Yahoo DFS Hockey: Wednesday Picks

Yahoo DFS Hockey: Wednesday Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.

It's going to be a late night for hockey lovers on the East Coast on Wednesday. There are four games taking place -- the first starts at 8:30 p.m. EDT, and the other three start at 10 p.m. EDT. You have a lot of time to get your DFS lineups in, so consider these recommendations when you do.

GOALIE

Kevin Lankinen, CHI at ARI ($20): The way things seem like they will shake out goaltending wise Wednesday this is an opportunity to roll the dice on Lankinen and save some salary. He hasn't been good, but the Coyotes have been truly horrendous offensively. They are last in goals (2.43) and shots on net (25.8) per game by a sizable margin. Arizona has also lost seven games in a row.

GOALIE TO AVOID

Vitek Vanecek, WAS at VGK ($27): Vanecek has a 2.67 GAA, but that's mostly because the Capitals have only allowed 29.1 shots on net per game. His .909 save percentage is not impressive. Vegas has put a whopping 34.2 shots on goal per contest, so it may still be able to keep Vanecek busy. Plus, Max Pacioretty and Mark Stone are back in action.

CENTER

Jonathan Toews, CHI at ARI ($15): Toews has seemingly lost a step to his game, but he can still chip in here and there. Over his last 14 games he has four goals and four assists. This matchup is a favorable one for the veteran center, as the Coyotes have a 3.79 GAA and have allowed 35.6 shots on net per contest. The latter is highest in the NHL.

CENTER TO AVOID

Jared McCann, SEA vs. COL ($17): McCann's elevated role with the Kraken has helped him put up career-best numbers, though he's also no longer the top center for the squad. Matty Beniers was given that role once his time at Michigan ended. McCann will be squaring off with Darcy Kuemper, who has a 2.43 GAA and .924 save percentage.

WING

Andre Burakovsky, COL at SEA ($18): Burakovsky has been a key piece of the puzzle for the Avalanche this year. He's notched 22 goals and 58 points in 74 games, both career highs. The Austrian has also tallied 11 points in his last nine outings. Colorado may be facing its former goalie in Philipp Grubauer on Wednesday, and this year he has a 3.11 GAA and .891 save percentage.

Jamie Benn, DAL at EDM ($17): Benn has kicked it into gear recently. Over his last 15 games he has 12 points and 36 shots on net. Mike Smith has posted back-to-back shutouts, but he still has a 2.91 GAA and .911 save percentage on the season. I don't expect Smith to extend his shutout streak to three games.

WINGS TO AVOID

Tom Wilson, WAS at VGK ($17): I'm taking a shot here that the Golden Knights may turn to Logan Thompson in net instead of Robin Lehner. The rookie netminder has a 2.55 GAA and .922 save percentage and has outplayed his veteran counterpart. Wilson has scored 24 goals this season, but he's also recently been moved down to the third line, which changes the dynamics for him obviously.

Zach Hyman, EDM vs. DAL ($16): Hyman has set new personal bests in his first season with the Oilers, even if he hasn't been as productive on the power play as many of his teammates (only nine points with the extra man). Jake Oettinger has  a 2.56 GAA, and he's actually been a bit of a road warrior this year. He has a 2.45 GAA and .923 save percentage in away games.

DEFENSE

Seth Jones, CHI at ARI ($17): Even with a 2.8 shooting percentage, Jones has managed to tally 49 points through 72 games. His 19 assists with the extra man has helped on that front. This matchup is good for a player who excels on the power play, as the Coyotes have the league's worst penalty kill.

Shayne Gostisbehere, ARI vs. CHI ($10): I'm not necessarily going to completely eschew the Coyotes here. The Blackhawks are in the bottom 10 in GAA, shots on net allowed per game, and penalty-kill percentage. Gostisbehere has averaged 2:54 per game with the extra man, and he has 17 power-play points as a result.

DEFENSE TO AVOID

Evan Bouchard, EDM vs. DAL ($18): Bouchard has had a breakout campaign, but recently he's cooled. Aside from a three-point game against the Kings, which is admittedly impressive, he hasn't notched any points in the other nine of his last 10 outings. Bouchard also only has six power-play points, so he's not a candidate to take advantage of Dallas' 17th-ranked penalty kill.

Vince Dunn, SEA vs. COL ($17): Dunn has five points over his last three games, which is good, but four of them have come against the Senators and Devils. The Avalanche is a different type of matchup. They have Kuemper, who has a 2.43 GAA and .924 save percentage.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Chris Morgan plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: cmorgan3, DraftKings: cmorgan3.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chris Morgan
Chris Morgan is a writer of sports, pop culture, and humor articles, a book author, a podcaster, and a fan of all Detroit sports teams.
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