This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
There are five NHL games Wednesday, with not a single team on the second leg of a back-to-back. The first leg? Sure, but that's less pressing on the DFS front. For Wednesday's quintet of matchups, here are some players to target, and to avoid, for your DFS lineups.
GOALIE
Jake Oettinger, DAL at SAN ($39): Oettinger has been an elite netminder this year, posting a 2.21 GAA and .926 save percentage. He's allowed more than two goals just twice in his last 14 games, and one of those times was against the Oilers. The Sharks are swimming at the surface of the bottom 10 in goals and shots on net per contest, so they aren't likely to threaten Oettinger too much.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TAM at VAN ($38): The Canucks keep things interesting to be sure. While they have a 3.93 GAA, they have also averaged 3.40 goals per contest, eighth most in the NHL. Maybe Vasilevskiy gets the goal support for the road win, but he's going to be facing a real challenge as well.
CENTER
Tim Stutzle, OTT vs. PIT ($21): Stutzle has taken on a massive role for the Senators in his third campaign, playing 20:31 a night on average. He has 40 points and 109 shots on net through 39 contests. The Penguins have allowed 33.4 shots on goal per game, and while Tristan Jarry is traveling with the team, he may not be returning from the IR just yet. If that's the case, Casey DeSmith and his 3.10 GAA and .906 save percentage will likely be in net.
CENTER TO AVOID
Mathew Barzal, NYI vs. BOS ($21): Since missing a game, Barzal has been held without a point in four contests. Looking at the bigger picture, though, the Bruins are also tops in GAA and penalty-kill percentage. Barzal has tallied 16 of his 41 points with the extra man, making a formidable penalty kill concerning for him.
WING
Brandon Hagel, TAM at VAN ($19): Hagel has at least one point in seven of his last eight games. He's performed so well on Tampa's top line that he is also now on the first power-play unit as well. It's a great time for Hagel to have gotten that promotion, as the Canucks have the league's worst penalty kill.
Rickard Rakell, PIT at OTT ($19): I predicted that Rakell's run of a point in every-other game would end against the Ducks, and indeed it did as he had three assists to go with four shots on net in that outing. Now, my thought is he might make it a three-game point streak. Things have been moving in a bad direction for the Senators in net, as Cam Talbot has a .906 save percentage and Anton Forsberg has a .902 save percentage.
WINGS TO AVOID
Brad Marchand, BOS at NYI ($32): This could be a low-scoring affair, which makes me wary of Marchand's lofty salary. Ilya Sorokin has a 2.30 GAA and .925 save percentage. The Islanders also have the sixth-ranked penalty kill, and Marchand has tallied a whopping 22 of his 40 points on the power play.
Alexander Barabanov, SAN vs. DAL ($13): Barabanov has put a slow start behind him, and he has eight points in his last 12 games. However, he's mostly been picking up assists, as he still only has six goals on the year. I mentioned that Oettinger has a 2.21 GAA and .926 save percentage, which is a big reason why I recommended him in goal, and a big reason why I am saying you should avoid Barabanov.
DEFENSE
Victor Hedman, TAM at VAN ($23): Hedman has 28 points in 39 games, but that's with a 2.4 shooting percentage that should certainly improve. He's also back on the first power-play unit, and 10 of his points have come with the extra man. As I mentioned earlier, the Canucks have the league's worst penalty kill.
Ryan Suter, DAL at SAN ($13): The Sharks have the third-ranked penalty kill, but a 3.71 GAA anyway. Due to this, I wanted a Stars defenseman who isn't terribly reliant on the power play. Suter has nine points in his last 16 games while averaging a mere 1:14 per game with the extra man. He also has an 1.9 shooting percentage on the season, which should improve.
DEFENSE TO AVOID
Noah Dobson, NYI vs. BOS ($19): Dobson has proven last year wasn't a fluke, but he also has zero goals in his last 14 games. It's unlikely he will break that drought against the Bruins, a team with a 2.12 GAA, far and away tops in the NHL.
Hampus Lindholm, BOS at NYI ($20): While Lindholm has nine power-play points, those are owed to the time before Charlie McAvoy returned to the ice. He has zero points with the extra man over his last 11 games, a time in which he has averaged only 1:13 per contest with the extra man. Plus, Sorokin has a 2.30 GAA and .925 save percentage.
