This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Happy New Year! Sure, I'm a few hours early, but I won't be there at midnight, so I'm getting it in now. The NHL loves itself some New Year's Eve action. There are 13 games in total on the slate, but I will be focusing on the batch of games that start at 7:00 PM ET or later. That still gives you nine games worth of players to choose from. Here are the guys I would target, and also the ones I would avoid.
GOALIE
Martin Jones, SAN at DET ($25): I know Jones has been bad. I also know that making 26 saves on 27 shots in his last start probably isn't a sign of things to come. However, this is just such a good matchup. The Red Wings have only managed 2.18 goals per game. No other team has averaged fewer than 2.51. They are by far the worst offense in the NHL.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TAM at BUF ($31): Vasilevskiy has played better after a slow start, but he still hasn't been good. He has a .908 save percentage on the season, but over his last 20 games his save percentage has risen all the way up to… .908. Oh. Buffalo is dealing with some injuries, in particular Jeff Skinner, but it's scored 3.44 goals per game at home.
CENTER
Nazem Kadri, COL vs. WPG ($17): Kadri is getting a lot of opportunity on Colorado's power play. He's averaged a whopping 4:19 per game with the extra man playing alongside the likes of Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen. Overall, the Jets haven't been too bad defensively, but they have the 30th-ranked penalty kill, so this tilt could be right up Kadri's alley.
CENTER TO AVOID
Sean Couturier, PHI at LOS ($23): This may feel like an off decision, given that the Kings have a 3.12 GAA. Ah, but at home Los Angeles has a 2.61 GAA and has only allowed 28.0 shots on net per contest. The Kings may have a bad penalty kill as well, but Couturier has only averaged 2:38 per game with the extra man, and he also only has seven power-play points in 39 games.
WING
Matthew Tkachuk, CGY vs. CHI ($21): Tkachuk broke out with 77 points in 80 games last year, but this season he's actually leading the Flames in scoring with 35 points in 40 contests. He's also notched 108 shots on net. Meanwhile, the Blackhawks have allowed a whopping 37.3 shots on net per game on the road, which should lead to a busy night for Keith's kid.
Gustav Nyquist, CLM vs. FLA ($17): The Blue Jackets have been gutted by injuries at forward, but Nyquist is healthy, and he has 26 points in 39 games. He also has eight points in his last 10 contests. Now, the Swede is at home going up against a Panthers team with a 3.34 GAA that has also allowed 32.2 shots on net per contest.
WINGS TO AVOID
Alex DeBrincat, CHI at CGY ($16): DeBrincat has a point in each of his last two games, which gives him all of 27 points on the season. That includes a mere nine goals, and five of those have come on the power play. That's a concern given that the Flames have the fourth-ranked penalty kill.
Phil Kessel, ARI vs. STL ($16): Taylor Hall hasn't helped Kessel finally turn things around just yet, as he doesn't have a point in his last three games. He has been his usual self on the power play to some degree, though, as he has 11 of his 21 points with the extra man. However, the Blues have the fifth-ranked penalty kill, so this is not the matchup for Kessel.
DEFENSE
Erik Karlsson, SAN at DET ($21): Karlsson will probably never be the player he was in his prime with the Senators, but he's still one of the better offensive defensemen in the NHL. He's got 28 points in 39 games, including seven points in his last 11 contests. Besides, there is no better matchup possible. The Wings have a 3.90 GAA, by far the highest in the NHL.
Oscar Klefbom, EDM vs. NYR ($20): Klefbom has been very active offensively, as per usual. He's tallied 108 shots on net in 41 games, whereas the Rangers have allowed 35.1 shots on goal per contest. This year, though, he's also getting more involved on the defensive end. The Swede has already blocked 131 shots, which is getting him close to setting a new career high already.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Jeff Petry, MON at CAR ($18): Petry has a four-game point streak, but that may end Tuesday. The Hurricanes have allowed a mere 26.4 shots on net per contest at home, fewest in the NHL. On top of that, Petr Mrazek has a 2.52 GAA in Carolina's arena as well.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson, ARI vs. STL ($17): Ekman-Larsson has six points in his last six games, but that still only leaves him with 17 points on the season. He also strangely has only managed three points with the extra man all year. Jordan Binnington has a 2.39 GAA and .921 save percentage, so I don't expect the Swedish defenseman to add to his point total Tuesday.
