This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
There are five NHL games Wednesday. No teams are on a back-to-back. Here are some guys to target, and avoid, for your DFS lineups.
GOALIE
Jonathan Quick, LOS at ARI ($25): If the Kings keep swapping starts it's Quick's turn in net. This is a nice time to be getting the nod. The Coyotes are technically 31st in goals per game, but at 2.26 compared to Montreal's 2.25. Not exactly a big gap. Plus, the Coyotes are last in shots on net per contest by a good margin at 25.9.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TAM vs. EDM ($34): Most of the teams playing Wednesday are in the bottom half of the league in goals per game. Vasilevskiy isn't that lucky. The Oilers have scored 3.30 goals per game and have put 33.8 shots on net per contest. Now, I'm not knocking Vasilevskiy, but he hasn't been quite up to his usual standards recently. Over his last seven starts he has a 2.83 GAA and .910 save percentage.
CENTER
Tage Thompson, BUF at MON ($21): The Sabres have a legitimately good first line, and Thompson is at the center of that. He's notched his first 20-goal season and has 15 points in his last 12 games. Meanwhile, the Canadiens are last in the NHL in GAA at 3.86.
CENTER TO AVOID
Mark Scheifele, WPG at DAL ($22): Scheifele has balanced out after a torrid five-game stretch, as he has zero points in his last three games. He's on the road facing a Stars team that has gotten some strong goaltending from Jake Oettinger recently. Over his last nine starts he has an 1.78 GAA and .942 save percentage.
WING
Cole Caufield, MON vs. BUF ($17): Caufield really struggled to start the season, but finally he's found his offensively footing. Over his last six games he has five goals and three assists. He's also been dropped on the top power-play unit and has averaged 2:38 per game with the extra man. The Sabres have allowed 34.7 shots on net per contest and have a 3.55 GAA, so Caufield should be able to stay hot.
Arthur Kaliyev, LOS at ARI ($13): Kaliyev has started 60.1 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, most of any Kings player who has played in more than 13 games. He's also a power-play specialist in some ways, as the rookie from Uzbekistan is a fourth liner who has averaged 2:05 per game with the extra man. In addition to their 3.64 GAA, the Coyotes rank 31st on the penalty kill.
WINGS TO AVOID
Tyler Bertuzzi, DET vs. COL ($21): Dylan Larkin got banged up in practice Tuesday, so it's possible he won't be able to play Wednesday. That would mean Bertuzzi would be missing his center. On top of that Darcy Kuemper has a 2.47 GAA and .919 save percentage.
Blake Wheeler, WPG at DAL ($20): Wheeler has 28 assists in 36 games, but only five games. While his 5.6 shooting percentage is likely to improve, I don't know if that will be the case against the Stars. Oettinger has a 2.34 GAA and .921 save percentage.
DEFENSE
Drew Doughty, LOS at ARI ($21): Doughty has a five-game point streak, capped off with two goals and an assist in his last outing. He's also put 41 shots on net in his last 12 games. The Coyotes have allowed 34.3 shots on goal per contest, and they also have a 3.64 GAA.
Mikhail Sergachev, TAM vs. EDM ($18): Sergachev has tallied 24 points in 45 games. That includes 10 points in his last 15 contests. The Oilers have a 3.22 GAA, which is bottom 10 in the NHL.
DEFENSE TO AVOID
Darnell Nurse, EDM at TAM ($18): Vasilevskiy is facing a tougher matchup than most goalies Wednesday, but he's still one of the best goalies in the NHL. The Russian has a 2.27 GAA and .922 save percentage. That doesn't bode well for Nurse, who also doesn't have a power-play point in 28 games.
Filip Hronek, DET vs. COL ($10): Hronek has 24 points in 47 games, providing solid secondary scoring from the blue line to Moritz Seider. Seider has been playing well recently, but Hronek just came out of COVID-19 protocols. Over his last 12 games, Kuemper has an 1.73 GAA and .944 save percentage for the Avalanche.
