This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
March is here, but we don't need any additional madness added into the mix. There are eight games on the NHL slate Tuesday. We're got a couple teams on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back against teams that didn't play Monday. Here are some players to hone in on, and some players to steer clear of, for your daily fantasy lineup.
GOALIE
Igor Shesterkin, NYR vs. BUF ($35): The Rangers felt they could move on from Henrik Lundqvist in part because of the promising rookie Shesterkin. So far, that has proven sound. The Russian has a 2.43 GAA and .917 after posting a .932 save percentage in limited action last season. Buffalo's offense has been lacking punch, even with the addition of Taylor Hall, as its only managed 2.21 goals per game.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Anton Khudobin, DAL vs. TAM ($28): Khudobin has been stellar backing up Ben Bishop the last two seasons, and he came up big in the playoffs last season. This year he has a .915 save percentage, but he's been scuffling a bit recently. The netminder has a 3.56 GAA and .901 save percentage in his last seven starts. Now he has to face a Lightning team that leads the league in goals per game to the surprise of nobody.
CENTER
Sean Couturier, PHI at PIT ($24): Couturier is going to be hoping that March is as kind to him as February was. He played in six games last month and tallied 10 points. That level of play is not going to continue – he's been unsustainable hot – but this in-state matchup bodes well for Couturier. The Penguins have a 3.25 GAA, which is bottom five in the NHL.
CENTER TO AVOID
Sebastian Aho, CAR at NAS ($24): Aho is a little off last year's pace, though he's still performing quite well, but the Hurricanes went to overtime against the Panthers on Monday night. Now they are in Nashville for another game in as many evenings. If Juuse Saros is in net for the Predators, he's made 57 saves on 59 shots over his last two starts. If it's Pekka Rinne, he has a 2.15 GAA and .928 save percentage over his last eight outings.
WING
Nikolaj Ehlers, WPG vs. VAN ($23): Ehlers is both finishing for himself and helping others add to their goal totals. The Dane has 11 goals and 11 assists on the season, and five of each over his last 10 outings. Both the Jets and Canucks played on Tuesday night, but the Canucks are on the road and also in the bottom five in both GAA and shots allowed per game.
Brendan Gallagher, MON vs. OTT ($19): When the team with the highest GAA in the league is on the road for the second day of a back-to-back, that's a matchup you absolutely should try to target. Gallagher has never been shy about shooting the puck, and he's tallied 67 shots on net in 20 games this year. He has six goals this year, and I would not be the least bit surprised if he adds to that total Tuesday.
WINGS TO AVOID
Jamie Benn, DAL at TAM ($19): Tyler Seguin has been out all season, and Alexander Radulov has been out recently, leaving Benn standing solo. He's doing his best out there with eight points in 12 games, but last year he was held to 39 points. Remember when I said the Lightning have scored more goals per contest than any team? They've also allowed the fewest goals per game. Turns out they are good.
Kyle Palmieri, NJD vs. NYI ($17): Palmieri has been a consistent goal scorer, notching at least 24 goals in each of his last five seasons. This year he's been struggling to score, though, and 7.1 percent shooting is a big reason why. He may improve on that front, but the Islanders have a 2.29 GAA, so scoring in this matchup will be tough.
DEFENSE
Ivan Provorov, PHI at PIT ($18): Last season, Provorov averaged 3:03 per game with the extra man and tallied 16 power-play points. This year, he's played 3:06 a night on the power play time and has picked up four assists on that front. He knows how to get it done with the man advantage, and the Penguins have the 29th-ranked penalty kill.
Shea Weber, MON vs. OTT ($17): Weber has maybe not been up to his usual standards at 35 years old, but two of his four goals this year did come recently in one game against the Senators. He's also put 22 shots on net in his last seven games. I still believe in Weber's talent and in how good this matchup is, especially since his salary has dropped a bit due to his performance so far.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Dougie Hamilton, CAR at NAS ($23): Hamilton has not had much luck scoring goals this year, as he's only found the back of the net once. Maybe he picks up that pace, but Hamilton is on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back. Nashville's two goalies have shown some improvement recently, and the team has also only allowed 29.1 shots on net per contest.
Rasmus Dahlin, BUF at NYR ($16): Dahlin has notched eight points this season. All of them have come on the power play. The Rangers, meanwhile, have a top-10 penalty kill, and Shesterkin has a 2.43 GAA and .917 save percentage like I mentioned. Dahlin will likely need power-play time to make anything happen, and even if he gets that time this is a tricky matchup.
