Yahoo DFS Hockey: Wednesday Picks

Tuesday was momentous because it was the first day of NHL action following the Christmas break. Now, it's Wednesday, and we're back into the normal swing of things. There are five games on the slate, and here are some players we think you should target, and some you should steer clear of.

GOALIE

Peter Budaj, LOS at VAN ($30): The Canucks are 29th in the league in shots on goal per game, while the Kings are the best when it comes to preventing shots. The Kings' prowess is largely why Budaj has a 2.04 GAA, although his .919 save percentage is perfectly acceptable. Los Angeles should keep Vancouver's scoring down, and that helps make Budaj look like a nice value at a relatively cheap price.

GOALIE TO AVOID

Andrei Vasilevskiy, TAM vs. MON ($35): While much of the attention goes to Montreal's goal prevention thanks to Carey Price, the Canadiens are fifth in goals per game as well. Vasilevskiy, meanwhile, has a 3.62 GAA and a .878 save percentage in December. The Lightning are also quite banged up, so Vasilevskiy just doesn't make sense here.

[Join a Yahoo Daily Fantasy Hockey contest now]

Brayden Schenn, PHI at STL ($16): With Jake Allen banged up, Carter Hutton (2.91 GAA, .893 save percentage) is in net for the Blues. That's likely to benefit Schenn, who has 21 points in 33 games. Admittedly, 13 of those have come on the power play, and the Blues have a formidable penalty kill. However, Hutton being in net changes things a bit, and Schenn's price makes him worthwhile regardless.

CENTER TO AVOID

Jonathan Marchessault, FLA vs. TOR ($17): Earlier in the year, this would have looked like a good matchup. However, in December, Frederik Andersen has a 1.63 GAA and a .947 save percentage for the Leafs. Marchessault is having a career year, even with some injury issues, but he's only played in 28 games, which is still a relatively small sample size.

WING

Max Pacioretty, MTL at TAM ($24): Vasilevskiy's recent struggles have already been mentioned and the Lightning give up 30.2 shots per game, which is a middling total. Pacioretty has scored at least 30 goals in his past three seasons, and with 14 this year he's on pace to do that again. His price is a little high, but Pacioretty is worth it. He's a reliable player that's averaged 7.8 fantasy points per game.

Tanner Pearson, LOS at VAN ($15): Pearson hasn't scored in a while but has three assists in his last six games and is averaging 2:19 a night on the power play. The Canucks are ceding 3.09 goals per game, and rank 21st on the penalty kill as well. Pearson is a cheap option that could pay off given the matchup.

WINGS TO AVOID

James van Riemsdyk, TOR at FLA ($22): The Panthers are 14th in goals allowed per game, but are better with Roberto Luongo in net (2.44 GAA). Florida has been quite stout on the penalty kill as well, ranking fifth on that front. Five of van Riemsdyk's 24 points have come with the extra man, and he only has one goal in his last seven games -- and that was against Colorado. He's having a decent enough season, but the price seems a little steep for this matchup.

Jonathan Drouin, TAM vs. MON ($18): Drouin is day-to-day with an undisclosed issue, which is already a point against him. However, even if he was healthy, you should be wary about a matchup with the Canadiens, as Carey Price has been up to his usual tricks with a 1.91 GAA and .934 save percentage. Montreal is a very tough opponent for any forward with Price in net, and Drouin is not matchup-proof, especially in his current undisclosed state.

DEFENSEMEN

Aaron Ekblad, FLA vs. TOR ($15): Yes, Andersen's goaltending has been impressive recently, but on the season the Maple Leafs are giving up 32.4 shots on goal per game. Ekblad, if nothing else, knows how to put the puck on net. He's tallied 116 shots in 35 games, yielding seven goals, so he should be able to at least notch a few shots against the Leafs. That could be enough to make good on this rather reasonable price.

Ivan Provorov, PHI at STL ($14): Would you believe that Provorov leads all Flyers in minutes per game? Yes, the 19-year-old rookie has averaged 21:03 a night, tallying 15 points along the way. On top of that, he's put 60 shots on goal, and blocked 71, so he makes for an attractive value play that should allow you to spend up elsewhere.

DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID

Kevin Shattenkirk, STL vs. PHI ($20):Steve Mason's overall numbers aren't good, but he has a 2.27 GAA in December. Additionally, the Flyers have actually been pretty stingy when it comes to shots, only allowing 28.9 per game. Even if you wanted a Blues blueliner, why go for Shattenkirk at his price when he is averaging less fantasy points per game (5.9) than the cheaper Alex Pietrangelo (6.4) and Colton Parayko (6.1)?

Shea Weber, MON at TAM ($26): Yes, Weber has had a good season, and Vasilevskiy's recent issues have been chronicled already. However, Weber only has one point, an assist, in his last 12 games. Eventually, Weber will break out of his cold spell, but he's the most expensive healthy defenseman Wednesday, which makes him hard to trust given his recent slump.