This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Now that the NFL season is over, and we're still a bit away from March Madness, it's time to really focus on the NHL. Tuesday brings us eight games, though it would have been 10 prior to postponements. Also, the first game is at 6:00 p.m. EST, so you need to have your DFS lineups in a little earlier than usual. Here are some players to target, and to avoid, for that lineup.
GOALIE
Marc-Andre Fleury, VGK vs. ANA ($39) : The Golden Knights have been alternating starts between Fleury and Robin Lehner, and if that continues Tuesday will be Fleury's turn. That'll excite fantasy players, as the former Penguin has a 1.26 GAA and .944 save percentage. Oh, and the Ducks have only managed 1.85 goals per game, lowest in the NHL.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Kevin Lankinen, CHI at DAL ($26): Sometimes I feel like I'm the No. 1 Lankinen skeptic in the world, but to be fair he's 25 and has made a total of eight NHL starts in his career. The Finn has faced a lot of iffy offenses thus far, like Detroit, Columbus, and Nashville. Now, you might say the paltry offenses numbers those teams have put up are in part because of Lankinen's goaltending. Still, the Stars have scored 3.67 goals per game, so my skepticism continues.
CENTER
Anze Kopitar, LOS vs. SAN ($18): Kopitar has piled up 14 points in 11 games, even though he's shooting at 8.0 percent, well below his career average. A little more puck luck and he might be in an even better place points wise. The Sharks still aren't getting the goaltending they would have hoped for, as they've posted a 3.60 GAA.
CENTER TO AVOID
William Karlsson, VGK vs. ANA ($21): Karlsson has six points in nine games, but three of them came in one contest against the Kings. While the Ducks can't score, at least they can prevent other teams from scoring. John Gibson is a big reason for that, as he has a 2.48 GAA and .918 save percentage, a nice bounce back for him so far.
WING
Ondrej Palat, TAM at NAS ($20): Palat's power-play minutes have really risen this year, as he's averaged 3:26 per game with the extra man. He only has two power-play points (both goals), but that's in only nine games. Sticking on Tampa's top power-play unit should definitely benefit him, especially against a Predators team with the league's worst penalty kill.
Jakub Voracek, PHI at WAS ($17): Voracek has started 55.0 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, highest among Philadelphia Flyers. That's helped him tally 12 points in 13 games. Plus, Sean Couturier is healthy again, which should certainly help Voracek's numbers. The unavailability of Ilya Samsonov has definitely hurt the Capitals, as Vitek Vanecek has a 3.17 GAA and .903 save percentage.
WINGS TO AVOID
Filip Forsberg, NAS vs. TAM ($23): The Predators and Lightning are playing on the second leg of a back-to-back, but the Lightning have saved Andrei Vasilevskiy for the Tuesday game. The Russian netminder has a 1.89 GAA and .931 save percentage and could easily keep Forsberg in check, especially with the potential for the ol' second night of a back-to-back drag.
Evander Kane, SAN at LOS ($17): In the past, Kane has put a lot of pucks on goal. However, recently his production has dipped. His 26 shots on net over 10 games is good, but he's been held to one shot or fewer in three of his last four starts. Meanwhile, it seems like the Kings have turned the starting job over to Cal Petersen, who has a 2.52 GAA and .925 save percentage.
DEFENSE
Tyson Barrie, EDM at OTT ($19): Barrie is loving his time on the Oilers' top power-play unit. He has five points with the extra man so far. The Senators have the highest GAA in the league, so whether it's on the power play or at even strength, I like this matchup for Barrie.
Thomas Chabot, OTT vs. EDM ($17): Chabot has tallied seven points over 12 games, and he's also put 31 shots on goal. The 24-year-old has also been getting a ton of power-play time to start the year, and he played 3:15 per game with the extra man last season. As for the Oilers, they are in the bottom five in GAA and Mikko Koskinen has an .889 save percentage.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Shea Theodore, VGK vs. ANA ($26): Theodore has put together a three-game point streak, but I envision it ending Tuesday. The Ducks have gotten more than just strong goaltending from Gibson (2.48 GAA, .918 save percentage). Anaheim has only allowed 29.9 shots on net per game and have a top-five penalty kill. However you slice it, this is a tough matchup, and Theodore commands a pretty hefty salary.
Duncan Keith, CHI at DAL ($16): Keith started the season looking like his old self, but he hasn't registered a point in his last seven contests. While Anton Khudobin has struggled a bit to start the season, he had a .930 save percentage last year, and I expect him to improve.
