This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
As we head out of the All-Star break, a few more teams will be playing their first games back Wednesday. Overall, we have six NHL matchups on the docket. Let's take a look at some recommendations...
GOALIE
Ilya Sorokin, NYI at VAN ($37): The Islanders have split the play of Sorokin and Semyon Varlamov pretty evenly, but coming out of the break my guess is they go with Sorokin. Although, I like either goalie here. Sticking to Sorokin for now, he has a 2.31 GAA and .924 save percentage. The Canucks are in the bottom five in goals per game, and they are also on the second night of a back-to-back.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Jacob Markstrom, CGY vs. VGK ($32): Markstrom has had a great season, but he's slipped a bit recently. Over his last 10 games he has a 2.69 GAA and .906 save percentage. The Golden Knights are on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back, but they also rank eighth in goals per game, highest of any team in action Wednesday. Plus, they spent a good chunk of the season missing key offensive players like Max Pacioretty and Mark Stone. They are all healthy now.
CENTER
Mathew Barzal, NYI at VAN ($20): Barzal has 11 points in his last 13 games. He's also averaged 2:50 per game with the extra man, tallying eight power-play points. That's particularly notable here, as the Canucks have the league's worst penalty kill. They are also, as I already noted, playing the second night of a back-to-back.
CENTER TO AVOID
Roope Hintz, DAL vs. NAS ($23): Hintz is an underrated player, and his numbers aren't merely because Joe Pavelski is on his wing. That being said, if he's facing off against Juuse Saros this is as tough a matchup as there is Wednesday. Saros has a 2.35 GAA and .937 save percentage.
WING
Brandon Hagel, CHI at EDM ($18): Hagel has gone from averaging 13:59 in ice time to 17:03. That's helped him tally 12 goals and 12 assists in 40 games, and he has eight points in his last 10 contests. The Oilers are on a back-to-back, and Mikko Koskinen is in COVID-19 protocols. That likely means Stuart Skinner returning from the AHL to start Wednesday.
Jordan Eberle, SEA vs. ARI ($12): Eberle has started 60.5 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, highest on the Kraken. He's also tallied 26 points in 44 games, second most on the team. The Coyotes are in the bottom three in GAA, and they are on the second leg of a back-to-back. Scott Wedgewood is dealing with a chest injury and may not be able to play, which just makes things more concerning for Arizona.
WINGS TO AVOID
Brock Boeser, VAN vs. NYI ($18): Boeser has taken a bit of a step back this season, and now he's on the second night of a back-to-back. On top of that, 10 of his 25 points have come on the power play. The Islanders have a top-10 penalty kill, and they will be rested, unlike the Canucks.
Jesse Puljujarvi, EDM vs. CHI ($16): The new year has not been kind to Puljujarvi. He only has two points, both assists, and they came in the same game. Yes, Marc-Andre Fleury has been up-and-down and hasn't looked like a Vezina winner, but the Oilers are on the second leg of a back-to-back and the Blackhawks aren't.
DEFENSE
Rasmus Andersson, CGY vs. VGK ($19): Andersson has racked up the assists from the blue line, with 20 helpers in 42 games. Sure, he only has one goal, but his 1.3 shooting percentage will likely improve. Oh, and don't forget Vegas is on the second night of a back-to-back.
Vince Dunn, SEA vs. ARI ($12): I mentioned that Eberle has started the highest percentage of his shifts in the offensive zone on the Kraken. Well Dunn is second at 56.7, and he's doing it on defense. He's also averaged 2:14 per game with the extra man, a personal high. The Coyotes have a bottom five penalty kill, and are also on the road for the second night of a back-to-back.
DEFENSE TO AVOID
Alex Pietrangelo, VGK at CGY ($20): Yes, I'd avoid Markstrom (at his salary) given the upside of Vegas' offense, but that doesn't mean I want to load up on Vegas players. Especially not players who aren't at the peak of their performance level. Pietrangelo only has one point in his last seven games, and he has two goals in his last 18 contests. Even though Markstrom has looked iffy at times recently, even with that he has a 2.69 GAA over his last 10 games due to his defense in front of him.
John Klingberg, DAL vs. NAS ($16): Klingberg is having a similar season to Andersson, in that he has 22 assists but only one goal, although his shooting percentage is 1.7 because he's only put 59 pucks on net in 37 games. The difference, though, is the matchups. Klingberg gets the Predators and Saros with his 2.35 GAA and .937 save percentage.
