This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Saturday's two-game NHL slate covers Game 5 on Saturday between the Capitals and Lightning beginning at 7:15 PM Eastern time, as well as Sunday's Game 5 between the Golden Knights and Jets. Read on to see which players offer the best value here and which ones should be avoided.
GOALIE
Marc-Andre Fleury, VGK at WPG ($38): Fleury doesn't come cheap, but he's played up to his high valuation in almost every start this postseason. There's little reason for that to change now, considering Fleury's coming off three consecutive efforts of at least 18.8 fantasy points.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TB vs. WAS ($35): Vasilevskiy's coming off a pair of identical performances in Games 3 and 4, stopping 36 of 38 shots in each while winning both, but he lost Games 1 and 2 at home while allowing a combined 10 goals. His regular-season splits suggest the young Russian's struggles in Tampa Bay can't simply be ignored, as Vasilevskiy posted a 2.34 GAA and .931 save percentage on the road compared to meager 2.84 and .909 marks at home.
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CENTER
Evgeny Kuznetsov, WAS at TB ($24): Kuznetsov has thrived while skating in his usual role on the top line and top power-play unit alongside Alex Ovechkin, managing three goals and four assists in this series' first four games. Dating back to Game 4 of the conference semifinals against Pittsburgh, Kuznetsov has five goals and seven helpers over a seven-game point streak. He's also fired 20 shots on net over the past three games, so the Russian center's showing no signs of slowing down.
CENTER TO AVOID
Nicklas Backstrom, WAS at TB ($20): Paying the extra $4 for Kuznetsov over Backstrom is well worth it. The Swedish center misses out on the benefit of skating with Ovechkin at even strength, and he's also operating at much less than full strength himself after missing 12 days with an upper-body injury. Backstrom produced only 1.6 fantasy points in his return from that injury Thursday.
WING
Alex Killorn, TB vs. WAS ($14): Killorn was the Game 4 hero, potting the game-winning goal in the third period to knot the series at two games apiece. His price has been depressed by a recent slump, but Killorn's capable of heating up in a hurry, as evidenced by his three-game goal streak in the first round, which consisted of four goals and an assist. Given his affordability despite a 47-point regular season, this is a low-risk, high-reward move.
Tom Wilson, WAS at TB ($17): Wilson's another guy who can capitalize on Ovechkin's scoring ability through skating on the same line. The physical winger's price is exactly half of Ovechkin's, and Wilson is no slouch himself, having produced three goals and 10 points in his last 11 appearances. Given Vasilevskiy's aforementioned struggles at home, this is a worthy investment.
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WINGS TO AVOID
Yanni Gourde, TB vs. WAS ($15): Tampa Bay has no shortage of scoring depth, but Gourde is outclassed by almost every other Lightning forward. He's failed to score at least 8.0 fantasy points in any of his last 13 appearances, and Gourde's slowed down even further in this series with only a combined 8.7 fantasy points through four games.
Kyle Connor, WPG vs. VGK ($20): Connor has a bright future, but he's largely been overwhelmed by the moment in his first postseason with just three goals and seven helpers in 16 games. Given Fleury's playoff success, Connor's unlikely to turn things around now.
DEFENSE
Colin Miller, VGK at WPG ($12): Miller's seen his fantasy point total rise in each of the past three contests, averaging a healthy 5.8 over that stretch. Despite that recent uptick, he remains priced at just $12. Considering Miller led all Vegas defensemen with 41 points and 17 power-play points this season, he certainly has the skills to continue outplaying his $12 valuation.
Tyler Myers, WPG vs. VGK ($16): Myers has lit the lamp in two of the past five games, racking up at least 10.8 fantasy points in each of those two contests. Look for the hulking blueliner to step up again with his season on the line, especially since 22 of Myers' 36 regular-season points came at Bell MTS Place.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Shea Theodore, VGK at WPG ($19): Theodore's been a poor road value all postseason, averaging just 3.4 fantasy points through seven such contests. There's little suggesting he's going to reverse that trend here.
Matt Niskanen, WAS at TB ($18): Facing Tampa Bay's top-ranked offense gives Niskanen a low floor, while his lack of offensive skills limits his ceiling. Niskanen's scored 9.0 fantasy points or more only four times in his last 22 games, so living up to his $18 valuation will be difficult.
