This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
GOALIE
Pekka Rinne, NSH vs. EDM ($33) – The Oilers' woes have no end in sight, and it's going to get tougher with a three-game road trip starting in Nashville. Rinne has been solid lately, making at least 29 saves in each of his last four games and allowing a total of nine goals. Both teams are struggling, but the Preds have the advantage on home ice with a more balanced and experienced squad. Rinne is 18-6-1 with a .915 save percentage and .237 GAA in his career against the Oilers.
GOALIE TO AVOID
James Reimer, FLA at STL ($30) – Reimer's played well but the defense in front of him hasn't. They allowed 46 shots in their most recent game against Columbus, and have consistently allowed more than 35 shots on net since mid-December. Praying that Reimer will bail them out isn't a sustainable strategy, even against a Blues squad that has won just four of their past 10. If anything, this game is more likely to be a track meet than a low-scoring affair.
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CENTER
Steven Stamkos, TB vs. CAR ($32) – Carolina is 6-3-1 in their past 10 but their defense has slipped, allowing five goals against Washington last Tuesday and seven goals against Boston on Saturday. Goaltending has been a problem for the 'Canes all season, and even though Cam Ward has had a resurgent season, he hasn't been good against Tampa Bay in his career, sporting a mediocre .900 save percentage against them in his career. Stamkos hasn't scored in four straight games, but a potent offense around him means he could break out of his mini-slump at any time.
Sean Monahan, CGY at MIN ($20) – The Flames won their third straight game after Glen Gulutzan's stick-throwing tirade, and Monahan has been one of their key players with two goals and three assists in that span. The Wild have been up and down all season but they're currently down with a 5-5 record in their past 10, and they've allowed the Avalanche to leapfrog them into playoff position. The Flames can be a streaky team, and a win will vault them over both the Wild and the Avs.
CENTERS TO AVOID
Evgeny Kuznetsov, WAS vs. VAN ($22) – Kuznetsov has just one assist in his past six games, and really hasn't made much of an impact even though the Caps have won four straight. The Canucks have been hobbled by injuries and limp into the game with just two wins in their past 10. Their goaltending hasn't been very good, but Anders Nilsson was solid against the Habs and may get his second straight start. Nicklas Backstrom ($21), who is on a three-game point streak with two goals and five assists, is the better pick in this price range.
Ryan Johansen, NSH vs. EDM ($16) – He's been disappointing this season with just 25 points, but the Preds can handle it because they've got lots of players who can pick up the offensive slack. Johansen hasn't scored since Dec. 23 and has just two assists in his past six games, and he also failed to register a single shot in games against Minnesota and Vegas. Edmonton may be struggling, but with so many games on tap Tuesday, there are better options available.
WING
Nikita Kucherov, TB vs. CAR ($35) – He may not be scoring at the same pace he did at the beginning of the season, but he's still scored three goals in his past five games. He has a seven-point lead over Nathan MacKinnon for the scoring title and is tied for first in the league with 27 goals, and he'll be facing a young team that just allowed Patrice Bergeron to score four goals in a 7-1 loss. The Lightning are the heavy favorites in this matchup, and the Hurricanes can only hope to limit the Lightning's scoring chances.
Blake Wheeler, WPG at BUF ($29) – He's playing center with Mark Scheifele out of the lineup, and Wheeler is also riding a six-game point streak. His size and skill will make it difficult for the Sabres to shut him down, and as a center, it allows Wheeler a little more room and opportunity to create scoring chances. The Sabres have lost three straight and can't seem to keep the puck out of their net. They've allowed eight goals in their past two games.
Ondrej Palat, TB vs. CAR ($16) – He had seven shots on goal against Detroit and three assists in his past six games, and if not for a ridiculous save by Carey Price, also would've snapped a goal drought that dates back to Nov. 25. Palat is more of a two-way winger than a scorer, but the Hurricanes look very vulnerable after a 7-1 loss to the Bruins. The Lightning offense is very balanced, so if they can blow the doors off the 'Canes, Palat may be able to pick up a point or two.
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WINGS TO AVOID
Patrik Laine, WPG at BUF ($26) – Laine didn't play in the last half of the third period against San Jose, and hasn't scored since Dec. 21. He's played less than 15 minutes in three of his past four games, which isn't a huge concern for the Jets because they've been winning even without his production. The Sabres are an easy target, but if Laine isn't getting ice time, his scoring opportunities will remain limited. He'll likely start on the top line with Blake Wheeler, but there's no guarantees he can bust out of his slump. He's been a lot more streaky this year than last year.
Brock Boeser, VAN at WAS ($23) – The Canucks have really struggled recently and teams are paying much more attention to Boeser, who has just one goal in his past four games. He continues to be an effective offensive player, but the Canucks don't have any elite playmakers and counting on Boeser to carry the load is a pretty big ask for a rookie. The Caps defense will be hard to penetrate and Braden Holtby isn't easy to beat, so it's hard to justify Boeser's price tag.
Mike Hoffman, OTT vs. CHI ($18) – Other than a four-point effort against San Jose, Hoffman's been pretty quiet this season with just 10 goals. In fact, his goal against San Jose on Friday was his first since Dec. 1. Chicago is just 9-9-4 on the road, but they've been playing better recently and still have one of the better goal differentials in the Western Conference at plus-11. Hoffman is having one of the worst seasons of his career and has been unreliable for most of the season.
DEFENSE
Erik Karlsson, OTT vs. CHI ($28) – He continues to be a devastating offensive player when things are going well, as evidence by his five assists in his past two games, both of which were wins. The Sens have been good at home and the Hawks are .500 on the road, and are still without the services of No. 1 netminder Corey Crawford. Karlsson has nine assists in 11 games against the Hawks in his career.
Mikhail Sergachev, TB vs. CAR ($19) – The Lightning wunderkind continues to make a huge impact, playing over 21 minutes against Montreal and notching an assist in three of his past five games. He was a minus-4 against Ottawa on Saturday but bounced back nicely with a plus-1 rating in a win against Detroit, and the Lightning will have home-ice advantage after a five-game road trip. Cam Ward is expected to start, and he has a .900 career save percentage against the Lightning.
DEFENSE TO AVOID
Travis Dermott, TOR vs. CLS ($18) – He had an impressive debut with an assist against Vancouver on Saturday and his skating ability was on full display, but he's still a rookie and will continue to be sheltered with limited playing time. At this price you're better off going with Leafs No. 1 defenseman Morgan Rielly ($17) or even Jake Gardiner ($13), who will both take up the majority of the minutes. As impressive as Dermott has been, he hasn't shown enough to be worth taking at this price.
Aaron Ekblad, FLA at STL ($16) – He's averaging 24 minutes per game but not producing a whole lot of offense with six goals and 12 points this season. In fact, Ekblad hasn't registered a point since he scored a goal in three straight games in early December. Even though he puts a lot of pucks on net, Ekblad failed to register a shot in two of his past four games, and the Panthers have lost three straight. It's better to stay away from Ekblad for the time being, who's finally healthy but also failing to reach the lofty heights set in his rookie season.
