This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
There are eight NHL games Tuesday after there were six games Monday, but there are zero teams on the second leg of a back-to-back! Also, no team Tuesday is on the first leg of a back-to-back! That's rare, but it's time for me to drill down on Tuesday. Here are my players to target, and to avoid, for your DFS lineups.
GOALIE
Juuse Saros, NAS at CHI ($27): The Sharks have paced the league in offensive futility, but when all is said and done Chicago will also prove to be immensely lackluster. It just doesn't hit in the same way thanks to the presence of Connor Bedard, the one bright light among these two squads. Chicago has averaged 2.43 goals and 27.5 shots on net per game, and Saros has played well recently. He has a .922 save percentage over his last five starts.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Thatcher Demko, VAN vs. NJD ($39): The Canucks' offense has soared this year, but Demko has bolstered that offensive uptick with strong performance of his own. Of course, I do wonder if a goalie with a career .912 save percentage will sustain his current .924 mark. The Devils have scuffled in goal, but the offense has been stellar once again. New Jersey has averaged 3.59 goals and 33.0 shots on net per contest.
CENTER
Ryan O'Reilly, NAS at CHI ($19): O'Reilly has had a journeyman career, which makes sense for a center good for 50 or 60 points a season. Good enough that teams want you, not good enough to be a franchise player. He's now with Nashville and has started hot with 11 goals and 10 assists through 24 games. Chicago, meanwhile, has a 3.70 GAA and has allowed 32.8 shots on goal per game.
CENTER TO AVOID
Boone Jenner, CLM vs. LOS ($21): Jenner has been potting goals left and right, with 13 of them on the season. However, that's come on 17.8 percent shooting which is a little high, and he also only has five assists. Well, good luck getting shots on net, much less goals, against the Kings. They have a 2.29 GAA and have allowed 26.8 shots on goal per game.
WING
Anders Lee, NYI vs. SAN ($16): To say Lee started the season slow would be an understatement. It was a tortoise-level bit of slowness, but things have finally picked up a bit. He has six points over his last eight outings. Facing the Sharks could help keep Lee hot. They have a 4.00 GAA and have allowed 37.2 shots on net per game, but highest in the NHL.
Ilya Mikheyev, VAN vs. NJD ($16): Mikheyev has spent the season skating next to Elias Pettersson on Vancouver's top line. He's tallied 14 points in 21 games, including two in his last outing. I mentioned the Devils have had issues in net, and indeed their 3.73 GAA is in the bottom four in the NHL.
WINGS TO AVOID
Claude Giroux, OTT vs. NYR ($21): Giroux was stellar in his first year with the Senators, and he has 17 points in 19 games this season. Recently, though, he's slowed down. Giroux only has one point in his last five games, and only one goal in his last eight. Igor Shesterkin has a 2.58 GAA and .916 save percentage, but a .930 save percentage over his last four starts.
Frank Vatrano, ANA at COL ($20): Vatrano's 15.9 percent shooting is well above his career 10.6 percent number, and he will likely be without his usual center Mason McTavish on Tuesday. Colorado's 2.92 GAA, above average this season, has been bolstered by only allowing 29.2 shots on net per game.
DEFENSE
Noah Dobson, NYI vs. SAN ($24): Dobson is taking his game to the next level. Not only has he averaged a robust 25:09 per game in ice time, but Dobson has 21 points in 23 games with 55 shots on net and 61 blocked shots. Hey, the Sharks aren't last in penalty-kill percentage! They are a sterling 31st! For them, that's an area of relative strength.
Devon Toews, COL vs. ANA ($19): Toews' upside is even higher if Cale Makar is still out. With Makar missing in Colorado's last game Toews played 3:24 on the power play. The Ducks have a middling penalty kill, but also a 3.50 GAA. Things could get even worse, as John Gibson has a 3.68 GAA and .874 save percentage over his last seven starts.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Zach Werenski, CLM vs. LOS ($21): Werenski has been productive, but the Kings have been stellar defensively. They are in the top two in GAA and shots on net allowed per game, but also penalty-kill percentage. Werenski has averaged 3:13 per contest with the extra man, which is nice in some matchups, but likely won't matter here.
Luke Hughes, NJD at VAN ($16): Hughes has a larger role now that Dougie Hamilton is out, but he's on the road against the Canucks, and he'll likely be seeing Demko. While I wouldn't want Demko as my goalie in this matchup, he does have a 2.26 GAA and .924 save percentage. Also, though we don't have a track record on Hughes yet, his 8.6 percent shooting would be on the higher end for a defenseman.
