This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
We're back to two NHL games on the schedule, with two pivotal Game 4s on Tuesday. Here are some players to target, and to avoid, for your DFS lineups.
GOALIE
Philipp Grubauer, SEA vs. DAL ($26): This was hard. The two goalies at home? Dicey propositions. The two goalies on the road? Just got yanked! I'm going with Grubauer at home in the end. Dallas was seventh in goals per game and 14th on shots on net per contest, which puts them third in both categories among the four teams in action. The German goalie had a tough regular season, but he has a .918 save percentage in 10 playoff starts.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Vitek Vanecek, NJD vs. CAR ($26): Game 3 of these series was wild, but while Vanecek got a win, don't forget that he allowed four goals on 30 shots. He got pulled and replaced by Akira Schmid in the first round for a reason. The Hurricanes have scored at least four goals in every game of this series. It's not like the Devils have kept them in check in the slightest.
CENTER
Sebastian Aho, CAR at NJD ($23): On the one hand, Aho has only two shots on net in this series. On the other hand, he has a point in all three games, and he is on a six-game point streak. Vanecek is back in net for the Devils, but he had a .911 save percentage this season. New Jersey isn't planning to win with goaltending, or at least it shouldn't be.
CENTER TO AVOID
Matty Beniers, SEA vs. DAL ($16): Beniers had a strong Game 2, picking up a goal and an assist. However, that gives him all of two goals and two assists in the playoffs. It's been a tough road for the rookie in his first postseason, and I don't expect Jake Oettinger, a goalie with a career .916 save percentage, to get pulled again.
WING
Jamie Benn, DAL at SEA ($22): Benn hasn't scored a goal in a few games, but he has an assist in all three games of this series. He also plays on the top power-play unit. The Kraken had the 21st-ranked penalty kill, so that bodes well for the veteran.
Ondrej Palat, NJD vs. CAR ($13): Palat scored a goal, had three assists, and put four shots on net in Game 3. In the first round he notched five points against the Rangers. Additionally, the former Lightning player has started 61.1 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone. That's second highest on the Devils.
WINGS TO AVOID
Jason Robertson, DAL at SEA ($35): Sometimes in the playoffs, what with the overall quality of players and the general lack of games, you avoid a player simply because they haven't been at their usual level. Robertson has a high salary, and deservedly so. However, he doesn't have a single point in this series. If he turns it around, I won't be surprised, but I'm not taking a chance on him Tuesday.
Jesper Bratt, NJD vs. CAR ($20): Bratt had two assists in Game 3, but he still has only one goal in the playoffs, and it went into an empty net. The Hurricanes had a rough outing last time around, but this is a team that ranked second in GAA and penalty-kill percentage during the regular season, and first in shots on net per contest. I expect them to rebound to some degree.
DEFENSE
Vince Dunn, SEA vs. DAL ($16): Dunn is back in the swing of things. After having 64 points during the regular season, he has a point in four of his last five games. I don't expect Oettinger to get pulled again, sure, but also… the Kraken did just score seven goals on the Stars. Let's see what happens in Game 4.
Jani Hakanpaa, DAL at SEA ($10): Mostly, Hakanpaa has been blocking shots, as he has 26 of those in nine games. However, in this series he also has two points and five shots on goal, and Miro Heiskanen's status is unknown. If Heiskanen can't play, his fellow Finn could see more minutes.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Brent Burns, CAR at NJD ($23): I'm flipping sides for another ice-cold defenseman. Burns doesn't have a point in his last five games, and doesn't have a goal in the playoffs. Now, I don't trust the Devils quite as much as the Hurricanes defensively, but it's like I said, in the playoffs, sometimes you just have to avoid a guy when he seems cold.
Dougie Hamilton, NJD vs. CAR ($22): Hamilton is so cold/snake bit that he didn't register a single point while his team was piling up eight goals. In fact, he doesn't have a point in his last six outings. Since the Hurricanes were second only to the Bruins defensively this season, it will be hard for Hamilton to get on track against his former squad.
