This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Saturday's NHL slate starting at 1:00 PM Eastern time is a busy one, with 30 of the league's 31 teams in action before the league goes on hiatus until Wednesday. There's no shortage of selections, but some players stand out as guys to target or avoid.
GOALIE
Semyon Varlamov, COL at ARI ($26): Varlamov's outperformed his $26 price lately, going 3-1-1 with a total of 12 goals allowed on 160 shots for a .925 save percentage. There's little reason for that success to slow down against an awful Coyotes team that's playing the second leg of a back-to-back. Arizona's last in the league standings, and the Coyotes are scoring the second fewest goals per game.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Sergei Bobrovsky, CLS vs. PHI ($37): Even with Philadelphia playing the second night of a back-to-back here, it's tough to justify pouring $37 into Bobrovsky right now. The Flyers were 7-1-0 in their past eight games heading into their back-to-back, and Bobrovsky's won only one of his past five starts while surrendering 20 goals in that stretch.
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CENTER
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, EDM vs. MON ($17): Nugent-Hopkins has been a key contributor in Edmonton's recent turnaround, as he's produced five goals and three assists to help his team to six wins in nine December matches. He's actually found the back of the net more times this season than $31 teammate and fellow first overall pick Connor McDavid, so the bang for the buck on Nugent-Hopkins is strong against a Canadiens club playing the second leg of a back-to-back set.
CENTER TO AVOID
Sidney Crosby, PIT vs. ANH ($35): Perhaps no player was hurt more by the league's offseason crackdown on slashing than its golden boy himself, as Crosby's often looked lost offensively without the ability to take uncalled chops at an opposing defenseman's hands. After finally figuring things out for a bit, he's back to struggling lately with just an empty-net goal and an assist over the past five games, coupled with a minus-2 rating that's lowered his season mark to minus-8. Half of his points have come on the power play, so spending $35 on Crosby against a Ducks team that's killing penalties at a 10th ranked, 82.3 percent rate is setting yourself up for failure.
WING
Nikita Kucherov, TB vs. MIN ($35): Kucherov's the most expensive winger for a reason. The league's leading MVP candidate was the first man to 50 points thanks to multi-point outings in each of his last four appearances, and his average of 12.7 fantasy points per contest is a whopping 1.6 better than second-place Alex Ovechkin's 11.1 among all skaters. With so many available possibilities in terms of affordable yet effective players, it shouldn't be hard to clear the cap space for Kucherov against a Wild team that's still missing starting netminder Devan Dubnyk (lower body).
Teuvo Teravainen, CAR vs. BUF ($13): Teravainen's tied with Jeff Skinner for the team lead at 25 points, yet he's priced below four other wingers on the Hurricanes. The young Finn easily offers the best scoring ability relative to price among Carolina players, and that ability will likely translate into tangible success against a Sabres team that's allowing 3.32 goals per game -- fourth most in the NHL. Buffalo's yet another weak team playing the second leg of a back-to-back here.
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WINGS TO AVOID
Taylor Hall, NJ vs. CHI ($25): Hall's been far too inconsistent of late, finishing with a negative fantasy point total in four of his past nine games. That low floor could easily come into play against Blackhawks netminder Corey Crawford, whose 2.18 GAA and .932 save percentage are both second in the league behind only Sharks backup Aaron Dell.
Joe Pavelski, SJ vs. LA ($22): Pavelski's eight points in the past seven games have raised his season total to 21 points in 33 appearances, which is still a disappointing 52-point pace. Of those eight recent points, six have come on the power play. Los Angeles is allowing a league-low 2.31 goals per game while, more importantly, killing penalties at a league-best 86.8 percent rate, so expect Pavelski's recent momentum to be halted in this rivalry game.
DEFENSE
Tyson Barrie, COL at ARI ($18): Barrie's found his offensive game, contributing two goals and four assists in his past four appearances despite facing two of the league's four best defensive teams (Tampa Bay and Los Angeles) over that stretch. Another dominant offensive performance from the blue line seems likely for the former 53-point scorer against a Coyotes team that's allowing the second most goals per game.
Alex Biega, VAN vs. STL ($13): If you're a big believer in short-term trends, Biega's the man for you. In four games since rejoining the lineup after serving as a healthy scratch for 10 consecutive contests, Biega's looked like the second coming of Brian Leetch with three helpers and a whopping 17 shots on goal. Meanwhile, Blues netminder Jake Allen has posted a 3.05 GAA and .902 save percentage while going 0-4-0 in his past four starts.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Nick Leddy, NYI vs. WPG ($21): Islanders coach Doug Weight always looked like a fool when he unironically brought up Leddy's name in the Norris Trophy conversation earlier this season, but that foolishness has become even more apparent in recent games. Over his past seven appearances, Leddy has produced just one assist, a minus-9 rating and a combined seven-game total of 3.8 fantasy points. For comparison's sake, 2016 Norris Trophy winner Drew Doughty has scored more than 3.8 fantasy points in 19 of his past 20 games. Expect Leddy's struggles to continue against a Jets team that's outscoring opponents 3.28 to 2.75 on average.
Kevin Shattenkirk, NYR vs. TOR ($20): Kevin's really Shattenkirked the bed over his past eight games, producing just two assists (both on the power play) while posting a minus-6 rating despite his team's solid 4-2-2 record over that stretch. Toronto's 82.0 percent penalty kill is better than league average while the Maple Leafs' sixth ranked offense (3.25 goals per game) represents a serious risk to Shattenkirk's plummeting rating.
