This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
The NHL season is in high gear, though it is going to rev down for a bit soon for the All-Star break. After a busy Tuesday, there are five NHL games Wednesday, which is a solid number. Here are a handful of players to target, and to avoid, when putting together your DFS lineups.
GOALIE
Stuart Skinner, EDM vs. CLM ($29): Skinner is able to handle his business in goal, as he has a .915 save percentage. Now, he also has a 2.92 GAA because the Oilers don't play stingy defense, but the Blue Jackets aren't much of a threat on that front. Columbus is in the bottom five in both goals and shots on net per game. It also struggles defensively, making this a great chance for Skinner to pick up a win.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Jake Oettinger, DAL vs. CAR ($38): Oettinger is having a stellar season, but the Hurricanes could put some pressure on him. While Carolina has averaged 3.22 goals per game – which is just above average – it has also averaged 35.3 shots on net per contest, which is top three in the NHL. The Hurricanes should keep Oettinger busy, and that makes for a risky proposition for DFS purposes.
CENTER
Brock Nelson, NYI at OTT ($16): Mathew Barzal has had a rough patch for a while here, but Nelson has helped pick up the slack with a three-game point streak. It's also notable to me that he has a 12.1 shooting percentage, as over the previous five seasons Nelson posted a 15.9 shooting percentage. The Senators are just below average in terms of GAA, but the goaltending has been an issue recently, so much so Cam Talbot leads the way with a .903 save percentage.
CENTER TO AVOID
Vincent Trocheck, NYR at TOR ($17): Trocheck has had rough puck luck all season, and he doesn't have a goal over his last nine games. It'll be hard for Trocheck to find some good fortune against the Maple Leafs. In addition to having a 2.63 GAA, they've allowed a mere 28.7 shots on net per contest.
WING
Zach Hyman, EDM vs. CLM ($29): Hyman is quickly becoming almost as productive as Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl. Thanks to a stretch of four multipoint games in a row, Hyman is up to 56 points through 47 games. The Blue Jackets have a 3.89 GAA and have allowed 35.1 shots on net per contest, so goals shouldn't be hard to come by for Edmonton, and Hyman is increasingly part of the production.
Daniel Sprong, SEA vs. VAN ($17): Sprong has been kicked up the lineup for the Kraken, now skating on the first line and the top power-play unit. He has 10 points with the extra man through 39 games, with a great chance to add to that. The Canucks have the league's worst penalty kill, and they are also on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back.
WINGS TO AVOID
Joe Pavelski, DAL vs. CAR ($24): Pavelski is still racking up assists, but he only has three goals in his last 17 contests. The Hurricanes have allowed a league-low 26.5 shots on net per game, and Frederik Andersen has looked excellent since returning. In four starts he has an 1.75 GAA and .942 save percentage.
Michael Bunting, TOR vs. NYR ($20): Bunting has 14 goals and 19 assists skating on Toronto's top line, but when you are the "other guy" in a great trio, you have to worry about a matchup like this. Igor Shesterkin has a 2.44 GAA and .918 save percentage, numbers you would never quibble with. This is the reigning Vezina winner, though, and the Russian has a 2.17 GAA and .927 save percentage over his last 16 outings.
DEFENSE
Vince Dunn, SEA vs. VAN ($20): Dunn had a nine-game point streak come to an end in his last game, but this is a great opportunity to return to the score sheet. Maybe Rick Tocchet will turn things around for the Canucks, but this is a team that ranks 31st in GAA and last in penalty-kill percentage. Call me crazy, but I feel pretty confident in Vancouver remaining bad defensively for a while here, especially as long as Thatcher Demko is out.
Darnell Nurse, EDM vs. CLM ($18): Nurse doesn't play on the power play, but he has averaged 23:59 in ice time anyway with 22 points and 119 shots on goal. The 27-year-old still leads the charge on the Edmonton blue line. Columbus is in the bottom three in GAA and shots on goal allowed per game, so Nurse doesn't necessarily need power-play time to take advantage of this matchup.
DEFENSE TO AVOID
Brent Burns, CAR at DAL ($23): I might not go with Oettinger in net, but I am not exactly looking to have Hurricanes players in my lineup either. Especially not somebody like Burns, who has notched 14 of his 31 points with the extra man. Dallas has a top-four penalty kill, so being dependent on the power play doesn't play into your hands when facing this Dallas squad.
K'Andre Miller, NYR at TOR ($16): Sometimes good things come to an end, and that's what's the story with Miller. He had a seven-game point streak wherein he tallied nine points, but now he has gone two games without a point. Miller had three power-play points during that streak, even though on the season he's averaged all of 17 seconds per game with the extra man. Effectively, I'm saying that Miller's hot stretch was something of a fluke, and the Maple Leafs have a 2.63 GAA for good measure.
