This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Should the Dallas Stars be worried? I'm worried for them. After leading the Central Division for most of the season, the winner of tonight's match up against Chicago will give the winning team the outright lead in the division.
John Klingberg (lower body) may not play, Jordie Benn (lower body) hasn't played in a week and Jason Demers (shoulder) is out for six weeks or more. The money the team poured into goaltending has backfired with two below-average starters tending the pipes, neither of whom have been able to catch lightning in a bottle this season and take the job.
The Stars will meet the Blackhawks at some point in the playoffs, either in the first or second round, and despite Jim Nill's big move at the deadline, a Blackhawks win may indicate that the Stars were more than just one Kris Russell away from really contending.
The Stars have already split up Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn at practice with Jason Spezza on the third unit, hoping to balance their lines out against a deep Blackhawks offense, but don't be surprised if it doesn't work and Lindy Ruff decides to just put Seguin and Benn back together again to see what would happen.
Corey Crawford, still one of the league's more underrated goalies, has fared very poorly against the Stars this year (3.87 goals-against average, .897 save percentage), but he should have a much stronger outing this time.
GOALIE
Joni Ortio, CGY vs. ARI ($29) - He's the cheapest win available because the Flames are great at home with 18 wins, fourth-best in the Western Conference, and their top scoring duo of Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau have the most extreme home-road splits in the league (80 points at home and 34 on the road). Two of the most expensive goalies, Ben Bishop ($39) and Corey Crawford ($34), should also be sure-fire wins.
Goalie to Avoid
Marc-Andre Fleury, PIT at CLS ($40) - I'm not saying the Pens won't win, but I'm just saying I'm not quite sure what will happen in this game. Sergei Bobrovsky ($31) will be back, and should at least put up a fight despite just coming off the injured reserve, and who knows what Brandon Dubinsky will do to Sidney Crosby this time. A little too much upset potential here for Friday's most expensive play.
CENTER
Evgeni Malkin, PIT at CLS ($30) - He has three goals in three games against the BJ's so far and 17 points in 13 games in his career. John Tortorella will throw his best pairing at Crosby, which opens it up for Malkin because the Jackets defense isn't deep enough to contain two strong centers.
Sean Monahan, CGY vs. ARI ($22) - If Bob Hartley can get Monahan's line against Arizona's pairing of Klas Dahlbeck and Zbynek Michalek, the Flames are going to score a few goals. Monahan's a point-per-game player at home and Louis Domingue's save percentage is just .911.
Center to Avoid
Ryan Kesler, ANH at STL ($19) - He takes so much pride in his defensive game that his offense sometimes suffers because of it. Without Sami Vatanen, Kesler will more likely be trying to shut down the Blues rather than score on them. Though he has two goals in two games against them this season, he has just three goals in 16 games against Central Division opponents this season.
Steven Stamkos, TB vs. PHI ($22) - Of all the big-name centers he seems to be scoring the least often, and the Lightning have hit a bit of a bump with two straight losses after seven straight wins. It seems as though the talented sniper just can't avoid the media no matter what he does, as after telling everyone he's staying put for the rest of the season two weeks before the trade deadline, the questions have now turned towards free agency.
WINGERS
Patrick Kane, CHI at DAL ($29) - Any time Kane is not the most expensive option, he's worth taking. The league's likely Art Ross Trophy winner will be going against a Dallas defense that is playing at half-strength and likely starting Kari Lehtonen in net. Benn's line should draw Jonathan Toews, so Kane will draw either Jason Spezza or Tyler Seguin, neither of whom are defensive stalwarts.
Johnny Gaudreau, CGY vs. ARI ($24) - This is a great matchup in which to stack the Flames' dynamic duo. Gaudreau has been a monster at home with 23 goals in 33 games, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson may not play due to an upper-body injury. There's no one else on the Arizona defense that can match up to Gaudreau or Monahan one-on-one.
Wingers to Avoid
Jamie Benn, DAL vs. CHI ($28) - He's not up to his usual standards yet and there are quite a few wingers who provide better value and/or production. The Stars will be without half their regular defense, including John Klingberg, which means Lindy Ruff will be asking them to focus on their own zone first. Benn took line rushes with two-way center Cody Eakin and Patrick Eaves in practice Thursday.
Jakob Silfverberg, ANH at STL ($16) - New arrivals Jamie McGinn and David Perron have fit in well with the Ducks, and with Silfverberg playing alongside Ryan Kesler, Bruce Boudreau will try and use them as his checking line to slow down the Blues offense. He has just 23 points on the season.
DEFENSEMEN
Shayne Gostisbehere, PHI at TB ($25) - You can bet the game will be chippy, and if there's penalties that means the Flyers should get some power-play opportunities, and if that happens Gostisbehere is gold. He's making a very, very strong case for the Calder Trophy and scored two goals in the first game of their home-and-home series with Tampa Bay.
Duncan Keith, CHI at DAL ($23) - The Stars don't defend well when their blue line is healthy, and now that their blue line has been decimated with injuries, it seems like a disaster is looming against Chicago. Keith is excellent at moving the puck up the ice and the Stars play a pretty fast game, so once in a while someone's going to get caught in transition, and those are the areas where Keith is extremely productive.
Defensemen to Avoid
Alex Pietrangelo, STL vs. ANH ($24) - He has been held without a point in his past two games during an injury-plagued season. The Ducks will be a tough, physical test, which means Pietrangelo has to work on containing the Ducks offense and perhaps allow Kevin Shattenkirk ($16) or Colton Parayko ($17) to do the damage instead.
Alex Goligoski, DAL vs. CHI ($16) - He should have trouble sleeping tonight at the thought of trying to shut down the Blackhawks offense with half his buddies missing. He played 29:15 against Montreal and if the game is close, at least in the beginning, he'll be headed toward a 30-minute game. Either that, or Patrik Nemeth and six-foot-seven monster Jamie Oleksiak have to step up, especially if Stephen Johns gets very limited ice time.
Get a FREE RotoWire 10-day trial (no credit card required) at RotoWire.com
