This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
There are only three NHL games Wednesday, but they all have playoff implications, which is exciting. However, why not ratchet up the excitement a bit more? Here are my DFS recommendations, in terms of players to target and to avoid, for Wednesday.
GOALIE
Alexandar Georgiev, COL vs. MIN ($38): These two teams are fighting to finish atop the Central (alongside Dallas), and Georgiev has been critical to Colorado's success. He has a 2.54 GAA and .919 save percentage. Oddly, the Wild as a division contender even though they rank 23rd in goals per game, lowest of these six teams.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Ilya Samsonov, TOR vs. FLA ($33): Samsonov is back form paternity leave and primed to get the start Wednesday. It's not an easy matchup to step back into, though. The Panthers have averaged 3.45 goals per game, but they've also averaged 36.9 shots on net per contest, which is highest in the NHL.
CENTER
Brock Nelson, NYI at WAS ($22): Nelson has potted 32 goals this season, but he's also racked up 208 shots on net in 74 games, a personal high. It's a good day for goalies, on paper, Wednesday, so Darcy Kuemper having a 2.76 GAA and .911 save percentage is a better option than most.
CENTER TO AVOID
Evgeny Kuznetsov, WAS vs. NYI ($12): Maybe the Capitals are trying to light a fire under Kuznetsov, or maybe they are accepting that he has had a down year. Either way, he's on the second line and the second power-play unit, both of which keep him away from Alex Ovechkin. On top of that, Ilya Sorokin has a 2.41 GAA and .922 save percentage.
WING
Carter Verhaeghe, FLA at TOR ($27): Verhaeghe just had an eight-game point streak end, but he still put four shots on target. On the year, he's racked up 247 shots on goal in 72 games. This is a bet on a hot player who may be facing a goalie in Samsonov who has been off for a bit. Maybe there will be some rust in the Russian's game.
Calle Jarnkrok, TOR vs. FLA ($15): Jarnkrok has been placed on the wing on Toronto's first line, the spot alongside Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. He also happens to have nine points in his last 12 games. The Panthers are actually in the bottom 10 in GAA, and over his last 15 games Sergei Bobrovsky has an .892 save percentage.
WINGS TO AVOID
Mikko Rantanen, COL vs. MIN ($32): Rantanen has been incredible, and he's going to have his first 50-goal season. However, all that success means a rich salary, and this matchup is quite formidable. Filip Gustavsson has a 2.01 GAA and .932 save percentage, and I see no way the Wild will sit him in this crucial matchup.
Mats Zuccarello, MIN at COL ($22): Zuccarello has 27 power-play points this season, but only two in his last 18 games. He also only has two goals over those 18 games as well. Georgiev has a .919 save percentage, and while the Avalanche started slow on the penalty kill, they now rank 15th on that front.
DEFENSE
Morgan Rielly, TOR vs. FLA ($20): Rielly has 13 points in his last 16 games, six of which have come on the power play. That's good for this matchup, as the Panthers have a bottom-five penalty kill.
Scott Mayfield, NYI at WAS ($15): Noah Dobson is the point producer, and the power-play guy, but Mayfield is on the top unit and plays the most minutes, even without power-play time. Over his last six games he's averaged 22:49 a night, and he has four points across those six outings as well. Kuemper has a .911 save percentage for the Caps, and the Caps are on the first day of a back-to-back so Mayfield could even potentially catch backup Charlie Lindgren. Plus, Washington has the sixth-ranked penalty kill, and that won't impact Mayfield.
DEFENSE TO AVOID
Bowen Byram, COL vs. MIN ($19): Byram has 19 points in 34 games, but he's only put 50 shots on net. He has a 16.0 shooting percentage, which is not sustainable for a defenseman in the long term. Byram just had a great game against the Ducks, but this is a very different matchup. Gustavsson has a 2.01 GAA and .932 save percentage for the Wild.
Rasmus Sandin, WAS vs. NYI ($17): Sandin has 12 points in 11 games since being dealt to the Capitals. However, John Carlson is back now. In the two games Sandin has played with Carlson active, the Swede has averaged 19:25 in ice time, and only 44 seconds per game with the extra man. We've seen Sandin's peak, and now he has to face Sorokin and his .922 save percentage.
