This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Ready for the NHL playoffs? Me too, but first we have the finish the regular season. Thursday is the one busy day left, but Wednesday does feature three games. These are my players to target, and to avoid, for your DFS lineups.
GOALIE
Jacob Markstrom, CGY vs. SAN ($26): This is the Flames' last game of the season. I guess I would be concerned that they pack it in, but Markstrom has a .948 save percentage over his last three starts, even if they were all for naught. The Sharks rank 25th in goals per game and turned to youngsters a little while ago. Maybe Markstrom and company will want to end the year on a high note.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Sam Montembeault, MON at NYI ($21): Finding the goalie to avoid was about picking through the dregs. Montembault's .904 save percentage on the year makes him look better than, say, Kaapo Kahkonen or Jordan Binnington. Plus, the Islanders have only averaged 2.94 goals per game. However, I still wouldn't go with Montembeault, even if it has been announced he is getting this start.
CENTER
Brock Nelson, NYI vs. MON ($21): Playing a lot of center, Nelson added playmaking into the mix this season. His 34 goals is a slight step down from the 37 he had in 72 games last year, but his 39 assists blows his previous high of 28 out of the water. Montembeault's .904 save percentage may be middle of the pack among the goalies in line to start Wednesday, but it's decidedly below average all in all. That's a concern, given that the Habs have allowed 33.7 shots on net per contest.
CENTER TO AVOID
Nick Suzuki, MON at NYI ($17): Suzuki is a cornerstone for Montreal's future, but right now he lacks the talent around him. The concern here is that Wednesday he will have to visit the Islanders who are fighting for a playoff spot. Ilya Sorokin has a 2.35 GAA and .924 save percentage, and he will almost definitely be in net for New York.
WING
Joe Pavelski, DAL at STL ($25): Pavelski now has 1,000 career points, but he is also absolutely on fire heading into the playoffs. He has 20 points across his last 16 outings. The Blues have a 3.65 GAA, and also a bottom-five penalty kill. Pavelski has tallied 27 points on the power play this year, so that bodes well for the veteran.
Andrew Mangiapane, CGY vs. SAN ($17): Mangiapane had an odd season. A guy with a career 17.1 shooting percentage heading into this year posted a 9.4 shooting percentage this year. However, down the stretch he has four goals and six assists over his last 13 games. The Sharks have a 3.84 GAA even though they have a top-eight penalty kill, but only four of Mangiapane's points this season have come with the extra man.
WINGS TO AVOID
Jordan Kyrou, STL vs. DAL ($23): Kyrou built on his breakthrough campaign last year, though he has 72 points compared to 75 last year, so he might take a dip on that front. Also, he went from a plus-10 last year to a minus-37 this year, which is pretty bad. The Stars and Blues are ending the season with a home-and-home, and Jake Oettinger will likely get the start here and then get Thursday off. Oettinger has a 2.41 GAA and .918 save percentage.
Kevin Labanc, SAN at CGY ($11): Labanc has five points in his last seven games, but he has consistently been a player who doesn't shoot all that much. The 27-year-old has 125 shots on net in 70 games. Calgary has only allowed 27.4 shots on goal per contest this season, so Labanc could easily be blanked Wednesday.
DEFENSE
Noah Dobson, NYI vs. MON ($19): Dobson's goal scoring has slowed down, but he has a three-game point streak consisting of four assists. Plus, he's put 203 shots on net in 77 games. The defenseman has also averaged 3:18 per contest on the power play, and the Canadiens have the 31st-ranked penalty kill.
Noah Hanifin, CGY vs. SAN ($17): Two Noahs for you Wednesday! Hanifin has been the hottest Calgary defenseman, notching 10 points over his last 15 games. The Sharks, as I noted, have a 3.84 GAA, which is third highest in the NHL.
DEFENSE TO AVOID
Mike Matheson, MON at NYI ($21): Matheson has had a career year in his first season with the Canadiens, though in part because his average ice time jumped considerably, especially on the power play. However, here he has to face Sorokin and his 2.35 GAA and .924 save percentage. There's also the fact the Islanders have a top-10 penalty kill.
Torey Krug, STL vs. DAL ($18): Krug has been a power-play weapon as per usual. This year he's tallied 14 power-play points in 61 games. However, the Stars have the third-ranked penalty kill, so this is not the matchup for the Michigan State alum.
