This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
As we begin Tuesday, we are done with the first stretch of the men's NCAA tournament. The Sweet 16 is set, while the Terrific 10 are in action on the NHL schedule Tuesday. That is to say, we have five games on the slate, since the Bruins and the Islanders have had their contest postponed. Those are two defensively sound teams, so we may not be missing out on many goals. For DFS purposes, we should be just fine. Here are some players to target, and others to avoid, for your lineup.
GOALIE
Juuse Saros, NAS vs. DET ($23): I'm going to speculate that Saros will get the start over Pekka Rinne, though the Predators are notoriously stingy with naming their starting goalies. However, Rinne is having a rough year, while Saros has allowed only one goal in each of his last four starts. The Wings have only scored 2.22 goals per game and managed 27.5 shots on net per game, so if Saros is in net his hot streak should be able to continue.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Kevin Lankinen, CHI vs. FLA ($28): Lankinen was a breath of fresh air for the Blackhawks when he took over as the starting goalie, but the last month has been rough. Over his last nine starts he has a 3.64 GAA and .893 save percentage. The Panthers are right at the top of the league in shots on net per game, while the Blackhawks are at the bottom in shots allowed per contest, so Lankinen should be a very busy guy.
CENTER
Dylan Larkin, DET at NAS ($17): Saros has been playing better recently, but this matchup isn't without its positives for the Wings. The Predators have the 30th-ranked penalty kill, and Larkin has averaged 3:01 per game with the extra man. He's also put 91 shots on net in 28 games, but his 6.6 percent shooting is the lowest of his career. Maybe some puck luck will arise against a bad penalty kill.
CENTER TO AVOID
Joe Pavelski, DAL vs. TAM ($26): Pavelski has helped carry Dallas' offense, as he has 28 points in 28 games. That does come on 21.2 percent shooting though, a rate which is perhaps not going to be sustained. The Lightning have a 2.32 GAA as a team, which is impressive, but some poor starts from backup Curtis McElhinney is the only reason that number isn't even better. Andrei Vasilevskiy has an 1.86 GAA and .933 save percentage.
WING
Eeli Tolvanen, NAS vs. DET ($17): Tolvanen was considered a promising prospect for a couple years, but after a bit of a false start to his career the bloom came off the rose. This year though, he seems to finally be securing a consistent role on the Predators. In fact, the Finn has moved onto Nashville's top line, and he's also averaged 2:31 per game with the extra man. As for the Wings, they have a 3.25 GAA.
Jesper Bratt, NJD at PHI ($16): Bratt has a four-game point streak, but that's not the only thing he has going for him. The 22-year-old has started 67.2 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, highest on the Devils. Meanwhile, the Flyers have struggled to prevent goals this year, and actually have the second-highest GAA in the league. Also, while they may be at home, the Flyers are also on the second leg of a back-to-back.
WINGS TO AVOID
Patrick Kane, CHI vs. FLA ($32): Kane has been productive and a force on the ice, which is why his salary is so lofty. Of course, that gives him a lot to live up to in order to provide value, and Kane only has one goal in his last nine games. Chris Driedger has been impressive in net for the Panthers, as he has a 2.22 GAA and .924 save percentage, but even Sergei Bobrovsky has been better recently. Over his last 11 starts the Russian has a .914 save percentage.
James van Riemsdyk, PHI vs. NJD ($23): As I mentioned, the Flyers are on the second leg of a back-to-back. The Devils, on the other hand, are not. Additionally, while JVR came out of the gate red hot he only has three points over his last 11 games, and that's with a shooting percentage that is still a personal best. MacKenzie Blackwood has had some struggles this season, but over his last two starts he's made 68 saves on 71 shots.
DEFENSE
Aaron Ekblad, FLA at CHI ($21): The Blackhawks have allowed 33.9 shots on net per game, which means there are usually opportunities to be had. That has me looking toward Ekblad, who has put 86 shots on goal in 31 games. The first overall pick from the 2014 NHL Draft has 10 goals this season, and with Kevin Lankinen's recent struggles he could add to that total.
Mattias Ekholm, NAS vs. DET ($17): Ekholm started the season off slowly, and then he missed quite a bit of time, but since then he's been firing on all cylinders. In 13 games since returning to action the Swede has 11 points. Additionally, with both Roman Josi and Ryan Ellis out, Ekholm has taken on an even bigger role on the power play. This is a good time for that to be the case, as the Wings have a bottom-five penalty kill.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
John Klingberg, DAL vs. TAM ($18): This is not a day of particularly tough matchups around the NHL, but the Stars drew a difficult opponent Tuesday. As I mentioned, Andrei Vasilevskiy has a 1.86 GAA and .933 save percentage, and the Lightning do their best to let him start as much as possible. Since Tampa didn't play Monday, the Russian will almost assuredly be in net and ready to thwart Klingberg.
Mikhail Sergachev, TAM at DAL ($18): Sergachev is having a nice year with 21 points in 31 games, though only two of those are goals. Since Anton Khudobin just started games on back-to-back nights, I'm expecting him to get a rest and Jake Oettinger to be in net. The 22-year-old has actually been the better goalie of the two this year, as he's posted a 2.23 GAA.
