This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
The NHL season runs a little later than usual this year, with the playoffs starting at the beginning of May instead of the beginning of April. That means we still have a decent amount of action even though it's the end of March. That's fun for hockey fans, and NHL DFS aficionados. There are nine games on the slate for Tuesday. These are the players I would target, and avoid, for daily fantasy lineups.
GOALIE
Sergei Bobrovsky, FLA vs. MON ($33): There is a true chasm in goal scoring between these two teams. The Panthers are first in goals per game at 4.02. Montreal is last at 2.53. You've got to like Bobrovsky's chances at getting support, and also not facing too much of a challenge from his opponent. Bob missed a few games recently, but he got back in action over the weekend.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Darcy Kuemper, COL at CGY ($37): These two teams are likely going to win their divisions, and they both have great offenses. Calgary has averaged 3.52 goals and 35.8 shots on net per contest and have added a couple good pieces during the year, such as Tyler Toffoli. I'd be wary about either team's starting goalie, but Kuemper is the one on the road.
CENTER
Brock Nelson, NYI at CLM ($22): He's been helped by a fortuitous 22.8 percent shooting, but Nelson has quietly tallied 31 goals this season. The center is also on a three-game goal streak. I wouldn't be surprised to see it become four. The Blue Jackets have a 3.70 GAA, and they've also allowed a hefty 35.4 shots on net per contest.
CENTER TO AVOID
Sebastian Aho, CAR at TAM ($26): Only one team is playing a back-to-back Tuesday, and that's the Hurricanes. Not only that, they are facing the Lightning on the road. Andrei Vasilevskiy has a 2.36 GAA and .920 save percentage for Tampa. All of that bodes poorly for Aho, who commands a high salary.
WING
Kevin Fiala, MIN vs. PHI ($20): Fiala has started 62.6 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, second on the Wild by all of one-tenth of a percentage point. There are several teams that have zero players in that range. That's helped Fiala put 206 shots on net and tally 59 points in 64 games. The Flyers have waved the white flag on this season; they have a 3.47 GAA and have given up 34.0 shots on net per contest.
Denis Gurianov, DAL at ANA ($15): Gurianov has moved up to the second line for the Stars. He's also tallied five goals and three assists in his last 15 games. Meanwhile, over his last 15 games, John Gibson has been the worst goalie in the NHL. Seriously, over his last 15 starts he has a 4.51 GAA and .861 save percentage. If he doesn't play, third-string goalie Lukas Dostal will be in net.
WINGS TO AVOID
Mitch Marner, TOR at BOS ($32): With nine games Tuesday, you have a lot of options for your lineups. I don't think I want to risk spending this much salary on Marner given the circumstances. He's on the road against a Bruins team that has only allowed 28.9 shots on net per game. Additionally, Jeremy Swayman will be starting, and he has a 2.09 GAA and .925 save percentage.
Artemi Panarin, NYR at PIT ($26): Panarin's center on the second line, Ryan Strome, is day-to-day. If Strome can't play, that could complicate things for the Russian. Meanwhile, Tristan Jarry has a 2.31 GAA and .922 save percentage. The Penguins also have the second-ranked penalty kill, and a whopping 31 of Panarin's points have come on the power play.
DEFENSE
Charlie McAvoy, BOS vs. TOR ($21): McAvoy has tallied eight points in his last 10 games, including four with the extra man. Toronto's goaltending situation is messy right now. Jack Campbell is still out with a rib injury, Petr Mrazek has an .890 save percentage, and even rookie Erik Kallgren has allowed eight goals on 50 shots over his last two outings.
Ben Chiarot, FLA vs. MON ($17): Chiarot will be facing his former team Monday. Since joining the Panthers he's averaged 22:29 in ice time and tallied one assist, 12 shots on goal, and six blocked shots. That's a lot of activity. It's not hard to be active against the Canadiens, who have a 3.71 GAA and have allowed 34.2 shots on net per contest.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Kris Letang, PIT vs. NYR ($25): Well, this game won't be as easy as Pittsburgh's last outing against Detroit. The Rangers seem to be trying to lighten Igor Shesterkin's load a bit down the stretch ahead of the playoffs, but this is a big divisional matchup and I fully expect the Russian netminder to be in goal. Shesterkin has a 2.11 GAA and .936 save percentage. Also, if you think he's "slowed down" at all, over his last 16 starts Shesterkin has a… 2.12 GAA and .936 save percentage.
Tony DeAngelo, CAR at TAM ($22): DeAngelo has looked good since returning from injury, but this will be his first back-to-back since then. On top of that, as I mentioned earlier Vasilevskiy has a 2.36 GAA and .920 save percentage for the Lightning, which is business as usual for him.
