This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
All in all, I think it was a good NHL trade deadline. Some intriguing moves were made, but now we in turn move on to the actual games. Saturday features eight games on the slate slating at 7 p.m. EST or later. Here are my players to target, and to avoid, for your DFS lineups.
GOALIE
Charlie Lindgren, WAS vs. CHI ($32): Lindgren has certainly been up and down in terms of performance, having allowed eight goals in a start and also pitched a 39-save shutout just in the past two weeks. In total, though, he has a .910 save percentage, and has proven himself worth rostering in the right matchup. Say, for example, if a team that has averaged a paltry 2.05 goals and 26.6 shots on net per game were in town. Wait a second, those are Chicago's numbers! How convenient.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Connor Hellebuyck, WPG at VAN ($31): Hellebuyck will likely win the Vezina, but he's going to be starting behind a Jets team that will be on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back. Not only that, but part of why the American netminder didn't start Friday is that he's been dealing with an illness. If Hellebuyck isn't 100 percent, facing a team that has averaged 3.52 goals per contest will be in trouble.
CENTER
William Eklund, SAN vs. OTT ($15): Eklund is part of the Sharks' future, such as it is. The 21-year-old rookie is in line for a larger role as a top-six forward and also on the power play as well. He's on a four-game point streak, and the Senators have a 3.57 GAA, third highest in the NHL.
CENTER TO AVOID
Mark Scheifele, WPG at VAN ($21): The last time Scheifele played the Canucks he had four points, but he wasn't on the road for the second game of a back-to-back. Also, as productive as the Jets center has been, he's tallied 122 shots on net through 56 contests, which is a little low for such a highly productive player. The Canucks have only allowed 29.4 shots on goal per game, and Thatcher Demko has only allowed one goal in each of his last two starts.
WING
Drake Batherson, OTT at SAN ($19): The Senators have struggled defensively, but nothing like how the Sharks have struggled. They have a staggering 3.94 GAA. For the sake of comparison, Columbus is 31st, and it has a 3.63 GAA. As for Batherson, he has eight points in his last eight outings.
Max Pacioretty, WAS vs. CHI ($10): Pacioretty didn't go anywhere at the deadline, so he might as well make the most out of the rest of this campaign. To his credit, he has seven points over his last nine games. Additionally, Pacioretty's 5.0 percent shooting on the season is bound to improve. To that end, Chicago has allowed 32.7 shots on net per contest with a 3.56 GAA.
WINGS TO AVOID
Jason Robertson, DAL at LOS ($28): The fact that Robertson won't hit 40 goals for the third season in a row has perhaps soured some on him, but he's still been quite productive (63 points in 65 games) and has earned his high salary. Unfortunately, the Stars are on the road for the second day of a back-to-back. While the Kings have had some misadventures in goal, they still have a 2.61 GAA. It helps that they've held opponents to 28.4 shots on net per game and have the second-ranked penalty kill.
Pavel Buchnevich, STL at NYR ($20): Buchnevich heads to New York to face his former team, bringing with him 24 goals and 24 assists. However, he also brings with him a four-game streak sans a point. The Rangers have the fifth-ranked penalty kill and have allowed 29.6 shots on net per game. Plus, Igor Shesterkin has a .948 save percentage over his last eight starts.
DEFENSE
Morgan Rielly, TOR at MON ($20): Rielly has set a high bar for himself offensively, but he has seven goals and 49 assists in 58 games, which is quite good. He's also tallied 155 shots on target. The Canadiens have allowed a whopping 33.3 shots on net per contest, and they have a bottom-five penalty kill as well.
Travis Sanheim, PHI at TAM ($19): It's been a roller coaster of a campaign for Sanheim, but right now he's enjoying another fine run of play. The blue liner has 11 points in his last 12 games. As recently as last season, Andrei Vasilevskiy would have been a matchup to avoid. This season, though, he has an .894 save percentage.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Victor Hedman, TAM vs. PHI ($20): It's not uncommon for high-level defenseman to rely more and more on the power play for offensive production. Hedman, now 33, has tallied 26 of his 61 points with the extra man. As such, it may be hard for the Swede to pad his Hall of Fame resume in this game (not that he needs it). The Flyers have the top-ranked penalty kill in the NHL.
Miro Heiskanen, DAL at LOS ($19): Heiskanen recent got the chance to add five points to his total across two games against the Sharks, but a trip to Los Angeles on the second leg of a back-to-back won't be as easy. Additionally, the Finnish defenseman has notched 17 of his 55 points on the power play, and the Kings have the second-ranked penalty kill.
