This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Wednesday only has three NHL games, but all the matchups are pretty fun, all things considered. Of course, this is about DFS contests. It's about optimizing lineups and what have you. On that front, here are the players to target, and to avoid, for your DFS lineups.
GOALIE
Sergei Bobrovsky, FLA at WAS ($34): There are several top offenses in action Wednesday…and also the Capitals are playing. That makes Bobrovsky, for all his ups and downs, the clear choice in net for me. The Capitals have averaged 1.90 goals per game, which is last in the NHL among teams that aren't the San Jose Sharks.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Darcy Kuemper, WAS vs. FLA ($26): You might see that the Panthers have averaged 2.82 goals per game and think this matchup is viable. However, Florida has also averaged 35.2 shots on net per contest. To shoot that frequently, and to score that infrequently, is unusual, especially with the known quantities this offense has. I wouldn't risk Kuemper against an unlucky Panthers team.
CENTER
Josh Norris, OTT at TOR ($17): Norris' absence from the Senators' lineup was lengthy, but upon his return, he's been given great opportunity. That includes having averaged 4:40 per contest with the extra man. Norris has played in seven games, and he has seven points. If the Maple Leafs get wise and make Joseph Woll their clear top goalie, they will become tougher to score on, but the team at present has a 3.42 GAA and a below-average penalty kill, and even Woll is not a proven commodity.
CENTER TO AVOID
William Karlsson, VGK vs. LOS ($20): Karlsson has 15 points in 13 games, including six goals. He also has a 26.1 shooting percentage, and that won't continue. While the Kings have questionable goalies, they have held opponents to a paltry 27.4 shots on net per contest. Karlsson is not a prolific shooter, so there is a good chance he doesn't get a puck on goal, and if he does, his puck luck probably won't hold out at this level forever.
WING
Matthew Tkachuk, FLA at WAS ($32): You might have seen me note that the Panthers have averaged 2.82 goals and 35.2 shots on net per game and deduced some unlucky shooting percentages are in the mix. Tkachuk is the poster child for that. He's put 54 shots on goal through 11 games, and has a 3.7 shooting percentage. Yeah, that won't continue, not for a two-time 40-goal scorer. If any of that regression toward the mean comes against the Caps, Tkachuk could be in for a big day.
Calle Jarnkrok, TOR vs. OTT ($16): At first, it seemed like Jarnkrok would be the guy who pulled in a solid number of points skating next to Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. Since then, he's been moved around the lineup, but still producing. In fact, Jarnkrok has four points over his last three games. The Senators are the diciest team defensively of these six, and I am fairly confident that is no early-season fluke. They have a 3.50 GAA and two goalies in Joonas Korpisalo and Anton Forsberg with lengthy resumes of mediocrity.
WINGS TO AVOID
Trevor Moore, LOS at VGK ($18): Moore has 11 points in 11 games, though his 17.6 shooting percentage is a bit high for him. Squaring off with the Golden Knights might cool his hot start. Vegas has a 2.15 GAA, and in the inverse of Ottawa's situation, has two above-average goalies to turn to.
T.J. Oshie, WAS vs. FLA ($13): Usually, the story with Oshie is that when he's healthy he produces. Well this year he's been healthy, but the production has disappeared. He has one point, an assist, through 10 games. While he has put 23 shots on net, he has been held without a shot in his last two games. Now, he has to face a Panthers team that has held opponents to 27.4 shots on net per contest.
DEFENSE
John Carlson, WAS vs. FLA ($22): Carlson has seven points in 10 games, but his last outing against Columbus was indicative of how valuable he is to the Capitals even when he doesn't register a point. He played 28:30 with four shots on goal and four blocked shots. That's enough for a defenseman to provide value to your DFS lineup, and obviously Carlson gets his points as well. If it is one of Bobrovsky's off nights, of which there have been a few already, I wouldn't be surprised to see Carlson get on the score sheet.
Morgan Rielly, TOR vs. OTT ($19): Rielly has three assists over his last two games, and he got back on the first power-play unit in his last outing. If that continues to be the case, his fantasy upside is just that much higher. Ottawa's penalty kill has been kind of a shrug (75-percent success rate), but it has a 3.50 GAA, so clearly pucks are going in.
DEFENSE TO AVOID
Alex Pietrangelo, VGK vs. LOS ($21): Pietrangelo has four points and 17 shots on net in six games since returning to action, though he has not pushed Shea Theodore off the top power-play unit. That'll make it harder to produce in this matchup. The Kings, as I noted, have only allowed 27.4 shots on net per game, but Cam Talbot has also been hot. He has an 1.42 GAA and .945 save percentage over his last five starts.
Drew Doughty, LOS at VGK ($19): Doughty has zero points in his last three games, but still has a 20.0 shooting percentage that is going to drop significantly. The Golden Knights have the lowest GAA and the best goaltending of this sextet, so I expect some dropping in that shooting percentage Wednesday. If Doughty can even get a puck on net, that is.
