This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
The NHL is restarting play Saturday, and it'll be rolling early with the first game between Boston and Tampa Bay starting at 12 p.m. EDT. The Lightning have a 2-1 series lead, but the other two series are knotted at one game apiece. Read ahead for some tips and tricks before setting your DFS lineup tonight.
GOALIE
Robin Lehner, VGK vs. VAN ($28): Lehner's salary has remained steady in the wake of an uninspiring Game 2 performance, and that's part of the reason he's such a value. He should hold onto the starting job for now, but he absolutely needs a win to avoid being usurped by Marc-Andre Fleury. His track record says he'll rebound, as Lehner hasn't lost consecutive games since Feb. 11.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TB vs. BOS ($35): Coming off consecutive wins, Vasilevskiy has clearly shaken last year's playoff jitters. He still carries a fair amount of risk at the salary, however, as he's faced more than 30 shots just once in the last seven games while allowing three or more goals four times in that stretch. It's tough to fork up that chunk of your payroll without a very high ceiling.
CENTER
Kevin Hayes, PHI vs. NYI ($18): Hayes logged 19:02 in Game 2 -- the most ice time he's seen this postseason -- and converted with two goals. That was his second two-point affair in three games, and his shot volume is picking up as well. He's done this while going pointless on the power play, but that could change tonight, as only the Islanders' penalty kill (75.8 percent) stands in his way.
CENTER TO AVOID
Paul Stastny, VGK vs. VAN ($17): Stastny has dealt with injuries this postseason, but he's been in a rut nonetheless. He has just one game with more than 7.0 fantasy points, and his ice time has been a bit flaky despite centering the team's second line. I'd like more consistency in this salary range, but Stastny hasn't been a player with a high shot volume for a while.
WING
Brad Marchand, BOS vs. TB ($30): Marchand and Co. continue to generate loads of offense for the B's, and the winger has personally accounted for seven goals and five helpers since the start of the first round. His upside is through the roof, but even his floor remains sturdy, as linemates David Pastrnak ($33) and Patrice Bergeron ($28) keep on fueling the fire.
Tyler Toffoli, VAN vs. VGK ($18): Toffoli was extremely productive in his Game 2 return, posting three points -- one on the power play-- and three shots on net. He did that in just 14:35 of ice time, and he should get more work now that it's quite evident he's healthy. While he probably won't repeat those lofty Game 2 numbers, he can still surpass expectations.
WINGS TO AVOID
Brock Boeser, VAN vs. VGK ($20): Boeser has just two points and a minus-3 rating over the past six games, and he's posted zero or one shot on net in four of those contests. To make matters worse, he hasn't clocked more than 15:30 of ice time since Game 5 against the Blues, so he has little margin of error for fantasy purposes.
Jordan Eberle, NYI vs. PHI ($18): Eberle has enjoyed a decent August, but it's been a bit tough lately with just two points in the last six games, and he recorded no shots on net in three of those contests. Even if the Flyers start Brian Elliott, it'll be tough to crack the scoresheet, as Elliott played well in his lone August start too.
DEFENSE
Ivan Provorov, PHI vs. NYI ($18): Provorov has put up a mediocre postseason thus far with four points, two on the power play, but as I mentioned with Hayes, the young defenseman should log major minutes with the man advantage against a struggling penalty kill. While he doesn't have much of a floor with an inconsistent shot volume and blocked shot count, it's worth taking the risk on Provorov.
Alec Martinez, VGK vs. VAN ($17): Martinez provides a nice baseline by nature of his blocked shot count, but he pushes offense from the blue line as well, posting a 3.14 xGF/60 during the postseason -- the second-best rate among Vegas defensemen. His salary's slowly taking notice, but the former King is still an excellent value.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Quinn Hughes, VAN vs. VGK ($20): Hughes has averaged just 18:20 over the past three games, and it's unclear why his ice time has slipped over six minutes per game since the start of August. Perhaps the playoff physicality is getting to the rookie, but it's best to avoid him while his opportunities are dropping but his popularity on rosters remains high.
Mikhail Sergachev, TB vs. BOS ($18): Sergachev came through with a three-point surge in Game 2, with two points coming on the power play. He could be a popular play in a sort of knee-jerk reaction, but don't take the bait. It's not necessarily sustainable, and the Bruins' penalty kill (81.3 percent) likely won't let him repeat it.
