This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
It's the first Saturday of March and we have six games on the slate this evening. Here are some players to target, and to avoid, for your DFS lineup from the games starting at 7 p.m. EST or later.
GOALIE
Mikko Koskinen, EDM vs. MON ($30): Since returning from injury, Koskinen has appeared in five of seven games for the Oilers. He has a 2.50 GAA and .924 save percentage in that time. Now he gets to host the paltry Canadiens offense. The Habs have scored a mere 2.36 goals per game, second lowest in the NHL.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Jacob Markstrom, CGY at COL ($37): Markstrom's last game was concerning, as he allowed five goals to the Canadiens. Nevertheless, his 2.17 GAA and .925 save percentage are impressive. Having said that, the Avalanche have racked up 3.93 goals and 35.2 shots on net per game. They should challenge Markstrom on Saturday.
CENTER
Nicklas Backstrom, WAS vs. SEA ($16): Backstrom has started 66.3 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone – third highest in the Capitals – and averaged a whopping 4:04 per game with the extra man. The Swede has tallied 16 points in 23 games, including seven on the power play. Meanwhile, the Kraken have a 3.54 GAA and have gotten poor goaltending from the duo of Philipp Grubauer (.888 save percentage) and Chris Driedger (.891 save percentage).
CENTER TO AVOID
Logan Couture, SAN vs. NAS ($19): Couture is having a solid season as per usual, but this matchup is on the tougher side. Juuse Saros has a 2.50 GAA and .922 save percentage for the Predators. Plus, Couture is now centering the second line for the Sharks, so his wingers are Ryan Dzingel and Matt Nieto.
WING
Matt Duchene, NAS at SAN ($23): With two goals in his last game, Duchene now has 25 goals this season. Over his last 12 contests he has eight goals and five assists. The Sharks' top two goalies are both out right now, leaving Zach Sawchenko on top of the depth chart, and he's never played a full NHL game.
Jake DeBrusk, BOS at CLM ($19): The Blue Jackets are the only team on the evening slate playing the second leg of a back-to-back. They also rank 31st in GAA and last in shots on net allowed per game. DeBrusk was moved up to the top line recently, and it's been paying off. Over his last seven games he has seven goals and two assists.
WINGS TO AVOID
Patrik Laine, CLM vs. BOS ($22): Laine has gotten hot, but he'll be on the second leg of a back-to-back Saturday. That's not ideal for anybody. On top of that, Jeremy Swayman has been red hot. He has an 1.95 GAA and .930 save percentage.
Michael Bunting, TOR vs. VAN ($20): Over his last 12 games Thatcher Demko has a 2.53 GAA and .921 save percentage. The concern for the Canucks is that they have the league's worst penalty kill. However, Bunting isn't in line to take full advantage of that. He's only averaged 1:13 per game with the extra man.
DEFENSE
Quinn Hughes, VAN at TOR ($20): Hughes is racking up points, especially assists, as he has four goals and 39 assists in 52 games. That including a robust 20 points with the extra man. Toronto has a good penalty kill, but the goaltending has been terrible recently. Across his last 20 games Jack Campbell has posted a 3.35 GAA and .893 save percentage.
Darnell Nurse, EDM vs. MON ($19): Nurse has an assist in each of his last two contests. All in all he's tallied 23 points and 160 shots on goal in 48 games. This is also about as good of a matchup as you can find. The Canadiens have a 3.82 GAA, highest in the league.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Zach Werenski, CLM vs. BOS ($19): It's time to repeat the points I discussed with Laine. Werenski is also on the second leg of a back-to-back, when no other team is in that situation, and Swayman has been outstanding.
Mark Giordano, SEA at WAS ($17): Giordano is likely to get traded, but until then he's stuck facing whatever matchup the Kraken have. Saturday, that's the Capitals. Washington has allowed a mere 28.9 shots on net per game. Also, Vitek Vanecek is back. He has a 2.26 GAA and .920 save percentage.
