's 10 power-play points are at least three more than any of his teammates' totals, making him the clear favorite to capitalize on this favorable matchup. Players in his price range are only worth paying up for in certain situations, but this happens to be one of those times.

Vince Hinostroza, CHI vs. EDM ($15): If you can't afford Kane or want to stack Blackhawks, Hinostroza's your man. He's thrived recently while skating on the top line alongside Jonathan Toews, totaling two goals and six points in the past four games. Hinostroza's lone power-play point of the season also came in that span, so don't count him out when it comes to taking advantage of Edmonton's weakness.

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WINGS TO AVOID

Patrik Laine, WPG vs. SJ ($25): While Laine's been dishing some helpers lately, the talented sniper hasn't lit the lamp in six games. Considering 16 of his 35 points this season have come with the extra man, Laine will find it difficult to live up to his lofty price tag against San Jose's third-ranked, 84.4 percent penalty kill.

Phil Kessel, PIT vs. BOS ($29): Kessel's been incredibly reliant on the power play for his value, as 26 of his 45 points have come with the extra man and his rating is an ugly minus-9. That trend has gotten even more extreme recently, with all seven of his points in the past nine games coming on the man advantage while Kessel's posted an ugly minus-8 rating over that span. A Boston team that boasts the league's second-best penalty kill at 84.5 percent is well-positioned to keep the speedy winger in check.

DEFENSEMEN

Ivan Provorov, PHI vs. BUF ($18): Provorov's caught fire over the past two games, totaling 41.3 fantasy points thanks to two goals and two assists. He should be able to thrive against a Sabres team that's been outscored 3.37 to 2.22 in the average game this season, and the Russian blueliner's 22 shots and 21 blocks in the past six games suggest he's capable of contributing significant value even when he's left off the scoresheet. Provorov's $5 cheaper than power-play reliant teammate Shayne Gostisbehere, but he's a straight-up smarter choice given his recent form and all-around ability.

Mikhail Sergachev, TB at DET ($19): With eight goals, 25 points (10 on the power play) and a plus-16 rating, Sergachev's been an all-around stud on the blue line with explosive upside. His sub-$20 price makes the 19-year-old blueliner a low-risk play against a Red Wings team that's scoring the seventh-fewest goals (2.67) while allowing the 10th-most (3.02). Sergachev's average of 6.6 fantasy points per game is greater than or equal to that of seven of the 15 defensemen priced at $20 or more, so his price could well climb soon.

DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID

Dustin Byfuglien, WPG vs. SJ ($21): Byfuglien finally scored his first goal of the season Friday against Buffalo, but that's unlikely to lead to success here. Just six of his 16 points have come outside of the power play, meaning San Jose's aforementioned penalty killing success makes this a nightmare matchup for Big Buff.

Brent Burns, WPG at SJ ($32): Burns has had trouble living up to his massive $32 price this season and his recent offensive uptick isn't enough to warrant using him at Winnipeg. Jets netminder Connor Hellebuyck has been sensational at home with a 15-1-1 record, 2.24 GAA and .925 save percentage, so Burns is far from the only Sharks skater likely to struggle in this one.

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. Sasha Yodashkin plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: Youngsash, DraftKings: Yashdogg,Yahoo: Sasha, Fanball: Yashdogg.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sasha Yodashkin
Sasha has been contributing NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB and Tennis content to RotoWire since 2015, with an emphasis on DFS. He is a huge New York sports fan who has been playing fantasy sports since middle school.
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