This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
There are 10 NHL games Tuesday, so I won't dawdle getting to the recommendations. Having pored over the deep slate, here are some players to target, and to avoid, for your DFS hockey lineups.
GOALIE
Jake Allen, MON vs. LOS ($21): Allen has been inconsistent. In his last eight starts he has two shutouts and one game where he only allowed one goal. On the other hand, he has three games where he's allowed five goals. The Kings are down in the bottom five in goals per game and are on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back. I'm taking a bit of a gamble on Allen to save some salary at goaltender.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TAM vs. CAR ($32): Well, it didn't take Vasilevskiy very long to right the ship. After a couple of iffy starts he's gotten to a point where he has a 2.40 GAA and .919 save percentage. That being said, the Hurricanes have scored 3.90 goals per contest and have a top-10 power play. Maybe the numbers will be less than stellar once again for the Russian netminder.
CENTER
Nicolas Roy, VGK vs. SEA ($18): Roy has seen himself elevated to the top line for Vegas due to injuries, and it's paying off so far. He's got a three-game scoring streak in which he's tallied five points total. Meanwhile, the Kraken have looked a bit more like your traditional expansion team than the Golden Knights did a few seasons ago. Seattle has a 3.33 GAA.
CENTER TO AVOID
Logan Couture, SAN at CGY ($21): Couture is a veteran surrounded by young players and rookies, in part due to injuries and suspensions. He's on San Jose's top line, but his wings are Jonathan Dahlen and Nick Bonino. Jacob Markstrom somehow already has four shutouts this season, helping him to a 1.65 GAA and .942 save percentage.
WING
Brad Marchand, BOS vs. OTT ($31): Saved some salary in net? Spend it somewhere else! Like, for example, getting one of the top-producing wings in the NHL playing on perhaps the league's best line. Marchand has seven assists over his last three games, but he only has four goals so far. That's going to change, given that he's had at least 28 goals in each of his last six campaigns. The Senators have a 3.64 GAA, which is third highest in the NHL, and Matt Murray is on pace to have a sub-.900 save percentage for the third straight season.
Jesper Bratt, NJD vs. FLA ($17): Bratt has had between 30 and 35 points in each of his four NHL seasons, but his 30 points last year came in only 46 games. The 23-year-old has moved to New Jersey's top line and has five points in 10 contests. Florida is on the second leg of a back-to-back, and Spencer Knight started Monday. With Sergei Bobrovsky banged up, it's possible third-string goalie Christopher Gibson will be in net.
WINGS TO AVOID
Nikolaj Ehlers, WPG vs. STL ($23): Ehlers has been a bit unlucky, shooting at a 7.5 percent clip. Eventually he should improve upon that, but he's been held without a goal in nine games this year. Jordan Binnington is looking more like his rookie-season self, as he has a 2.52 GAA and .924 save percentage.
Ondrej Palat, TAM vs. CAR ($17): Palat often benefits from being on Tampa's top line, though right now he doesn't have Nikita Kucherov around. He does have eight points in 11 games, though three of those just came against the lowly Senators defense. Also, his 19.0 percent shooting would be by far a career high. Frederik Andersen has gotten off to a strong start, as he's managed an 1.83 GAA and .939 save percentage.
DEFENSE
Kris Letang, PIT at CHI ($21): Since returning to the lineup Letang has a point in both his games. That gives him six points in six contests. Points haven't been hard to come by against the Blackhawks, as their 3.69 GAA is second highest in the league.
Evan Bouchard, EDM at DET ($17): The Oilers have decided it's time for the 22-year-old Bouchard to step up and take on a significant role for the team. He's gone from averaging 14:15 in ice time to 21:12, playing on the top pairing with Darnell Nurse. That's help Bouchard to six points, 25 shots on goal, and 20 blocked shots in 10 games. The Wings are allowing a lot of shots and goals, posting a 3.39 GAA.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Aaron Ekblad, FLA at NJD ($24): Ekblad has excelled by putting a lot of shots on goal, but the Devils have only allowed 28.1 shots on net per contest. That's helped Jonathan Bernier to a 2.55 GAA with a .910 save percentage. Florida is also on the road for the second game of a back-to-back, which is a key reason why I am skeptical about Ekblad on Tuesday.
Seth Jones, CHI vs. PIT ($18): Jones has 11 assists in 13 games, though with zero goals thus far. He's also benefited from having averaged 4:55 per contest with the extra man, and that's a number that will be hard to sustain. Tristan Jarry has looked more like the goalie who had a .921 save percentage two seasons ago, as he has a 2.33 GAA and .925 save percentage this year.
