This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Saturday offers a fulfilling slate of hockey with 11 games on the NHL docket beginning at 2:00 PM Eastern time. The players below can be counted upon to stand out from the pack -- some as recommended starts, and others as options to stay away from.
GOALIE
Craig Anderson, OTT vs. MON ($21): Anderson's showing some signs of life, with a 45-save effort and a win for an average of 13.6 fantasy points per game in his past two outings. At just $21, it's worth investing in him at home against a Canadiens team that's scoring a mere 2.68 goals per game while allowing 3.09.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Connor Hellebuyck, WPG at STL ($35): Hellebuyck's been in a rut of late, allowing five goals twice in his past four starts and four in one of the others over that span. A trip to St. Louis is unlikely to help the goalie end his four-game road losing streak, as the Blues have scored 3.12 goals per game en route to a 21-10-2 record.
[Join the free NHL Yahoo Cup. $10K in total prizes with weekly winners]
CENTER
Evgeni Malkin, PIT at ARI ($27): Malkin had a six-game point streak snapped Thursday, but he should be able to get right back on the scoresheet here. The hulking Russian's 28 points in 29 games have him on a nearly identical pace with Sidney Crosby's 32 points in 33 games, but Malkin's $8 cheaper despite a superior plus/minus rating. While both are likely to make their mark against a Coyotes team that's allowing a league-high 3.44 goals per game, Malkin brings significantly better bang for the buck.
CENTER TO AVOID
John Tavares, NYI vs. LA ($28): Tavares has been hot with six points in his past three games, but maintaining that momentum will be difficult against the Kings, even with Los Angeles playing the second night of a back-to-back. Likely Kings starting netminder Darcy Kuemper is 5-0-2 with a 1.88 GAA and .941 save percentage, and the team's allowing a league-low 2.28 goals per game.
WING
Tyler Toffoli, LA at NYI ($17): Toffoli's 14 goals and plus-11 rating give him excellent upside for a $17 player. The Islanders give up the second most goals in the league (3.43), further raising the winger's ceiling here. Toffoli has the most goals on his team aside from center Anze Kopitar ($24), so he's primed to take advantage of this favorable matchup without burning a hole in your wallet.
Vladislav Namestnikov, TB at COL ($21): Namestnikov's average of 8.7 fantasy points per game is tops among wingers priced at $25 or under, and there's little reason for him to underperform in this matchup. He's been a key contributor to Tampa Bay's league-best offense with 13 goals, 15 assists and a plus-8 rating. Expect his success to continue against an Avalanche club that's surrendering 3.22 goals per game, which is seventh most in the league.
[Join a Yahoo Daily Fantasy Hockey contest or league today]
WINGS TO AVOID
Michael Raffl, PHI vs. DAL ($17): Raffl's price has shot up thanks to nine points in his past 10 games, but he's still averaging only 3.8 fantasy points per game after starting the season without a point through 21 contests. Trust the larger sample here and stay away from a player that's averaging only 12:23 of ice time per game against a Stars team that completely dominated play at both Madison Square Garden and Barclays Center in the past few days.
Cam Atkinson, CLS at CAR ($19): Atkinson's average of 5.2 fantasy points per game is easily lowest among healthy wingers priced at $18 or more, as every other one sits at 6.0 or higher. He's unlikely to make up the gap between himself and the others in his price range here, as Carolina's earned points in nine of 13 games at PNC Arena.
DEFENSE
Ryan McDonagh, NYR at BOS ($19): With four assists in his past five games and five points in his past seven, McDonagh's displaying the offensive success that's made him one of the league's top two-way blueliners. His plus-10 rating has McDonagh in the double-digit positives for the eighth consecutive season since breaking into the league in 2010-11. At this price, the standout defenseman makes for a strong value play given his recent success and all-around ability.
Ryan Suter, MIN vs. EDM ($17): Suter's thrived with increased responsibilities since Jared Spurgeon (groin) went down, registering helpers in three consecutive games and exactly 11.8 fantasy points in three of his past six. The veteran blueliner also continues to operate on the top power-play unit, putting him in position to thrive offensively against an Oilers team that's killing penalties at a league-low 72.1 percent rate. With his massive current role, Suter's a tremendous value at just $17.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Kevin Shattenkirk, NYR at BOS ($21): Shattenkirk has been disappointing at even strength, as he owns a minus-6 rating and 10 of his 21 points have come with the extra man. Boston's third ranked 84.4 percent penalty kill is likely to shut down Shattenkirk with the extra man, and he's not worth his hefty price when he's not producing on the power play.
John Carlson, WAS vs. ANH ($23): Carlson's another player that's relied on power-play production to bolster his fantasy value, as 11 of his 24 points have come with the extra man, and his rating is an underwhelming minus-4. Anaheim's penalty kill ranks fourth at 83.7 percent, so this isn't the time to utilize Carlson.
