This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
As I write this, no games for Tuesday have been postponed, but for some reason I'm feeling unusually wary. Hopefully all six of them do end up happening, even if they involve a few teams that have missed a lot of games thus far. While we've been getting some early starts this season, no puck gets dropped before 7:00 p.m. EST on Tuesday. Let's get to the recommendations and hope they all remain relevant! I don't like being this skeptical.
GOALIE
Jake Oettinger, DAL vs. NAS ($28): Oettinger is getting a little playing time this season due to the fact that Ben Bishop is hurt. Anton Khudobin's unexpected struggles have certainly played into that as well. Oettinger has been respectable, posting a 2.31 GAA and .910 save percentage. Khudobin started Monday in the first half of this back-to-back series, so Oettinger will likely be in net against a Nashville team that is in the bottom five in goals scored.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Marc-Andre Fleury, VGK vs. COL ($36): Robin Lehner is banged up, which only strengthens the likelihood that Fleury is in net Tuesday. The veteran has been absolutely stellar, as he has a 1.38 GAA and .944 save percentage. I just can't imagine that continuing, though. Fleury had a .905 save percentage last season, and a .913 save percentage the season prior. The Avalanche have scored 3.17 goals per game and put 31.6 shots on net per contest, which in this season of shot suppression is one of the best numbers in the NHL. I think Colorado can put a crack in Fleury's proverbial suit of armor.
CENTER
Evgeny Kuznetsov, WAS at PIT ($20): Maybe you were busy on Valentine's Day with, you know, romance stuff, so you may not have noticed that Kuznetsov made his return to action after missing eight games. In fact, he even scored a goal. Now that he's back on the ice the ceiling is high for the Russian, especially since the Penguins have a 3.62 GAA.
CENTER TO AVOID
William Karlsson, VGK vs. COL ($20): Karlsson scored 43 goals in his first season with the Golden Knights, but that was on 23.4 percent shooting he has never replicated. This year his percentage is a reasonable 13.6, but he's really not shooting much right now. Over his last four games Wild Bill has only put two total shots on net, and the Avalanche only allow 26.2 shots on goal per contest. Karlsson could be blanked again.
WING
Denis Gurianov, DAL vs. NAS ($18): The Predators have one of the worst penalty kills in the NHL, which will play into the strength of a couple of Stars players. Well, if this game happens. The game between these teams scheduled for Monday was postponed. Gurianov scored 20 goals in 64 games last year before having a nice run in the playoffs, but I'm particularly intrigued by the power-play potential here. In limited time on the man advantage last year he had 12 points, and he already has five this year now that he's on the top unit.
Kasperi Kapanen, PIT vs. WAS ($15): Kapanen has started 67.2 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, second highest on the Penguins behind only his center Evgeni Malkin. While he only has six points, that's in 10 games. Meanwhile, the Capitals have a 3.77 GAA, which is bottom five in the NHL. While Ilya Samsonov is out of the COVID-19 protocols, he's currently down in AHL Hershey on a conditioning stint.
WINGS TO AVOID
Mark Stone, VGK vs. COL ($27): Stone is racking up assists, but it would be nice if he was shooting a bit more, as he's put 24 shots on net in 13 games. He's also averaged 3:09 per game with the extra man, but this is not the matchup for that. The Avalanche have the league's best penalty kill, especially when Philipp Grubauer and his .937 save percentage are in net.
Taylor Hall, BUF vs. NYI ($22): Hall and the Sabres have been stuck in neutral thanks to COVID-19 issues, but they are finally back on the ice. However, will Hall be ready to go? Can the Sabres get in the swing of things against Barry Trotz's stifling defense and impressive goaltending? With Hall's salary, I want to wait and see for a bit, and I want to avoid this matchup right now.
DEFENSE
John Klingberg, DAL vs. NAS ($20): We're back to Nashville's terrible penalty kill and Dallas' top power-play unit. The Swedish defenseman has been stellar with the extra man. He's tallied nine power-play points already in only 12 games. That's an unsustainable pace, but this is a matchup that is pretty much a must target.
Drew Doughty, LOS vs. MIN ($19): Doughty has been on fire, though his 14.3 percent shooting is likely to regress. Nevertheless, he has 11 points in 13 games, including eight power-play points. He's also averaged 26:49 per game and 4:10 on the power play. The Wild are dealing with COVID-19 issues, with starting goalie Cam Talbot among those stuck in the protocols. That could mean Kaapo Kahkonen (.903 save percentage) in net.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Cale Makar, COL at VGK ($26): Makar is banged up, and there's a chance he won't play Tuesday, which is enough reason for concern. If that wasn't enough, the Golden Knights have only allowed 25.6 shots on net per contest. Also, Fleury does have that 1.38 GAA and .944 save percentage. Yes, that likely will regress. Indeed, I did say to avoid him because of Colorado's offensive potency. That doesn't mean I want to pay a high salary for Makar, though, because Fleury might still be able to shut him down.
Ryan Suter, MIN at LOS ($14): The Kings have a 3.31 GAA, which may make you think this is actually a good matchup. However, Jonathan Quick is largely to blame for that, and the throne as the Kings' top goalie now belongs to Cal Petersen, who has a 2.49 GAA and .926 save percentage. With that in mind, suddenly a trip to L.A. doesn't seem to appetizing for Suter and company, or for your DFS lineup.
