This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
It's not the most-robust slate for the NHL on Wednesday. That was never going to be the case, as there were three games on the docket until Islanders-Canucks was postponed. Instead, we have two games, but the DFS contests remain.
Here are some players to target, and to avoid, for your daily fantasy lineup...
GOALIE
Jack Campbell, TOR vs. EDM ($42): Both of the expected home goalies Wednesday – Campbell and Tristan Jarry – have been quite good. Well, Campbell has been more than good. He has an 1.89 GAA and .939 save percentage. You might assume the Oilers have a better offense than the Blues because of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, but in fact the Blues have scored 3.45 goals per game to the Oilers' 3.30.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Jordan Binnington, STL at PIT ($24): I'm cool with Campbell and Jarry, and I don't think you would risk Mikko Koskinen, so I am mentioning Binnington here. The Penguins have averaged the fewest goals per game of these four teams, but they still have put up 3.16 goals per contest. Binnington, meanwhile, has struggled after his lengthy absence. Over his last three starts he has a 3.39 GAA and .895 save percentage.
CENTER
John Tavares, TOR vs. EDM ($28): Tavares has been scorching hot. He has at least one point in 10 of his last 11 games. Auston Matthews just tested positive for COVID-19, which means he will almost definitely miss this one. That likely means Tavares on the top line, which means playing alongside Mitch Marner. As for the Oilers, they have a 3.30 GAA.
CENTER TO AVOID
Ryan O'Reilly, STL at PIT ($17): I thought about the two big guns in Edmonton, but it's hard to completely write off Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. O'Reilly, though, is a different story. He's been good recently, with eight points and 33 shots on net in his last 10 games. However, Jarry has an 1.93 GAA and .932 save percentage for the Penguins, and that doesn't bode well for O'Reilly.
WING
Jake Guentzel, PIT vs. STL ($29): Guentzel missed five games, but he picked up where he left off. With two points in his return, Guentzel has a 14-game point streak. That's fantastic, and I can see it moving to 15 on Wednesday. Jordan Binnington has a 2.89 GAA and .910 save percentage.
Michael Bunting, TOR vs. EDM ($14): Bunting had 11 points over eight games prior to his current four-game pointless streak. However, in those four contests he's put 10 shots on net, so he's stayed active. Though Matthews will presumably not be around, he still gets the red-hot Tavares as his center. He also gets to likely face Mikko Koskinen, who has a 3.19 GAA and .900 save percentage.
WINGS TO AVOID
David Perron, STL at PIT ($20): Perron has a point and four shots on goal in each of his two games since returning to action. That's good, but the Penguins have only allowed 29.6 shots on net per contest. When shots get to Jarry he's handled them quite well too, given his .932 save percentage.
Jesse Puljujarvi, EDM at TOR ($17): Here's where I am willing to be skeptical about the Oilers. Like I said, Campbell has an 1.89 GAA and .939 save percentage. He's an early Vezina favorite. Puljujarvi may play on Connor McDavid's line, but he is not Connor McDavid.
DEFENSE
Kris Letang, PIT vs. STL ($23): Bad puck luck has limited Letang to one goal in 27 games. His 1.5 shooting percentage is bound to improve. Besides, he has 21 assists on the year as well, so it's not like he's not contributing. Given that Binnington has a .910 save percentage, maybe this is the day he'll light the lamp again.
Rasmus Sandin, TOR vs. EDM ($12): Sandin has nine points in 26 games, all assists. I like him because he gets some power-play time. The Swede has averaged 1:30 per game with the extra man, making him the only defenseman save for Morgan Rielly who plays much on the power play. It's not a lot, but it's something, and the Oilers have a middling penalty kill.
DEFENSE TO AVOID
Darnell Nurse, EDM at TOR ($20): Unsurprisingly, Nurse couldn't sustain his 10.4 shooting percentage from last season. Even if he was a hot hand this year, I still would be skeptical in this matchup. Just to reiterate, Campbell has an 1.89 GAA and .939 save percentage.
Torey Krug, STL at PIT ($17): Krug has tallied eight of his 17 points with the extra man. We've gotten used to Krug being primarily a power-play weapon. This is not the matchup for that. The Penguins have the league's best penalty kill.
