This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
I would argue that Colorado, Vegas, Tampa and Carolina are the four best teams in the NHL. They are also the four teams playing Tuesday. The Lightning might be able to eliminate the Hurricanes, or maybe that series will get pushed to a Game 6. With a quartet of talented teams taking the ice, here are some players to target, and to avoid, for your DFS lineup.
GOALIE
Marc-Andre Fleury, VGK at COL ($32): Andrei Vasilevskiy is great, but he's had a couple off games this postseason. Petr Mrazek just let in six goals to the Lightning so Alex Nedeljkovic might be back in net. Even Philipp Grubauer didn't look great in Game 4. Fleury, though, hasn't allowed more than three goals in a postseason game yet and has a .924 save percentage in the playoffs. It's hard to feel confident in any of these goals, since these offenses are all so good, but I'm going with Fleury.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TAM at CAR ($37): The Hurricanes scored 3.13 goals this season and put 32.0 shots on net per game. They are also at home in a must-win game. Vasilevskiy's 2.46 GAA in the playoffs is quite good, but not as good as his 2.21 GAA during the regular season. He's also allowed seven goals in his last two games.
CENTER
Jordan Staal, CAR vs. TAM ($19): Staal is known for his defensive prowess, but he actually had 16 goals in 53 games this season. He also has eight points in 10 playoff contests, including the three-game point streak he's on. With Vincent Trocheck still banged up and possibly out once again, Staal could also be getting more minutes, including on the power play, for another game as well.
CENTER TO AVOID
Chandler Stephenson, VGK at COL ($19): Centering Vegas' top line should benefit Stephenson offensively, especially since Max Pacioretty returned to action for Game 7 against the Wild. Indeed, Stephenson picked up two assists in that Game 7, but he's been held without a point in this series. The Avalanche allowed a league-low 25.4 shots on net per game during the regular season as well, and likely won't give up five goals again like in Game 4.
WING
Gabriel Landeskog, COL vs. VGK ($30): A lot was made in Game 4 about how Vegas was keeping Colorado's top line in check at even strength. However, that was when the Golden Knights were at home and able to control the line matchups. In Colorado the Avalanche will have the final change. That should open things up for Landeskog and company. Plus, don't forget the power play, as the Swede had 15 points with the extra man this year.
Ondrej Palat, TAM at CAR ($20): Palat ended a scoring drought with two assists in Game 4, and I wouldn't be surprised to see more scoring. After all, he plays on a line with Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov. Plus, Palat started 63.9 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone this year, which was most on the Lightning. Mrazek did not look good in Game 4, and in his last six starts Nedeljkovic has a .907 save percentage.
WINGS TO AVOID
Martin Necas, CAR vs. TAM ($20): Necas came up big to eliminate the Predators in the first round, but he doesn't have a point in this series. Perhaps that's because his usual center Vincent Trocheck has largely not been playing. Trocheck could be out once again for Game 5, and that could mean another game without a point for Necas.
Alex Tuch, VGK at COL ($19): Tuch tallied 20 goals two years ago, and had 18 goals in 55 games this season. However, while he's talented, he's also buried on the third line for the Golden Knights. There's just too much talent on this team. Speaking of talent, Grubauer had an 1.95 GAA and .922 save percentage this season.
DEFENSE
Victor Hedman, TAM at CAR ($23): With Tampa's defense, it's best to just spend the salary on Hedman instead of trying to save some money on a secondary option. The big Swede is the luminary of this blue line. He also has been quite prolific this postseason. Hedman has 11 points, 25 shots on goal, and 21 blocked shots in 10 playoff outings. That include a point in three out of four games in this series.
Shea Theodore, VGK at COL ($23): Theodore has only notched points in two games in the postseason, but both times he had multiple points. Additionally, he's stayed active, as he has 34 shots on goal in 11 playoff games. During the regular season Theodore averaged 3:04 with the extra man and notched 15 power-play points. The Avalanche had the eighth-ranked penalty kill, and the other three teams playing Tuesday ranked in the top four.
DEFENSE TO AVOID
Jaccob Slavin, CAR vs. TAM ($18): Slavin has three points in his last two games, but I don't expect that to continue. It's not just because Vasilevskiy had a 2.21 GAA and .925 save percentage this year. Slavin is not really offensively minded. The Lady Byng finalist only had 15 points this season, and he doesn't player on the power play at all.
Devon Toews, COL vs. VGK ($17): Toews isn't on Colorado's top power-play unit, which hinders his offensive upside. What's also concerning is just how stingy the Vegas defense has been. It's allowed a mere 24.9 shots on net per game in the postseason, which is incredibly low and by far the fewest of any playoff team. Only one other team, Toronto, has allowed under 31 shots on net per contest.
