This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
This Wednesday is for the night owls (and the fans on the West Coast). There are three NHL games, but the earliest one starts at 9 p.m. EST. That gives you a little extra time for your daily fantasy lineups.
Here are some players to consider selecting, and also some players to consider passing on...
GOALIE
Philipp Grubauer, SEA vs. CHI ($24): What to make of Grubauer's .880 save percentage. Whether with Washington or Colorado, the German has never had a save percentage lower than .915. Also, it's not like he's been super busy, as the Kraken have somehow only allowed 26.1 shots on net per game. Grubauer has to start playing better…right? Well, Wednesday he faces a Blackhawks team that has only managed 2.13 goals per game. If he was ever going to look like his old self, it would probably be a night like this one.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Thatcher Demko, VAN vs. COL ($28): Demko was looking good…and then he allowed 13 goals over two starts. This early in the season that will really blow up your numbers, and indeed he now has an .898 save percentage. The Avalanche have scored 3.50 goals per game, and even without Nathan MacKinnon they are still laden with offensive talent.
CENTER
Nazem Kadri, COL at VAN ($18): I mentioned MacKinnon being out, and the place where that has benfited Kadri the most seems to be the power play. He's averaged 3:48 in power-play time over his last five games, and he's notched three points with the extra man in that time. The Canucks have the league's worst penalty kill, and that's not all on Demko's two terrible starts recently.
CENTER TO AVOID
Evgeny Kuznetsov, WAS at LOS ($25): We've got one team on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back Wednesday, and that's the Capitals. Sure, they are doing the Ducks and Kings duet, but it's still a road game after playing the night prior. The Kings have been alternating starts pretty evenly, and it seems like Jonathan Quick could be on tap for this one. He's started the year with a 1.98 GAA and .935 save percentage.
WING
Alex Iafallo, LOS vs. WAS ($19): Iafallo has 13 points in 15 games, but I'm particularly grabbed by his 48 shots on goal in that time. The Capitals have a strong GAA because they've suppressed shots on net, but Iafallo may be able to overcome that to some degree. Plus, Washington being on the road for the second game of a back-to-back should help. The Caps actually haven't gotten all that good of goaltending, and Ilya Samsonov has an .894 save percentage.
Brock Boeser, VAN vs. COL ($17): Boeser has tallied four goals on 35 shots on net and notched four assists in 13 games. Additionally, he's started a whopping 70.9 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, highest on the Canucks. After being stingy defensively last year, the Avalanche have been gettable this season. They actually have a 3.25 GAA.
WINGS TO AVOID
Tom Wilson, Was at LOS ($18): Wilson is getting first-unit power-play time for the first time with the Caps, though he only has one power-play point thus far. He's not a playmaker, and he's not Alex Ovechkin, so he's kind of just there, you know? Wilson is also facing a Kings team with a 2.47 GAA as well.
Dominik Kubalik, CHI at SEA ($11): Kubalik opened the season with back-to-back games with goals, but he only has three goals on the year. He may have scored 30 goals as a rookie, but that was with a 19.1 shooting percentage that was unlikely to continue. The goaltending in Seattle has been bad, but like I said the Kraken have only given up 26.1 shots on goal per game. Kubalik has 36 shots on net in 15 games, which is good, but not so prolific he's matchup proof in this scenario.
DEFENSE
Seth Jones, CHI at SEA ($19): Shot prevention aside, the Kraken do rank 31st in team GAA. Jones is also one of the most-prolific defensemen when it comes to putting pucks on net, with 50 shots on goal in 15 games. The former Blue Jacket is also on a six-game point streak. I could easily see that becoming seven.
Devon Toews, COL at VAN ($18): It took Toews a while to make his Colorado debut, but he's coming out firing on all cylinders. He's already paired with Cale Makar on the top unit and has averaged 2:53 per game on the power play. In three games he has three points, and now he faces a Canucks team with a 3.38 GAA.
DEFENSE TO AVOID
John Carlson, WAS at LOS ($21): There are only six teams playing, and only one of them is on a back-to-back, much less on the road and on a back-to-back. As such, it's easy to focus in on the key pieces of the Capitals' lineup. Carlson has put a slow start behind him, but let's not forget that the Kings have a 2.47 GAA, or the fact Quick has a .935 save percentage.
Alexander Edler, LOS vs. WAS ($14): With Drew Doughty out, Edler has a bigger role, and you might remember when he was a 30-point guy for the Canucks and think he has some upside. I don't see it in his play. The Swede has only four points, all assists, and he isn't playing on the power play even with Doughty out of the lineup. Washington may be on the second night of a back-to-back, but it is still a team in the top five in GAA and shots allowed per game. I may think Iafallo can do something here, but I don't see it from Edler.
