Yahoo DFS Hockey: Tuesday Playoff Picks

Yahoo DFS Hockey: Tuesday Playoff Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.

The Stanley Cup playoffs continue Tuesday with a four-game slate that begins at 7:00 PM Eastern time. Read on to see which players stand out in this set of Game 4s.

GOALIE

Robin Lehner, NYI at PIT ($32): Coach Barry Trotz finally figured out a strong game plan to counter the Penguins last season with Washington, and the same defense-first approach has been just as successful with the Islanders. A combination of Trotz's system and Lehner's talent helped the netminder post a sparkling 2.13 GAA and .930 save percentage this season, and he's been even better in this series with just five goals allowed en route to a 3-0 lead. Still priced below five other goalies, Lehner is a strong choice at just $32 given his recent success.

GOALIE TO AVOID

Marc-Andre Fleury, VGK vs. SJ ($35): Fleury's the most expensive netminder in this slate, but he's still not in top form since returning from a lower-body injury, having allowed three-plus goals in all five subsequent appearances -- 18 goals in all. A gifted Sharks team desperate to avoid a 3-1 series deficit will make it tough for Fleury to live up to his lofty valuation.

CENTER

Paul Stastny, VGK vs. SJ ($19): Stastny was one of two Golden Knights to post five points in Game 3, along with Mark Stone. While expecting an encore performance from the veteran center is a bit much, Stastny still brings excellent offensive upside in Vegas' second home game of what has been the first round's highest-scoring series.

CENTER TO AVOID

Sidney Crosby, PIT vs. NYI ($31): Crosby's been terrible this series, with no points, a minus-4 rating and a combined total of minus-1.6 fantasy points. Even with Pittsburgh in a must-win situation, it's hard to justify spending $31 on Crosby right now.

WINGS

Mark Stone, VGK vs. SJ ($25): Stone's five-point Game 3 effort included a hat trick, which gave him six goals already in this series. Sharks netminder Martin Jones -- who had just an .896 save percentage this season -- has had no answer for Stone so far, and that's unlikely to change here.

Patrik Laine, WPG at STL ($21): Laine lit the lamp only once in his last 19 regular-season tilts, but he's flipped the switch with a goal in each game this postseason. The Finnish sniper is more than capable of sustaining this robust scoring pace considering he's potted 110 goals in his first three seasons. Meanwhile, rookie Blues goalie Jordan Binnington showed some serious cracks in the armor with six goals allowed on 29 shots in Game 3.

WINGS TO AVOID

Joe Pavelski, SJ at VGK ($20): Pavelski has just two points and a minus-5 rating in this series, with his lone goal coming in painful fashion off his face in Game 1. While the veteran forward will continue to play through any residual pain from that incident, that doesn't mean Pavelski should be in your lineup.

Tyler Johnson, TB at CLS ($17): Johnson has just one assist and three shots in this series, as the diminutive forward has had trouble finding room against the Blue Jackets' suffocating defense. He skated just 13:23 and 14:38 in the two games in which Nikita Kucherov played, so expect Johnson's ice time to come back down after he played 18:00 with Kucherov suspended in Game 3.

DEFENSEMEN

Mikhail Sergachev, TB at CLS ($17): Sergachev has put his potent offensive ability on display with a goal and an assist so far in this series, and his ice time jumped to 22:55 in Game 3 with Victor Hedman sidelined by injury. Hedman's expected to sit out Game 4, setting up Sergachev to play a massive role again with the Lightning's season on the line.

Justin Schultz, PIT vs. NYI ($15): Schultz is a good option to target for owners in search of affordable scorers on the blue line. He has points on three of Pittsburgh's five goals this series with a goal and two assists, yet can still be had for just $15. If Pittsburgh lives to fight another day, expect Schultz to play a meaningful part in the result.

DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID

Jacob Trouba, WPG at STL ($20): Trouba finally woke up in Game 3 with an assist and five shots, but he had just two shots with a minus-2 rating and no points over the series' first two games. It makes more sense to spend $20 on proven playoff performer Dustin Byfuglien, who has a goal and four assists from the Winnipeg blue line in this series. 

Devon Toews, NYI at PIT ($17): Both of Toews' points in this series have been power-play assists, but he's unlikely to keep producing with the extra-man after totaling only four power-play points during the season. Ryan Pulock is the more enticing $17 Islanders blueliner, having averaged 6.5 fantasy points to Toews' 5.7. 
 

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Sasha Yodashkin plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: Youngsash, DraftKings: Yashdogg,Yahoo: Sasha, Fanball: Yashdogg.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sasha Yodashkin
Sasha has been contributing NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB and Tennis content to RotoWire since 2015, with an emphasis on DFS. He is a huge New York sports fan who has been playing fantasy sports since middle school.
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