This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Saturday's all-day NHL slate begins at 1:00 PM Eastern time and features 13 games. There's no shortage of selection in this slate, but certain players stand out from the pack as options to target while others should be avoided. Read on to see which guys fall into which category.
GOALIE
Carter Hart, PHI vs. EDM ($27): Hart won Rookie of the Month honors for January thanks to a 6-2-1 record, 2.33 GAA and .931 save percentage, including wins in each of his last five starts. He should carry the momentum from that strong month over to his first start of February, which comes against an Oilers team that's scoring just 2.82 goals per game despite the presence of superstar Connor McDavid. Still available for just $27, the rookie netminder is a tremendous option here.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Sergei Bobrovsky, CLS vs. STL ($33): Bobrovsky has been terrible recently, posting a 3-6-0 record in his past nine starts while allowing 33 goals over that stretch. With so many alternatives to choose from in this slate, it doesn't make sense to roll with the Russian netminder against a Blues team that's 6-3-1 in its past 10 games.
CENTER
Mika Zibanejad, NYR vs. TB ($20): Zibanejad has a trio of multi-goal performances in his past five games, and he would have a fourth if not for having a goal overturned due to a teammate's offside in the Jan. 17 win over Chicago. As it stands, he's still produced a whopping eight goals and three assists while rounding out his stat line with six power-play points, a plus-6 rating, 15 shots and five blocks over the most recent five contests. Tampa Bay's a tough opponent, but the Lightning will be playing the second leg of a road back-to-back while deploying backup Louis Domingue (2.99 GAA, .905 save percentage) in net.
CENTER TO AVOID
Aleksander Barkov, FLA vs. VGK ($25): While Barkov had a three-assist outburst Jan. 21 against San Jose, he has just one other assist and no goals over the past eight games, along with a minus-7 rating. That production is nowhere near what's expected of a $25 player, and another lackluster effort is the most likely scenario against a Vegas club that ranks among the league's five stingiest defensively.
WINGS
Artemi Panarin, CLS at STL ($25): The Blue Jackets are skidding -- having lost four games in a row -- but Panarin certainly isn't to blame for the team's poor recent results. The Russian winger has lit the lamp seven times in his past eight games, adding five helpers for a total of 12 points over that span, seven of which have come on the power play. A lack of goals and extra-man production were the only black marks on Panarin's season prior to this hot streak, but he's addressed both of those deficiencies and should stay hot against a mediocre Blues team.
Timo Meier, SJ vs. ARI ($21): Meier has amassed 11 points in his past 10 games, which is an impressive feat considering he's scored only once on 29 shots over that span. His production should climb even higher once Meier's shooting luck turns around, and he's provided a nice floor in the meantime through an abundance of assists and a plus-7 rating over these past 10 contests that's pushed his season mark to plus-17. Only six of Meier's 46 points this season have come on the power play, so he won't feel the negative impact of facing Arizona's league-best, 86.9 percent penalty kill.
WINGS TO AVOID
Mats Zuccarello, NYR vs. TB ($25): Zuccarello has been on a roll recently with four goals and eight assists over his past six games, but even that production doesn't justify the price jump from $11 at the start of his hot streak to the current $25. The diminutive winger's rating is still minus-12 this season, giving him a low floor against Tampa Bay's league-best offense.
Rickard Rakell, ANH at WPG ($19): Rakell has minus-1.5 fantasy points combined over his past three games, and he's in the midst of a disappointing season overall with just eight goals, 16 assists and a minus-11 rating. His recent struggles should continue on the road against a terrific Jets team that's 19-6-2 at home this season.
DEFENSEMEN
Jared Spurgeon, MIN vs. CHI ($17): Spurgeon's made sizable contributions on both ends since the calendar flipped to 2019. In addition to racking up four goals and six assists in 13 subsequent games, Spurgeon also has 34 blocked shots. While his shot-blocking ability helps build up the blueliner's floor, Spurgeon's ability to chip in offensively is the primary driver of his value ahead of a matchup with a Blackhawks team that's surrendering the second-most goals per game in the league.
Ryan Ellis, NSH vs. DAL ($19): Ellis' well-rounded game has allowed him to provide consistently strong value. He's averaging 9.2 fantasy points over his past six games, dropping below 7.9 only once in that stretch. Another good performance is likely in the cards against a Stars team that's struggled to a 9-13-2 road record this season.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Jake Muzzin, TOR vs. PIT ($18): It looks like Muzzin will need some time to get used to his new club, as he posted no meaningful stats except for two blocked shots in his Maple Leafs debut Friday. That poor performance came against an underwhelming Red Wings club, and the competition only gets harder with a much more talented Penguins team coming to town.
Drew Doughty, LA at NYI ($19): Doughty has a minus-16 rating, and that mark's likely to drop even further with what used to be Los Angeles' second-best defenseman (Muzzin) now plying his trade in Toronto. The offensive production needed to counteract his struggles in the plus-minus department is unlikely to come for Doughty against an Islanders team that's allowing the fewest goals per game in the league.
