This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Playoff hockey continues Thursday with five series openers. Just as the teams in this 7:00 PM Eastern slate will be looking to get an early leg up on their competition, fantasy owners can also help their chances of kicking off the playoffs with a win by targeting the value plays below and avoiding players that are unlikely to live up to their respective prices.
GOALIE
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TB vs. NJ ($23): Sure, Vasilevskiy didn't close the season in the best form, but if his top-seeded Lightning perform like they're expected to, you won't get him this cheap for long. This young New Jersey team defied expectations by making the playoffs at all, but Vasilevskiy likely won't need to be at his best to rack up victories in this series, making him an ideal low-cost netminder in this format.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Philipp Grubauer, WAS vs. CLS ($34): Grubauer's stronger second-half play has earned him the Game 1 nod over Braden Holtby, but he's sure to be on a short leash given Holtby's significantly greater list of career accolades. The strong possibility of an early hook against a Blue Jackets team that scored 27 goals in its final six regular-season contests should keep all but the most optimistic owners away from Grubauer.
CENTER
Nicklas Backstrom, WAS vs. CLS ($18): Backstrom was on fire to close out the season, racking up five goals and 22 points in the final 15 games. That production includes 14 points over the last eight contests, giving him plenty of momentum heading into this series. With eight goals and 16 assists over 25 games during Washington's past two playoff runs, the Swedish veteran's also proven capable of sustaining success in the postseason, so there's little not to like about him here.
CENTER TO AVOID
Ryan Donato, BOS vs. TOR ($21): Even if Donato suits up, the mere fact that he was under serious risk of being a healthy scratch for Game 1 suggests that he's not worth $21. A veteran team with Stanley Cup aspirations like the Bruins isn't going to give a rookie with 12 games of NHL experience much run in the playoffs, even if he did score five goals in those 12 games.
WINGS
Jakob Silfverberg, ANH vs. SJ ($17): Like Backstrom, Silfverberg enters on a hot streak and has a history of postseason success. He racked up six points in his last four games this season and has 37 points in 40 appearances over Anaheim's past three playoff runs, including nine goals in 17 postseason contests last year. A Sharks team that dropped five of its final six games to set up this matchup will have trouble slowing the Swede down.
Patrick Maroon, NJ at TB ($14): Sticking with the overarching themes of momentum and past postseason success, Maroon stands out as an option to target for owners looking to spend big at other positions. He picked up a cool five points in his last two regular-season contests and has always been a serviceable postseason producer with 12 goals and 14 helpers in 42 such appearances. Maroon's role on the second line and top power-play unit should put him in position to build on that scoring pace in what promises to be a high-scoring series considering only two of Vasilevskiy's last 12 opponents have scored fewer than three goals.
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WINGS TO AVOID
Kevin Fiala, NSH vs. COL ($16): Fiala's the cheapest member of Nashville's top-six forward group, but the savings aren't worth the downgrade in production in this case. He closed the season on a 12-game goal drought while averaging 3.4 fantasy points over that span. Fiala's linemate Craig Smith -- who finished the season with four goals in the last six contests and 10.7 fantasy points per game over that stretch -- can be had for just $2 more.
Mitch Marner, TOR at BOS ($24): Much will be expected of Toronto's second-most expensive skater, but Marner's pedestrian even-strength numbers don't bode well for his chances of living up to his $24 valuation in this tough matchup. Boston's third-ranked, 83.7 percent penalty kill should keep Marner's power-play production at bay, and his minus-1 rating could take a beating considering the Bruins outscored regular-season opponents 3.26 to 2.57 on average.
DEFENSEMEN
Ryan Ellis, NSH vs. COL ($24): It's no secret that Nashville's elite defense corps was the driving force behind the team's trip to the Stanley Cup Finals last season, and the group looks primed to find early success this postseason against an Avalanche club that's missing starting netminder Semyon Varlamov (knee). Picking between Ellis, Roman Josi ($25) and P.K. Subban ($22) can be difficult, but Colorado's penalty killing prowess helps make the decision easier. Ellis scored only 15.6 percent of his points (5/32) with the extra man, so he's significantly less likely to be bothered by the Avs' fourth-ranked penalty kill than Josi (37.7 percent) or Subban (42.4 percent).
Brandon Montour, ANH vs. SJ ($14): Montour's role has grown considerably down the stretch, as he's topped his season ice time average of 20:28 in each of the last 24 games. Since Cam Fowler (shoulder) went down April 1, Montour's ice time hasn't dipped below 22 minutes. That recent load has included a role on the top power-play unit, which gives Montour tremendous upside for a $14 defenseman, even against a potent Sharks penalty kill.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Morgan Rielly, TOR at BOS ($21): The argument against Rielly is similar to the one against Marner. Almost half (25/52) of Reilly's points came on the power play, but that production was accompanied by a team-low, minus-4 rating. Jake Gardiner matched Reilly's offensive output while posting a plus-9 rating, so he's a smarter pick at just $17.
Brent Burns, SJ at ANH ($29): With his team reeling heading into the postseason, spending $29 on Burns is unlikely to pay off. It doesn't help that he only had 30 points and a minus-13 rating in 41 road contests this season, so a Ducks team that allowed the third-fewest goals per game (2.55) could easily keep the bearded blueliner off the scoresheet.
