This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Sunday's 3:00 PM Eastern NHL slate features a pair of Game 2s. With the road team in each series stealing its respective opener, expect plenty of desperation from the home sides here. Below you'll find the players to target and those to avoid.
GOALIE
Pekka Rinne, NSH vs. WPG ($28): Rinne's at least $3 cheaper than any of the other starting goaltenders, but his 25-6-2 home record in the regular season suggests he's a good candidate to bounce back, especially given his past heroics in big moments. While the Jets have proven themselves capable of winning in Nashville, they won just 20 of 41 road tilts during the season.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Braden Holtby, WAS vs. PIT ($32): Washington handed Holtby a 2-0 lead in the third period and largely carried play, but that still wasn't enough to beat a Penguins team that clearly has a mental edge in this matchup, as a three-goal flurry in less than five minutes allowed the visitors to steal Game 1. Things could get even tougher for Holtby if Evgeni Malkin (lower body) is able to make his return here.
CENTER
Colton Sissons, NSH vs. WPG ($13): Sissons is operating at a point-per-game pace through seven contests this postseason, yet he remains very affordable at $13. While his price hasn't moved much, Sissons' strong play hasn't gone unnoticed by coach Peter Laviolette, who has rewarded the hard-working forward with over 16 minutes of ice time in each of the last two contests after holding him below that mark in four of the first five playoff games.
CENTER TO AVOID
Kyle Turris, NSH vs. WPG ($17): Turris costs $4 more than Sissons, but you'd never know it from his play this postseason. He has just two points -- both assists -- and is averaging 2.2 fantasy points per contest.
WINGS
Jake Guentzel, PIT at WAS ($22): At this point, Guentzel should be a lock for DFS lineups every time he's available in the postseason. He's got 37 points (20 goals) in 32 postseason contests, including five goals and three assists in just the last two games. Keep riding the wave, especially since Guentzel's still priced below four other Pittsburgh forwards.
Kyle Connor, WPG at NSH ($18): Connor's starting to look comfortable on the big stage, having racked up an assist and a plus-1 rating in each of his last three games. He's yet to light the lamp on 11 shots through six games after posting a shooting percentage of 16.1 during a 31-goal regular season, so it's just a matter of time before the 2015 first-rounder breaks through for his first career playoff goal. Now's as good a time as any for that to happen.
WINGS TO AVOID
Conor Sheary, PIT at WAS ($15): Pittsburgh's scored 31 goals in seven games this postseason, yet Sheary his chipped in just two assists without lighting the lamp himself. He also hasn't reached 15 minutes of ice time in any game and is averaging only 3.5 fantasy points per contest, so there's little reason to believe Sheary's due to pick up the pace.
Phil Kessel, PIT at WAS ($26): Kessel scored a league-high 42 points on the power play this season, but his inability to capitalize on that special teams situation over the past three games has tanked his overall production, as he's averaging under 3.0 fantasy points in that span. Washington's penalty kill ranked a respectable 15th at 80.3 percent this season, and if that unit can keep limiting Kessel, he's going to have a hard time outperforming similarly-priced teammates.
DEFENSEMEN
John Carlson, WAS vs. PIT ($26): Carlson's going to be a key cog in what's shaping up to be a high-scoring series. He led all defensemen with 68 points this season and already has nine through seven games this postseason. Seven of those nine points have come in Washington's four home tilts, and Carlson can also be counted upon to fill out the box score, as he's averaging 3.3 shots on goal and 1.4 blocks in the playoffs as well.
Jacob Trouba, WPG at NSH ($18): Trouba's established a high floor for himself by racking up shots and blocks like no tomorrow. He's put at least three pucks on net in five consecutive games and already has a pair of five-block performances to go with a four-block outing this postseason. Any points you get from him are just gravy, but all the time Trouba spends sharing the ice with Winnipeg's top end forwards makes him quite dangerous in that regard as well.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Dustin Byfuglien, WPG at NSH ($23): Byfuglien's regular-season road struggles have carried over into the playoffs, as he has just one assist in three away matches this postseason after racking up only two goals, 17 points and a minus-7 rating in 33 appearances outside of Winnipeg during the season. Wait until Games 3 and 4 at Bell MTS Place to deploy him, as Byfuglien rocked that venue to the tune of 28 points and a plus-22 rating over 36 games, in addition to four points in three playoff contests.
P.K. Subban, NSH vs. WPG ($23): Subban's had some struggles in his own end this postseason, and those struggles were on full display in Game 1 judging by his minus-3 rating in a 4-1 loss. He finished with minus-0.5 fantasy points in that contest, giving him 1.6 or fewer in four of seven playoff games. Considering Subban relied on the power play for 25 of his 59 points and Winnipeg's penalty kill tied for seventh at 81.8 percent, it wouldn't be surprising to see his struggles continue.
