This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
GOALIE
Ben Bishop, DAL vs. CLS ($32) – It's true Bishop hasn't been particularly good all season, but he's getting into a groove with four wins in his past five games, including a 26-save shutout against the Sharks. Columbus is coming off a 5-0 loss to Tampa Bay, so they'll be hungry, but they can only do so much without key players Alexander Wennberg and Cam Atkinson. Joonas Korpisalo will also get the start for Columbus, so Bishop has the edge here.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Frederik Andersen, TOR vs. TB ($35) – A good sign that a team is not a pretender is when they consistently win the games they're supposed to. The Lightning are coming off an impressive 5-0 win against an injury-riddled Jackets squad, and the Leafs are coming off a 6-3 loss to the Knights in what should've been a much closer game. Andersen is a good goalie, but the defense in front of him can be suspect, and without question the Lightning will capitalize on their mistakes.
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CENTER
Steven Stamkos, TB at TOR ($32) – Stamkos is riding a three-game goal streak and he's always fared well against his hometown team with 38 points in 31 games. The Lightning's second line with Tyler Johnson and Brayden Point did most of the damage early on in their most recent win against the Jackets, which will force the Leafs into making some tough matchup decisions. It may be too much to handle for Morgan Rielly and Jake Gardiner, considering Mike Babcock doesn't really trust Roman Polak or Andreas Borgman.
Tyler Seguin, DAL vs. CLS ($26) – Seguin has five goals and an assist in his past five games, which also unsurprisingly coincides with the Stars' strong play of late. The Jackets are missing key players, including three of their top six forwards – one of which is also their top penalty killer – and will also be starting backup Korpisalo in net. The 23-year-old has won three of his past four starts, but his season numbers remain pedestrian with a 4-3-0 record and a .911 save percentage.
CENTERS TO AVOID
Connor McDavid, EDM vs. LA ($32) – Fading one of the league's top players seems counter-intuitive, but the Oilers have lost three straight with McDavid picking up just two assists in that span. What's more worrying is that the Kings have good goaltending and a reliable and experienced defense, and McDavid has not fared well against teams that have dominated him on faceoffs. Anze Kopitar, putting together one of the finest seasons of his career and an early Selke Trophy candidate, will be tasked with shutting him down.
Jack Eichel, BUF vs. NYR ($22) – Eichel is on a four-game point streak, but he's still off last year's scoring pace. The Sabres have been a mess for much of the season despite Phil Housley's desperate attempts to line juggle and spark an anemic offense, and in an outdoor game where conditions are never ideal, not to mention having to face a rejuvenated Henrik Lundqvist, there's just too many reasons to not pick Eichel.
WING
David Pastrnak, BOS at NYI ($27) – Boston's top line has been pretty quiet recently, but they could break out at any time, and the Islanders defense is banged up and their goaltending remains unreliable. If there's a game for Pastrnak to snap out of his little slump, it'll be against an Islanders team that has lost two straight while allowing 10 goals.
Jakob Silfverberg, ANH at VAN ($17) – The return of Ryan Kesler and a healthy Ryan Getzlaf has made the Ducks a dark horse in the Western Conference once again. Silfverberg, re-united with Kesler on the second line, is on a four-game point streak and notched two points against the Coyotes last time out. The Canucks have been a resilient bunch, but they have had trouble against the Ducks and just don't have the depth with centers Bo Horvat and Brandon Sutter on the shelf. Goaltending has also been suspect for the Canucks, which means Silfverberg has an excellent opportunity to extend his streak to five.
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WINGS TO AVOID
Max Pacioretty, MON vs. SJ ($20) – The Habs are at home, but when the team falls behind, they might as well have a home-ice disadvantage playing in front of a fanbase that's tough to please. Pacioretty has not scored since Nov. 30 and once again finds him in the rumor mill. That's a distraction for any player, especially for the captain of the league's most storied franchise, and the Sharks must be itching to bounce back from an embarrassing 6-0 loss to the Stars.
Jeff Skinner, CAR vs. WAS ($20) – He's a streaky shooter who's getting lost in the mix on a pretty talented Carolina squad, and Skinner has not registered more than two shots per game in five straight. Washington is tough to score on under Barry Trotz, and despite being a high-volume shooter, Skinner doesn't strike fear into opposition defenses like the league's elite. Skinner has just 11 goals in 33 career games against the Capitals.
DEFENSE
Victor Hedman, TB at TOR ($26) – Vegas' skating defensemen were very active against a pretty passive Leafs defense in their 6-3 win, and Hedman could do some damage if he's allowed to roam free as well. The Lightning have been very good at taking advantage of their opponents' mistakes, and the young Leafs have made plenty recently. Hedman goes into the game with a three-game assist streak that has a good chance to become four. Expected Leafs goaltender Andersen has not been very good lately with nine goals allowed in his past two starts.
Cam Fowler, ANH at VAN ($16) – He's now scored a goal in two straight games and has quietly been on a 40-point pace despite missing a third of the season so far. The Canucks are ripe for the picking with injuries in their top six and goaltending that can be Jekyll or Hyde, and traditionally the Ducks have had the Canucks' number. Fowler and Hampus Lindholm continue to anchor the Ducks defense, but Fowler has more offensive upside.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Zach Werenski, CLS at DAL ($21) – John Tortorella has a tendency to ride his best horses into the ground, and as brilliant as Werenski has been, he's facing a big challenge against the rising Stars. They're 6-2-2 in their last 10 and 14-4-1 at home when Ken Hitchcock has last change. Korpisalo getting the start in net will make Werenski's job even harder than normal, and that's not mentioning the injuries to key centers Brandon Dubinsky and Alexander Wennberg.
Nick Leddy, NYI vs. BOS ($22) – Similar to Werenski and Seth Jones for the Jackets, Nick Leddy is forced to carry much of the weight on a depleted blue line that is missing two of their top four defenseman and leaning on the likes of Thomas Hickey, who sat as a healthy scratch earlier this season, and Scott Mayfield and Adam Pelech, both of whom have less than 100 NHL games of experience. Leddy has six goals on the season but hasn't scored since November, and he'll be tasked with limiting the Bruins' chances rather than joining the rush.
