Yahoo DFS Hockey: Saturday Playoff Picks

Yahoo DFS Hockey: Saturday Playoff Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.

Saturday's NHL slate begins at 3:00 PM Eastern time with the long-awaited series opener between the Bruins and Lightning, while also featuring Game 2 between the Sharks and Golden Knights later in the night. Read on to see which players are primed to produce here and which are overvalued.

GOALIE

Marc-Andre Fleury, VGK vs. SJ ($40): It's hard to argue against Fleury right now, as he's given up just three goals in five starts this postseason after shutting out the Sharks in Thursday's 7-0 Game 1 victory. Until the Flower starts showing some signs of wilting, he should be an automatic play every time he's available.

GOALIE TO AVOID

Tuukka Rask, BOS at TB ($30): Rask didn't play particularly well near the end of the first round, allowing the Maple Leafs to score at least four goals in three of that series' final five games. While a Toronto offense that ranked fourth at 3.29 goals per game during the regular season was nothing to sneeze at, a Tampa Bay unit that topped the league with 3.54 goals per contest is at another level entirely.

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CENTER

Erik Haula, VGK vs. SJ ($15): Haula often gets overlooked due to his team's incredible depth, but he finished second on the Golden Knights in goals (29) and fifth in points (55) during the regular season. Despite that output and a two-point effort in Game 1 of this series, Haula costs less than six other Vegas forwards. That production and affordability make him the definition of a value play.

CENTER TO AVOID

Brayden Point, TB vs. BOS ($21): Point was ice cold to finish the first round, totalling just 2.1 fantasy points over the final three games. He definitely has the talent to turn things around despite facing a tougher opponent in this round, but it doesn't make much sense to pay up for him with so many other Lightning forwards rolling right now.

WING

J.T. Miller, TB vs. BOS ($19): Miller's done nothing but produce since coming over from the Rangers at the trade deadline, with 11 goals and 22 points in 24 games for the Lightning, including the playoffs. Even if Rask reverts back to form here, Miller's as good a bet as any sub-$30 Lightning player to get one by him.

Joonas Donskoi, SJ at VGK ($15): San Jose has nowhere to go but up after getting smacked 7-0 in the series opener, but owners won't exactly be clamoring to get any Sharks in the lineup. Donskoi offers a nice middle ground, as his $15 price limits risk while his role on the first line and second power-play unit offers exposure to San Jose's most reliable sources of offense.

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WINGS TO AVOID

Brad Marchand, BOS vs. TB ($31): Boston's most expensive skater hasn't lived up to his lofty price tag on the road this postseason, averaging fewer than 3.0 fantasy points per game in three contests outside of Boston. Until he can produce without the benefit of last change to get him away from the opposition's top defensemen, it's tough to trust Marchand at $31 on the road.

Timo Meier, SJ at VGK ($17): Meier continues to play a largely insignificant role, scoring 2.8 or fewer fantasy points in three of five playoff games while averaging just 13:47 of ice time in those five games. He was a poor value at $18 in Game 1, and Meier's value is just as low now at only $1 less after a 7-0 defeat.

DEFENSE

Brayden McNabb, VGK vs. SJ ($15): McNabb's topped 13.0 fantasy points in consecutive contests through excellent two-way production. In addition to picking up a point in each of those contests, the former Kings defenseman recorded five blocks in each contest. His balanced box scores suggest McNabb's success is sustainable, plus he won't burn a hole in your wallet at $15.

Charlie McAvoy, BOS at TB ($14): McAvoy's been racking up heavy minutes alongside Zdeno Chara on the top pairing and on the second power-play unit. His value has been depressed by a lack of scoring -- one point in seven playoff games after a 32-point regular season -- but you have to figure McAvoy's bound to improve in that category, making this a solid buy-low opportunity.

DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID

Brent Burns, SJ at VGK ($29): Whatever undisclosed injury bothered Burns in the conference quarterfinals still seems to be an issue, as his minus-1.1 fantasy points in Game 1 of this series give him a total of just 12.3 over the past four games combined. That production just doesn't cut it for a $29 player, and Burns is showing no signs of getting back on track at the moment.

Torey Krug, BOS at TB ($24): Like Marchand, Krug has struggled on the road this postseason. He finished with negative fantasy points in two of his three Round 1 performances in Toronto, and Tampa Bay has even more offensive weapons capable of exploiting the diminutive defenseman's shortcomings in his own end.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Sasha Yodashkin plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: Youngsash, DraftKings: Yashdogg,Yahoo: Sasha, Fanball: Yashdogg.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sasha Yodashkin
Sasha has been contributing NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB and Tennis content to RotoWire since 2015, with an emphasis on DFS. He is a huge New York sports fan who has been playing fantasy sports since middle school.
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