This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
The NHL takes a bit of a breather Wednesday, with just two games on the skate. Of course, two games doesn't leave you a lot of options for your DFS lineups, so I'll try my best to help out with some (hopefully) winning recommendations.
GOALIE
Jeremy Swayman, BOS at PHI ($31): Swayman's limited NHL action has really impressed. In 11 starts he's posted a 1.45 GAA and .946 save percentage. He can't keep that up forever, but so far he's been one of the best goalies when he's taken the ice. None of the four teams in action Wednesday were bad offensively last year, but the Flyers ranked lowest of the four squads.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Jordan Binnington, STL at VGK ($30): After an incredible rookie season, Binnington's numbers have gotten worse season by season. This year he's allowed seven goals over two games. While the Golden Knights are missing some players, they did rank third in goals per game last season. There's enough talent here to weather a couple injuries.
CENTER
Charlie Coyle, BOS at PHI ($10): David Krejci headed back to his native Czech Republic and now Coyle is the second-line center for the Bruins. That means he gets to play with Taylor Hall and Craig Smith, which isn't a bad place to be. While Carter Hart likely won't be as bad as he was last season (and Martin Jones is starting Wednesday), the fact remains the Flyers had a 3.52 GAA last year, highest in the NHL.
CENTER TO AVOID
Sean Couturier, PHI vs. BOS ($21): Couturier has put up impressive numbers for several seasons, but this is not a favorable matchup. I mentioned Swayman's career numbers, but the Bruins also played stingy defense in front of their goalies last season. The Bruins only allowed 27.1 shots on net per game.
WING
Jonathan Marchessault, VGK vs. STL ($20): With Max Pacioretty out, Marchessault will likely be on Vegas' top line for a few weeks. He could also see more power-play time, and he already averaged 2:33 per game with the extra man last year. The Blues had the 25th-ranked penalty kill last season, and with Binnington's slow start to the season that could be the case again.
Taylor Hall, BOS at PHI ($19): After being rescued from Buffalo – I mean traded to Boston – Hall racked up eight goals and six assists in 16 games. He's starting this year with the Bruins, but this season he seems to be getting a larger role on the power play. That bodes well, especially given that the Flyers had the 30th-ranked penalty kill last year.
WINGS TO AVOID
Joel Farabee, PHI vs. BOS ($18): Farabee has four points in two games, but he's also scored on two of his three shots on goal. That likely won't continue. In fact, I'm even skeptical he can replicate his 16.4 shooting percentage from last season. This is especially the case against the Bruins with their formidable defense and Swayman in net.
Vladimir Tarasenko, STL at VGK ($17): Once one of the top goal scorers in the NHL, injuries limited Tarasenko to 34 games over the previous two seasons. Now, he's down on the third line for the Blues and getting less power-play time. The Golden Knights ranked first in GAA and penalty-kill percentage last year while also only allowing 27.3 shots on net per game. Now, Marc-Andre Fleury is gone, but the coaching and defense remains the same.
DEFENSE
Shea Theodore, VGK vs. STL ($22): Theodore is prolific at putting the puck on net. He had two seasons with over 200 shots on goal and then had 161 in 53 games last year. The defenseman is also a weapon on the power play, having notched at least 15 power-play points in each of his last two seasons. Meanwhile, Binnington had a .910 save percentage last year.
Charlie McAvoy, BOS at PHI ($19): McAvoy signed a hefty extension this offseason and proceeded to play 24:18 and put five shots on net in Boston's opener. He's the fulcrum of the Bruins' defense and had 30 points in 51 games last season. Jones will be starting for the Flyers, and his last couple of seasons with the Sharks didn't go well. In fact, he's had an .896 save percentage in each of his last three campaigns.
DEFENSE TO AVOID
Torey Krug, STL at VGK ($18): Krug had no puck luck last year, as he only scored two goals all season. He'll likely score more this year, but perhaps not in this game. Robin Lehner only had a .913 save percentage last season, but he still had a 2.29 GAA. Plus, over the previous two seasons he had a .925 save percentage.
Ivan Provorov, PHI vs. BOS ($17): I've tackled the reasons to be skeptical about the Flyers already. Do I need to mention again that Swayman has a career .946 save percentage? Or the fact the Bruins only gave up 27.1 shots on net per contest last year? Well, I mentioned them again anyway.
