This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Tuesday may be the first day of September, but it might be the last day of the season for the Flyers and Canucks. Both of those teams are facing elimination, although at least they aren't facing the second leg of a back-to-back. That should mean the usual starting goalies in net for these four teams, not that Jacob Markstrom was going anywhere. Here are my recommendations.
GOALIE
Semyon Varlamov, NYI at PHI ($32): Varlamov got a game off, though he didn't need it given his play. With a 1.69 GAA and .935 save percentage though 12 playoff games he's been the best goalie in the postseason. He's a large part of the reason why the Flyers have only averaged 2.23 goals per contest in the bubble, with only 27.2 shots on net per game.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Robin Lehner, VGK vs. VAN ($29): With the Canucks facing elimination, they are going to leave it all on the ice. From a team that scored 3.25 goals per game this season and is as healthy as it's been offensively that can be foreboding. Lehner has two shutouts in this series, but in his other start he allowed four goals and he's had four outings with a sub-.900 save percentage in the playoffs.
CENTER
Bo Horvat VAN at VGK ($22): My initial intention was to recommend Nicolas Roy ($12), who is playing third-line center for the Golden Knights. Unfortunately, he's listed as a wing on Yahoo, so I can't do that here. So instead I'm going with Horvat. All he's done is score nine goals in the playoffs so far, which leads the postseason. Also, Horvat scored 12 power-play goals this season and the Golden Knights had the 27th-ranked penalty kill this year.
CENTER TO AVOID
Sean Couturier, PHI vs. NYI ($20): Couturier has a goal in two of his last three games but those are his only goals of the playoffs. Also, one of those lamp lighters was against Thomas Greiss, not Semyon Varlamov. Greiss is no slouch in net, but Varlamov is the one with the .935 save percentage in the playoffs.
WING
Mark Stone, VGK vs. VAN ($26): With three helpers in Game 4, Stone now has 14 points in 12 postseason contests. That comes after he had 63 points in 65 regular season games. Jacob Markstrom has been quite busy in the playoffs, which is why he has a 2.85 GAA despite a .919 save percentage. Unless the Swedish goalie stands on his head, the Golden Knights are getting their goals.
Anders Lee, NYI at PHI ($19): Lee didn't extend his goal streak to four games, but he still put three shots on target in Game 4. That gives him 39 shots on net in his last 10 contests. While Carter Hart was hot heading into this series, he's allowed three goals in each of his three starts against the Islanders.
WINGS TO AVOID
Claude Giroux, PHI vs. NYI ($19): Giroux has not yet managed to record a goal in the playoffs. The problem may be a lack of power-play time. Twenty of the 32-year-old's 53 points came with the extra man this season, but in this series Giroux has only averaged 1:26 with the extra man. Barry Trotz's team is being disciplined, and that's cutting down on Giroux's opportunities.
Brock Boeser, VAN at VGK ($17): Once again, Boeser found himself dropped to the third line for a spell in Vancouver's last game. While he averaged 18:34 in ice time in the regular season, over his last five games he's averaged 15:27 and he's been held to one shot on net or fewer in four of those contests. His power-play time has also dropped, which means he might not take advantage of Vegas' 27th-ranked penalty kill.
DEFENSE
Shea Theodore, VGK vs. VAN ($24): If you're looking for a Conn Smythe candidate for the Golden Knights, I might have Theodore on the top of my list. He's notched 14 points in 12 games and has put 49 shots on net. That's after he had 219 shots on goal in the regular season, a hefty number for a defenseman. Given that the Canucks allowed 33.3 shots on net per game in the regular season, Theodore could easily keep his six-game point streak alive.
Quinn Hughes, VAN at VGK ($19): Even in a Game 4 loss, Hughes' power-play excellence was apparent. He tallied two assists with the extra man, giving him nine power-play points in the postseason. That's after he had 25 points with the extra man in the regular season. As I noted earlier, the Golden Knights somewhat surprisingly had the 27th-ranked penalty kill this year.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Ryan Pulock, NYI at PHI ($18): Pulock was hot to start the playoffs, but he has all of one assist in his last six games. He's also only put eight shots on goal. Also, while Hart hasn't had the best series, he still has a .931 save percentage in the playoffs.
Ivan Provorov, PHI vs. NYI ($16): Five points in 13 playoffs games isn't bad for a defenseman, but Provorov certainly hasn't wowed. Part of that is the fact he only has two power-play points after having 16 in the regular season. The Russian also isn't a big shot blocker, as he only has six blocked shots in his last eight games. That's usually an undervalued source of fantasy points for defenseman, but not for Provorov.
