This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Wednesday is the national TV showcase day in the NHL. That means there are only a few games, three to be exact, but two of them are the TNT doubleheader. Whether or not games are on TV don't matter for DFS purposes. It's just about looking at the schedule and finding players to target, and to avoid, for your lineups.
GOALIE
Sergei Bobrovsky, FLA vs. PHI ($36): Spencer Knight may get worked in a bit more this season, but Bobrovsky is still the veteran goalie, and the one with the big contract. He was solid enough last season with a 2.67 GAA and .913 save percentage, though the Panthers will hope for improvement. The Russian has had one strong start and one poor one so far, but I think this will be more like the former. Philadelphia struggled offensively last season, and it is on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back here.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Connor Hellebuyck, WPG at COL ($32): Like Bobrovsky, Hellebuyck has had one nice outing and one lackluster performance. The difference, though, is the matchup. The Avalanche are second in goals per game since the start of last season, and even without Nazem Kadri or (currently) Gabriel Landeskog, there's still plenty of offensive firepower with the Aves.
CENTER
Robert Thomas, STL at SEA ($20): The Blues have only played one game so far, but don't forget about them or their rising young first-line center. Thomas signed a nice deal this offseason after having 77 points in 72 games last year. Philipp Grubauer has allowed five goals in both of his starts this year, and backup Martin Jones with his career .907 save percentage is not intimidating either.
CENTER TO AVOID
Kevin Hayes, PHI at FLA ($16): It's not an easy day to pick players to avoid, which is actually a good thing for DFS players. Not a lot that seems likely to go awry. The Flyers are on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back, though, and two of Hayes' four points have come on the power play where he had four points total last season. The Panthers rank 14th on the penalty kill since the start of last season, so it's not an easy matchups on that front.
WING
Nikolaj Ehlers, WPG at COL ($23): Last season, Ehlers scored 28 goals on 245 shots on net in only 62 games. This year, he's been a playmaker, with three assists in two outings (the goals will surely come). The Avalanche won the Cup last year, but Darcy Kuemper is gone. Alexandar Georgiev is currently the number-one netminder, and he has a career .909 save percentage.
Sam Reinhart, FLA vs. PHI ($21): Reinhart only has one point through three games, but he's put 10 shots on net. He had 82 points last season, his first with the Panthers, so there's reason for hope. The Flyers will presumably be starting Felix Sandstrom, who had a .910 save percentage last year in his first five NHL games.
WINGS TO AVOID
Jared McCann, SEA vs. STL ($16): McCann was the best player for the Kraken in their expansion season, but can he replicate that this year? He has two points through four games, but both have come on the power play. Since the start of last season, the Blues have the fourth-ranked penalty kill. Jordan Binnington looked good in his first start. Will it be a rebound season for him without Ville Husso over his shoulder?
Evan Rodrigues, COL vs. WPG ($12): Rodrigues joined the Avalanche the offseason, but has yet to notch a point. He's on the second line, but Kadri is gone, so the new second-line center is Alex Newhook. That's a drop off. Hellebuyck has been up-and-down in his career, but his career save percentage is .916 all in all.
DEFENSE
Torey Krug, STL at SEA ($18): Krug looked more like himself on the power play last season, tallying 19 points with the extra man in 64 games. His one point this year? Yeah, it was on the power play. The Kraken, meanwhile, have the 31st-ranked penalty kill since the start of last year.
Gustav Forsling, FLA vs. PHI ($17): For the first time in his career, Forsling is getting real power-play time. However, none of his three points have come with the extra man, so he isn't even taking advantage of that opportunity yet. With Aaron Ekblad day-to-day, Forsling could have an even-bigger role with the extra man in this one. The Flyers may be better on the penalty kill with John Tortorella behind the bench, but they are 26th on the penalty kill since the beginning of last season, and they are on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back.
DEFENSE TO AVOID
Ivan Provorov, PHI at FLA ($19): Provorov is having the opposite experience of Forsling. With Tony DeAngelo in town now, Provorov's power-play minutes have been cut considerably thus far. That lowers his upside, and being on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back does that as well, of course.
Vince Dunn, SEA vs. STL ($12): Dunn is the offensive contributor on the Seattle defense, but both of his points have come on the power play so far. As I noted, the Blues are fourth on the penalty kill since the start of last season.
