This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Wednesday is a light night for the NHL, with only three games on the slate. Of course, if your goal for 2023 was to take your DFS action to the next level, you're still all in to tackle this series of contests. For the first Wednesday of the year, here are my players to target, and to avoid, for your DFS lineups.
GOALIE
Scott Wedgewood, DAL at ANA ($30): Yes, the Stars are on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back, but I still like Wedgewood in this matchup. His play in net hasn't been bad, as he has a .910 save percentage. Mostly, though, the Ducks are the worst team in the NHL. They've also only managed 2.24 goals per game, which is 31st in the league.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Vitek Vanecek, NJD at DET ($31): On the road this season, Vanecek has a 2.54 GAA and .907 save percentage. He's also scuffled recently, posting a 2.86 GAA and .885 save percentage over his last nine outings. The Red Wings are middling offensively, but they are at home, and I am worried about Vanecek's recent run of play. He has a career .908 save percentage, after all.
CENTER
Wyatt Johnston, DAL at ANA ($15): The rookie Johnston has five points in his last seven games. He may be on a back-to-back, but hopefully he has life in his young legs. Plus, the Ducks have a 4.11 GAA and have allowed 38.4 shots on goal per contest, so this matchup is still great for him.
CENTER TO AVOID
Dylan Larkin, DET vs. NJD ($23): The Devils' defense is still proving stout. They've only allowed 27.2 shots on net per game this season, and they also have a top-eight penalty kill. Larkin is the one center really doing anything for the Wings, but he's also picked up 10 of his 32 points on the power play.
WING
Tomas Tatar, NJD at DET ($18): Tatar comes into this matchup with his former team playing his best hockey of the season. He's picked up six points in his last five outings. Ville Husso may finally be ready to return from his illness, but he allowed at least four goals in his four starts prior to being under the weather.
Matthew Boldy, MIN vs. TAM ($17): Boldy was moved down to the third line recently as the Wild try to get some of their guys going, but Boldy is still on the top power-play unit. He also has nine points over his last 10 games. The Lightning saved Andrei Vasilevskiy for this one, but they are on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back. With only six teams playing, that's enough for me.
WINGS TO AVOID
Alex Killorn, TAM at MIN ($15): Killorn has four goals in his last five games, but the fact he only has 61 shots on net in 36 games is not terribly encouraging. Neither is the fact the Lightning are on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back. Filip Gustavsson will be in net for the Wild, and he has a 2.34 GAA and .920 save percentage this season.
Lucas Raymond, DET vs. NJD ($15): I mentioned the Devils have a top penalty kill previously, and that certainly comes into play with Raymond. The sophomore Swede has tallied 11 of his 22 points with the extra man. While Vanecek has slipped some recently, on the season the Devils have been the best defensive team of these six.
DEFENSE
Miro Heiskanen, DAL at ANA ($22): Heiskanen is having a stellar season, tallying 30 points and 97 shots on net in 36 games. While 16 of his points have come on the power play, that isn't a concern against the Ducks. Anaheim ranks 30th on the penalty kill.
Jared Spurgeon, MIN vs. TAM ($20): In two of his last three games, Spurgeon has picked up a goal and an assist. In fact, over his last 16 games he has 12 points, even though he doesn't really play on the power play. The Lightning having a top-eight penalty kill won't matter much to him, but catching them on the second leg of a back-to-back will benefit the defenseman.
DEFENSE TO AVOID
Victor Hedman, TAM at MIN ($22): On the road for the second night of a back-to-back, I don't think I want to have to work around Hedman's salary. Plus, the Wild have allowed just 29.6 shots on net per game, and also Gustavsson has a .920 save percentage this year. He may have struggled with Ottawa last season, but it was only 18 games, and he's only 24 years old at this point.
Filip Hronek, DET vs. NJD ($16): Hronek has 26 points, though a 9.0 shooting percentage is quite difficult to maintain for a defenseman. On top of that, 12 of those points have come on the power play. Again, the Devils have a top-eight penalty kill, so somebody that power-play reliant could have trouble.
