This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
There's only one NHL game on the docket Wednesday -- a 10:00 PM Eastern time showdown between the Blackhawks and Canucks. Yahoo! will be combining this game with 12 contests from Thursday's slate, giving us 13 games to choose from. Since owners with no interest in Chicago or Vancouver can simply wait until Thursday's slate to play, the recommended players to target and avoid below will heavily feature Wednesday's contest while still providing recommendations for the whole Wednesday-Thursday mega-slate.
GOALIE
Corey Crawford, CHI at VAN ($34): Assuming Crawford starts this first leg of a back-to-back, he's primed for a bounce-back performance after getting roughed up by the Blues in his last start. Prior to that dud, Crawford had held three consecutive opponents to a single goal each, reminding owners that he had a 2.27 GAA and .929 save percentage in 28 appearances prior to getting concussed last season. Backed by a Chicago offense that's averaging 3.42 goals per game and facing a Canucks team that's scoring only 2.69 per game, Crawford should get right back in the win column.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Ben Bishop, DAL at TOR ($33): Bishop has been inconsistent this season despite his strong overall numbers, having posted 3.0 or fewer fantasy points in three of his past seven starts. That low floor could spell trouble against a Toronto team that's scoring 3.50 goals per game.
CENTER
Nico Hischier, NJ at DET ($19): Hischier, Taylor Hall and Kyle Palmieri form one of the league's most formidable lines, with each member of the trio playing at a point-per-game pace or better prior to Tuesday's blowout loss to the Lightning. All three are primed for big games against the lowly Red Wings, but the first overall selection in the 2017 draft is the cheapest member of the group, thus making him the easiest to fit into lineups. A lot more salary cap needs to be cleared out for Palmieri ($24) or Hall ($31) than for Hischier at $19.
CENTER TO AVOID
Jonathan Toews, CHI at VAN ($24): Toews has cooled down after a hot start with just one point in his past six games. He's skating on a separate line from the red-hot Patrick Kane (more in him below) and isn't even on the top power-play unit, so Chicago's captain will have a hard time living up to his $24 valuation.
WINGS
Patrick Kane, CHI at VAN ($31): Kane has dropped from 106 points to 89 to 76 over the last three seasons, but he's on pace to climb back over the century mark in the early going with 18 points through 12 games. Even more impressively, 11 of those 18 points are goals. Considering Kane has put 58 pucks on net already, his 75-goal pace hasn't even been the product of absurd luck -- his 19.0 shooting percentage is only 2.3 percent above Kane's previous best for a season. Carve out the room to get the Buffalo native in your lineup, as he's playing as well as anyone right now.
Kyle Connor, WPG at FLA ($21): Connor took the league by storm with 31 goals and 57 points last season, and the 21-year-old winger's on pace for bigger and better things this time around with six goals and 11 points through 12 games. He's been particularly effective on the power play, already logging five points (three goals), and Connor comes into this one with power-play goals in each of the past two games. Florida's 71.0 percent penalty kill has been among the worst in the league, so Connor has a great opportunity to keep the good times rolling here.
WINGS TO AVOID
Patric Hornqvist, PIT at NYI ($22): Hornqvist had back-to-back two-goal games during his team's swing through Canada, but he's produced just one point over his eight other appearances this season. The veteran power forward is averaging just 15:18 of ice time per game in a bottom-six role, so he'll be fighting an uphill battle against an Islanders team that held him to 0.6 fantasy points Tuesday.
Sam Reinhart, BUF at OTT ($18): While the Sabres might do just fine in Ottawa, it doesn't make sense to use Reinhart over alternative options on his team. Kyle Okposo and Jason Pominville both also cost $18, and they're averaging 4.8 and 7.6 fantasy points, respectively, to Reinhart's 4.3. Reinhart's poor play hasn't gone unnoticed by coach Phil Housley, as he limited the forward's playing time to a season-low 12:58 in Buffalo's last game.
DEFENSEMEN
Ben Hutton, VAN vs. CHI ($10): If you believe the Canucks can pull this one out at home, then Hutton belongs in your lineup. He's been gobbling up ice time since Alexander Edler exited with a lower-body injury against Vegas on Oct. 24, averaging over 26 minutes. With performances of 9.8 and 13.7 fantasy points over that four-game span, Hutton's worth locking in at the minimum price if he can just avoid the negative rating exposure that comes with skating so many minutes on a mediocre team.
Mark Giordano, CGY vs. COL ($20): Giordano's displayed an elite ability to stuff the stat sheet, with 10 points and a plus-6 rating through 13 games. He's also averaging 3.0 shots and 1.5 blocks per game, so Giordano's capable of putting up strong performances even when his impact on the scoresheet is limited. Scoring will be tough against Avalanche netminder Semyon Varlamov, but Varlamov has dropped three of his past four decisions despite his strong stats.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
P.K. Subban, NSH at TB ($23): Subban comes in riding a three-game, four-assist streak, but this is a rough matchup for him. He's tied for the team lead with four power-play points, but success with the extra man will be hard to come by against a league-best, 93.2 percent Lightning penalty kill. Tampa Bay's up to 3.64 goals per game after an eight-goal outburst, so Subban's rating will also be at risk here.
Morgan Rielly, TOR vs. DAL ($24): Reilly's another blueliner who depends on the power play for a large portion of his production and will be facing an elite penalty kill. Seven of Reilly's 15 points have come with the extra man while Dallas' penalty kill is operating at a robust 87.5 percent.
