This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
If you are playing daily fantasy Wednesday, you'll be doing more than just playing daily fantasy Wednesday. That's because there is only one game on the docket for the NHL, so Wednesday's matchup between Chicago and Minnesota is not being allowed to stand alone. Instead, if you select a lineup for Wednesday, you will be choosing from players who are part of Wednesday's game, but also from Thursday's 11 games. Thus, here are the players to target and avoid from this two-day grouping of matchups.
GOALIE
Matt Murray, PIT at COL ($34): The Avalanche are dead-last in goals scored and goals allowed per game, so right there the odds of Murray picking up a win seem excellent. Colorado has also been a horrendous 6-18-1 at home, so there's no reason to overthink this. Murray's numbers almost don't matter — the Penguins have scored the most goals in the league on average, and the Avalanche have allowed the most. That's a massive mismatch. That being said, Murray's stats (2.41 GAA, .921 save percentage) are more than fine.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Thomas Greiss, NYI at PHI ($42): Perhaps whoever set this price for Greiss did not notice that the Islanders are 6-10-4 on the road, while the Flyers are 16-8-4 at home. Additionally, the fact Greiss has given up 10 goals over his last two games could have been missed. Those bad nights have dropped Greiss' save percentage to .921, which is admittedly still good. However, should he be the highest-priced goalie on the market? That seems excessive.
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CENTER
Mikael Granlund, MIN vs. CHI ($19): Here's a player worth targeting that's actually in action Wednesday. Granlund is having a great season, averaging 8.5 fantasy points per game. To find a player averaging more, you have to move up to Jeff Carter, who will set you back $26. The Blackhawks have allowed 31.1 shots on net per game, and their penalty kill ranks 28th, so it seems unlikely they will be able to thwart the red-hot Granlund, who looks like he will provide some real bang for your buck.
CENTER TO AVOID
Patrice Bergeron, BOS vs. SAN ($22): Will the Bruins be shaken by the firing of Claude Julien, or will they be galvanized? It would be speculation to hazard a guess, but there are some things we do know: San Jose has given up the second fewest goals per game in the league (2.26), and they've also only allowed 27.2 shots on net per contest. While Bergeron's bad luck has largely dissipated, given the changes the Bruins are undergoing, and the difficult nature of this matchup, it's best to just steer clear of Bergeron here.
WING
Nick Foligno, CLM vs. VAN ($23): After a decent run of play, Ryan Miller has allowed 10 goals over his last two games. Overall, the Canucks have given up 2.85 goals and 31.0 shots on net per contest, and their penalty kill ranks 23rd. Foligno has tallied 18 points on the power play, and he's playing a career-high 2:49 per game with the extra man, so he's the kind of player that can take advantage of Vancouver's penalty-killing issues.
Brock Nelson, NYI at PHI ($17): Nelson has enjoyed a nice stretch of play recently, as he's currently sporting a four-game point streak (including a game where he tallied three points). However, it's not like he was terrible before this hot run, as he's averaged 6.0 fantasy points per game. The Flyers have allowed 2.96 goals per game, and their netminders have a collective .896 save percentage, so it wouldn't be surprising in the slightest to see Nelson's point streak continue. Considering his cheap price, it's worth seeing if that ends up being the case.
WINGS TO AVOID
Jonathan Huberdeau, FLA vs. LOS ($29): Huberdeau looked quite good in his season debut, scoring a goal on six shots against the Ducks. However, that's only one game, so he still has a bit to prove. The Kings have allowed a scant 25.6 shots on net this season, the fewest in the league. This should be a challenging evening for Huberdeau, so it feels like a risk to spend so much money on him until we see if he's up to it.
Mats Zuccarello, NYR vs. NAS ($23):Pekka Rinne has quietly had a nice bounce-back season, as he's posted a 2.31 GAA and a .922 save percentage. His play, along with the play of impressive rookie Juuse Saros, is partially why the Predators rank in the top 10 in goals allowed per game and penalty-kill percentage. Zuccarello broke a goal-scoring drought recently with a couple goals, including one Tuesday, but he's still only averaged 7.0 fantasy points per game, which is a good — but not great — number.
DEFENSEMEN
Alex Pietrangelo, STL at TOR ($18): The Blues have struggled this season, but Pietrangelo has done his best to rise above it. He's largely succeeded, as he's averaged 6.5 fantasy points per game. He owes that to how active he's been on both ends of the ice, as he's taken 110 shots on goal and blocked 108 in 53 games. The Maple Leafs both take (32.3) and allow (also 32.3) a lot of shots, so this is the kind of matchup that is perfect for a two-way defenseman like Pietrangelo.
Dion Phaneuf, OTT vs. DAL ($16): No team been worse on the penalty kill than the Stars. Phaneuf, for his part, has 11 power-play points, and has averaged 2:50 a game with the extra man. Like Pietrangelo, he's contributing in multiple ways, as he's tallied 101 shots and 98 blocks in 51 games. Dallas, in addition to their atrocious penalty kill, has averaged 30.4 shots on net per contest, so Phaneuf should have the chance to get in front of a few pucks.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
P.K. Subban, NAS at NYR ($22): Since returning from injury, Subban has one point, an assist, in eight games. Owing in part to this rough patch post-injury, Subban has only averaged 6.3 fantasy points per game. While the Rangers' goaltending has been surprisingly up-and-down, the team has only allowed 29.2 shots on net per contest, which ranks in the league's top 10.
Zdeno Chara, BOS at SAN ($18): It was mentioned earlier in this column how stingy the Sharks have been when it comes to allowing goals and shots. Beyond that, it's easier to make the case for avoiding Chara than it is for Bergeron. While he did pick up three assists in his last game, he only has 15 points on the season. For the sake of reference, in the 20 games leading up to that three-point breakthrough, he only had four points total. Chara has only averaged 5.2 fantasy points per game, so it's hard to trust him in this matchup.
