This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Easter Sunday's NHL slate features five games beginning at 12:30 PM Eastern time. Finding value plays is often even tougher than locating those colored eggs on an Easter egg hunt, but the column below should help locate those strong value plays, as well as options to avoid.
GOALIE
Anton Khudobin, BOS at PHI ($29): Khudobin's been a little off in his last few starts, but he still sports an impressive 15-6-6 record, 2.53 GAA and .915 save percentage this season. Given that he plays behind a terrific Boston team that's attempting to secure home-ice advantage in the Eastern Conference, Khudobin should be able to handle a Flyers team that's won just five of its last 15 games.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Carey Price, MON vs. NJ ($27): Price is expected to start this second leg of a back-to-back after watching Antti Niemi on Saturday, but owners are better off leaving the former stud out of their lineups. His last eight starts have produced an uninspiring average of just 5.0 fantasy points per game, as Price has only finished in the win column once while surrendering 30 goals in that stretch. Improving over his recent results will be a tall order against a Devils team that finds itself on the playoff bubble and will be fighting for every point the rest of the way.
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CENTER
Ryan Getzlaf, ANH vs. COL ($24): Early-season injuries have limited Getzlaf to 52 appearances, but he's been a terrific contributor as usual on a per-game basis with 57 points and a plus-21 rating this season. In fact, his 1.10 points per game played rank an impressive 11th, just edging out a pair of Penguins that are sitting at 1.09 in Sidney Crosby and Phil Kessel. Given that context, Getzlaf's a bargain at $24. He also has just 12 points and no goals on the power play, so facing Colorado's third-ranked penalty kill won't do much to reduce Getzlaf's value.
CENTER TO AVOID
Ryan Donato, BOS at PHI ($22): Donato's two-point effort Saturday against Florida will likely draw a new influx of support for the inexperienced forward, but he remains a largely unproven commodity. He's skated more than 14:10 only once in the past four games and still has just seven games of NHL experience under his belt, so it doesn't make much sense to pay $22 for Donato regardless of opponent, especially given the large assortment of quality alternatives amid Boston's forward ranks.
WINGS
Kyle Palmieri, NJ at MON ($19): Heading into the weekend, Palmieri has 30 goals and 63 points on the power play over the past three seasons. Expect him to add to those numbers against a Montreal penalty kill that ranks worst in the league at 74.5 percent.
J.T. Miller, TB vs. NSH ($19): Miller's been terrific with the Lightning since coming over from the Rangers at the trade deadline, posting nine goals and 16 points in 15 appearances for his new club. Nashville obviously represents a tough matchup, but that's softened a bit with the team possibly starting backup Juuse Saros over Pekka Rinne on the second night of a back-to-back. Miller presents the best bang for the buck on his team, and that should be enough to earn a lineup spot given the light, five-game slate.
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WINGS TO AVOID
Jakub Voracek, PHI vs. BOS ($25): Voracek doesn't possess the explosive upside we're accustomed to seeing from players in this price range, as he hasn't reached 20.0 fantasy points in a game since Dec. 4. It's not like his floor is particularly high, either, as illustrated by Voracek's eight performance of 2.8 or fewer fantasy points in the past 20 games. Those stats make him unappealing in most matchups, let alone against a Bruins team that's allowing just 2.52 goals per game -- third-fewest in the league.
T.J. Oshie, WAS at PIT ($20): Oshie's been by far the least productive of the 14 wingers priced at $20 or more in this slate, as he averages just 5.8 fantasy points per game while each of the alternatives sits at 7.4 or more. Additionally, he left Friday's game with a lower-body injury, so he's likely to be operating at less than 100 percent for this risky clash with the two-time defending champs.
DEFENSEMEN
Will Butcher, NJ at MON ($14): Butcher won't burn a hole in your wallet, but his skill set gives him excellent upside for a blueliner in this matchup. The rookie has displayed excellent puck-moving skills with 40 points this season, and half of those have come on the power play. A Canadiens team that boasts the league's worst penalty kill and allows the ninth-most goals per game (3.10) will have trouble keeping Butcher off the scoresheet.
Ryan Ellis, NSH at TB ($23): Even though seven other defensemen in this slate are priced at least as highly as him, Ellis' average of 8.9 fantasy points per game is second only to Victor Hedman's 9.1 among blueliners. After missing a large chunk of the season due to a long-term knee injury, Ellis has returned with a vengeance, compiling nine goals, 28 points and a plus-22 rating in 39 games. Considering Lightning netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy's allowed 36 goals over his last nine starts, the sky's the limit for Ellis on the offensive end in this matchup.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Ryan McDonagh, TB vs. NSH ($17): McDonagh's had a harder time adjusting to life in the Sunshine State compared to his fellow ex-Ranger, Miller. In 10 appearances with the Lightning, McDonagh has just three points and a minus-1 rating. His struggles could be attributed to skating on a pairing with familiar partner Dan Girardi, who for years served as a weight around McDonagh's ankle in New York and is even older and slower now. Until he gets separated from Girardi, McDonagh won't play up to his full potential, especially in tough matchups like this one.
Andrew MacDonald, PHI vs. BOS ($16): MacDonald lacks the offensive upside to justify usage here. He has just 20 points for the season but has helped tilt the scales against inferior competition with a plus-11 rating. That rating is unlikely to climb against a superior Boston club, and plenty of cheaper alternatives exceed MacDonald's contributions in other categories.
