This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
After a very busy Tuesday, the NHL schedule will calm down Wednesday. There are only three games, but five of the teams are fresh, having not played Monday or Tuesday. Here are some players to target and avoid from Wednesday's sparse lineup.
GOALIE
Matt Murray, PIT at ANA ($33):Carey Price is the obvious choice with a matchup against the Canucks, but at $41 he's quite, well...Pricey. Murray, who will be making his debut this season, will cost you more than any goalie other than Price, but he gets to go up against the Ducks on the second night of a back-to-back with a great chance of getting a win. That makes him a good, cheaper alternative to shelling out for the Habs' MVP netminder.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Petr Mrazek, DET at PHI ($31): Philly is a high-scoring team (3.5 goals per game), and in Mrazek's last start he let in four goals on 10 shots. This game feels like a tossup, and Mrazek is too streaky to really rely on, especially with how well Jimmy Howard is playing. Mrazek may have a short leash in this one against a run-and-gun Flyers squad.
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CENTER
Dylan Larkin, DET at PHI ($19): While the Flyers have excelled at scoring, they've been just as bad at preventing goals, as both of their netminders have sub-.900 save percentages. Larkin has struggled a bit so far (three goals in 10
After a very busy Tuesday, the NHL schedule will calm down Wednesday. There are only three games, but five of the teams are fresh, having not played Monday or Tuesday. Here are some players to target and avoid from Wednesday's sparse lineup.
GOALIE
Matt Murray, PIT at ANA ($33):Carey Price is the obvious choice with a matchup against the Canucks, but at $41 he's quite, well...Pricey. Murray, who will be making his debut this season, will cost you more than any goalie other than Price, but he gets to go up against the Ducks on the second night of a back-to-back with a great chance of getting a win. That makes him a good, cheaper alternative to shelling out for the Habs' MVP netminder.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Petr Mrazek, DET at PHI ($31): Philly is a high-scoring team (3.5 goals per game), and in Mrazek's last start he let in four goals on 10 shots. This game feels like a tossup, and Mrazek is too streaky to really rely on, especially with how well Jimmy Howard is playing. Mrazek may have a short leash in this one against a run-and-gun Flyers squad.
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CENTER
Dylan Larkin, DET at PHI ($19): While the Flyers have excelled at scoring, they've been just as bad at preventing goals, as both of their netminders have sub-.900 save percentages. Larkin has struggled a bit so far (three goals in 10 games), but he's taken 29 shots on net so at least you can trust him to be active.
CENTER TO AVOID
Alex Galchenyuk, MON vs. VAN ($23): While the Canadiens are likely to win this game – and keep the Canucks from scoring – Vancouver has been good at goal prevention as well (Ryan Miller has a .939 save percentage this year). Galchenyuk is having a good year, but his 21.4 shooting percentage is a bit high, and his price is pretty hefty on Wednesday.
WING
Gustav Nyquist DET at PHI ($18): Nyquist has the same favorable matchup that Larkin has. He's having a better season, though (eight points), and has averaged more than three minutes per game on the power play since his second year in the NHL. Nyquist also had 24 power-play points two seasons ago, so he's a nice value at $18 given his track record of production with the man advantage.
Patric Hornqvist, PIT at ANA ($22): The Penguins haven't had much depth scoring this season, so there aren't really any values to be had when it comes to their team. Hornqvist is about as good as you'll find value-wise given his eight points, including five on the power play, and due to the fact that he's never had less than 230 shots on goal in a full season.
WINGS TO AVOID
Loui Eriksson, VAN at MON ($18): The Canadiens have been the best team at goal prevention this season, and Price is the best goalie in the NHL. Eriksson only has four points, all assists. He's struggled regardless of matchup so far, but this is a particularly bad scenario for him.
Henrik Zetterberg, DET at PHI ($17): This isn't about the matchup, obviously. It's more about the fact the 35-year-old seems to have lost a step. He has four points in 10 games while playing in the fewest minutes per game in at least nine seasons. Zetterberg will light the lamp eventually, but for now you may want to avoid him for fantasy purposes.
DEFENSEMEN
Brandon Manning, PHI vs. DET ($15): It's not surprising that Shayne Gostisbehere ($22) has seven points this season, but Manning? That's a bit of shocker. He doesn't play on the power play, and has only taken 13 shots on goal (while also blocking 13, to be fair). This likely won't continue, but Manning is cheap, so with so few games on the docket it's worth a shot to see if he can keep it up for now.
Justin Schultz, PIT at ANA ($12): If you want a real cheap option, they literally don't get any cheaper than Schultz. He only has two points, but he's taken 20 shots on goal and is playing more than two minutes per game on the power play. The Ducks will either play John Gibson two nights in a row or likely turn to third-string goalie Dustin Tokarski, since regular backup Jonathan Bernier is out with an upper-body injury. That's good for Schultz, who can help you save money to spend elsewhere.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Alexander Edler, VAN at MON ($15): Edler is averaging more than 24 minutes of ice time, but he's only earned one point in that time. He may have the opportunity to block a few shots, but as Vancouver's priciest defenseman, he's the one who gets singled out against Carey Price and the scorching-hot Canadiens.
Ivan Provorov, PHI vs. DET ($16): The rookie has shown some real potential but hasn't scored this season and only has 12 shots in 10 games. Detroit has only allowed 2.4 goals per game, and their aforementioned tandem of Mrazek and Howard is one of the best in the league right now. You're better off looking elsewhere.
