Saturday all you NHL DFS players are spoiled for choice. A robust 12 games are on the schedule. That means more options to pick through than most days. To help with that, here are my players to target, and to avoid, for your DFS lineups.
GOALIE
Cam Talbot, LOS at SEA ($35): Looking at the goaltending situations Saturday, I didn’t see much in the way of viable options other than at the top of the heap. This is straightforward. Talbot has a 2.02 GAA and .927 save percentage, and the Kings have only allowed 27.0 shots on net per game. The Kraken have only scored 2.71 goals per game, so this is a matchup Talbot can easily handle.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Sergei Bobrovsky, FLA at EDM ($33): Bobrovsky has a 2.56 GAA, but for that he can thank a team that ranks second in shots on net allowed per game. The Russian goalie only has a .907 save percentage. Remember when the Oilers were scuffling offensively? Well they now have averaged 3.52 goals and 34.3 shots on net per game, both top six in the NHL.
CENTER
Nick Suzuki, MON vs. NYI ($17): The Islanders are on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back. While the Canadiens don’t have a ton of offensive talent, they do have Suzuki. He has 23 points in 29 games, including 12 with the extra man. His power-play acumen is actually a strong plus, as the Islanders have a bottom-five penalty kill.
CENTER TO AVOID
Mika Zibanejad, NYR at BOS ($30): Both the Rangers and Bruins are on the second leg of a back-to-back. The concern with Zibanejad is who is in line to start for Boston on Saturday. That would be Jeremy Swayman. He has a 2.07 GAA and .933 save percentage, and his career .922 save percentage is one of the most impressive marks in the NHL.
WING
Lucas Raymond, DET at PHI ($19): Raymond’s sophomore slump has been replaced by a third-year rebound. He’s tallied 24 points in 29 games, including 14 points in his last 15 contests. Unfortunately for the Flyers, Carter Hart is dealing with an illness that is keeping him out of action. Samuel Ersson is not a like-for-like replacement, as he has a career .893 save percentage.
Alexander Holtz, NJD at CLM ($12): Holtz, the seventh overall pick in 2020, is carving out a regular NHL role for the first time. Over his last 10 games he has seven points, and he’s also put 25 shots on target in that time. The Blue Jackets are a nice matchup for Holtz to stay in the best form of his career. Columbus has a 3.55 GAA and has allowed 34.7 shots on net per game.
WINGS TO AVOID
Mitchell Marner, TOR vs. PIT…