This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Montreal and Philadelphia are the only teams on the second leg of back-to-back games Wednesday, and there are plenty of postseason implications through the six games.
The Flyers will look to stay hot and hunt down an Eastern Conference playoff berth in Chicago, while Colorado is chasing down a Western Conference seed and visits Vancouver.
The marquee matchup of the night is at the Honda Center, though. The Rangers visit the Ducks in a duel of Stanley Cup hopefuls, and both clubs were big players at the trade deadline attempting to bolster their club.
Here are your picks, values and pans for Wednesday's Yahoo slate.
GOALIE
Jake Allen, STL at EDM ($34) - It was a rough start last time out, but Allen wasn't going to win every game through the end of the season, and you need to have a short and long memory to be successful in the daily racket. He is one outing removed from a six-game winning streak with a .929 save percentage, after all, and the Oilers are averaging just 1.2 goals per game over their past five outings. This is also a manageable cap hit.
Player to avoid:
Robin Lehner, BUF vs. MON ($39) - First, while Lehner is expected to be ready for the game, he has been dealing with an undisclosed injury. Second, he has won just one of his past eight starts. Sure, his .918 save percentage during the span is solid, but you need the win bonus at this price, and Montreal-Buffalo isn't a lopsided affair tilting in favor of the Sabres. Also, depending who starts for Anaheim, Lehner could be the most expensive netminder in the goalie pool.
CENTER
Robby Fabbri, STL at EDM ($17) - The rookie has shown well all season, especially in the goal column, and now he sports a five-game point streak with a goal, five assists and 13 shots on net. This cap hit is low enough to open up room to spend up elsewhere, and look for St. Louis to bounce back after its six-game winning streak was snapped last time out.
Player to avoid:
Ryan Getzlaf, ANA vs. NYR ($29) - With a minus-5 rating through his past three games and only one 10.0 point showing at Yahoo through his past seven outings, Getzlaf has slowed considerably. The Rangers are finally healthy and have been sitting on a rough loss to the Penguins since Sunday. Getzalf has upside, but are you willing to pay the toll in a game likely to have a playoff atmosphere?
WING
Johnny Gaudreau, CGY vs. WPG ($22) - Whenever Calgary is suiting up at the Scotiabank Saddledome, Gaudreau is worth a long look. He is up to 51 points including 23 goals through 35 home games with a plus-24 rating and 99 shots on net. Winnipeg enters allowing 2.86 goals per road game this season, including 21 over its past six away contests.
Mikkel Boedker, COL at VAN ($12) - This is a low-cost, low-risk option Wednesday. Boedker has a contest-low cap hit despite playing top-six minutes and receiving power-play looks next to Nathan MacKinnon. While the recent results are underwhelming, as Boedker has a single assist through his past four outings, the Canucks have allowed 3.2 goals per game through their past five.
Player to avoid:
Patrick Kane, CHI vs. PHI ($29) - There is obviously potential for the league-leading scorer to blow up this fade. However, Kane is currently reeling along in a season-low scoring drought with just a single goal through his past five games while posting a minus-4 rating. Kane has played all kinds of hockey the past calendar year, and the signs of wearing down have been more apparent over the past 20 games, as he has just 17 points and a minus-7 rating. Philadelphia is rolling along a 7-1-1 run, too, so it is by no means a cushy matchup.
DEFENSE
Kevin Shattenkirk, STL at EDM ($22) - Start Shattenkirk confidently Wednesday. He has seven points including three goals through his past six games with four power-play points, 18 shots and an average of 23:04 minutes per night, including 3:16 of the power-play variety.
Erik Johnson, COL at VAN ($17) - Riding along a nice four-game run, Johnson is a high-floor value Wednesday. He has found the scoresheet in consecutive games and padded the peripherals with 10 shots and 13 blocked shots through those four games with Yahoo returns of 9.0, 9.0, 9.0 and 6.0 points. Vancouver isn't a daunting matchup, and Johnson has averaged 24:04 minutes with second unit power-play time (1:44) over his past four outings.
Player to avoid:
Alex Pietrangelo, STL at EDM ($25) - With three huge showings mixed into his past 12 games, Pietrangelo has upside, but his inconsistency is concerning given his cap hit. He has posted 6.0 Yahoo points or less in six of those past 12 games, after all. The price is really too steep for a dice roll.
