This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Wednesday's NHL slate is extremely light, with just two games scheduled beginning at 8:00 PM Eastern time. Read on to see which players to target and which ones to avoid from the Penguins-Capitals and Canadiens-Avalanche matchups.
GOALIE
Philipp Grubauer, COL vs. MON ($30): This slate features three of the league's top seven offenses and Montreal's 13th-ranked unit. The Canadiens also allow more goals than any other team in this slate. With both the easiest matchup and the easiest path to goal support in this slate, Grubauer stands out from the other three options in net.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Braden Holtby, WAS vs. PIT ($33): With all the offensive firepower in this slate, it makes more sense to spend big on skaters than goalies. Holtby's easily the most expensive of the projected starting goalies, and he's far from immune to duds himself, having allowed three of his past five opponents to score four goals or more.
CENTER
Evgeny Kuznetsov, WAS vs. PIT ($27): Kuznetsov's in the midst of an eight-game point streak, having scored at least 7.5 fantasy points in each game over that stretch. Look for him to extend that streak against a Penguins club that's giving up 3.21 goals per game.
CENTER TO AVOID
Evgeni Malkin, PIT at WAS ($30): Malkin's starting to snap out of his offensive funk with three points in the past three games after totaling three over the previous eight, but his defensive struggles have persisted. His minus-3 rating over those last three games has Malkin at minus-13 over the past 11 contests. It's tough to spend $30 on a guy who's such a major liability in the rating category.
WINGS
Bryan Rust, PIT at WAS ($18): Rust has been on fire of late, with five goals, six points and 20 shots over the past four games. Currently skating on the top line with Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel, Rust's fantasy value is as high as it's been all season.
Andrew Shaw, MON at COL ($17): Shaw's another guy benefitting from favorable lineup placement, as he skates on the top line with Montreal's two most skilled forwards in Jonathan Drouin and Max Domi. He had a seven-game point streak snapped in the Canadiens' last game but is primed to start a new one here while coming in at least $4 cheaper than each of his linemates.
WINGS TO AVOID
Brendan Gallagher, MON at COL ($20): Gallagher has just one point and a minus-3 rating in his past five games, and he's not much use when he's not lighting the lamp with just six helpers and an even rating this season. You'd like to see more from a $20 player, especially when his teammate Shaw can be had for $3 cheaper.
Brett Connolly, WAS vs. PIT ($16): Connolly skates on the third line and doesn't get power-play time. That usage pattern doesn't lend itself to finding many high-quality scoring opportunities, so there are plenty of players in this price range with higher ceilings offensively.
DEFENSEMEN
Tyson Barrie, COL vs. MON ($21): Barrie has scored 10 of his 24 points with the extra man and has power-play points in each of the past two games. He gets a nice opportunity to stretch that streak against Montreal's 24th-ranked, 76.4 percent penalty kill. Owners who don't have the funds for one of the three $25-plus defensemen in this slate should happily settle for Barrie at $21.
Michal Kempny, WAS vs. PIT ($17): Kempny benefits tremendously from being deployed mostly in the offensive zone while sharing the ice with defense partner John Carlson and Washington's top forward lines. As a result, Kempny's plus-20 rating is just one short of the league high. Kempny's also flashed some offensive ability of his own with eight points in the past 13 games.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
John Carlson, WAS vs. PIT ($26): Carlson's tied for the Washington lead in power-play points, with 16 of his 35 points coming on the man advantage. He's unlikely to add to that total against Pittsburgh's 82.1 percent penalty kill, which is easily the best in this slate with no other team above 77.2 percent.
Jeff Petry, MON at COL ($20): Petry came into this season averaging .32 points per game in his first 527 appearances, so he's likely to decline from his .74 average through 34 games this season. The career 5.4 shooter is also converting at a career-best 9.3 percent rate, which should drop as the year moves along. If you can find the extra $5 needed to grab Shea Weber, it's highly recommended that you do so.
