Happy Valentine’s Day! I, for one, like the fact that nine NHL games are scheduled for Tuesday. Here are the players I recommend for your DFS lineups, as well as some of the players I would avoid as the worst chocolate in the box.
GOALKEEPER
Vitek VanechekNJD to CLM ($37): Vanechek has a .916 shooting percentage, the best of his career. However, his 2.32 GAA is also bolstered by the Devils’ defense of only allowing 28.5 net shots per fight. The Blue Jackets don’t really do anything good, including an average of 2.53 goals per game, 30th in the NHL.
Goalkeeper to Avoid
Jake OettingerDAL vs. BOS ($39): Oettinger was as good as any goaltender in the NHL, but this game will test his 2.22 GAA. The Bruins were averaging 3.67 goals and 33.3 shots per game, so if Oettinger has a good record on Tuesday, he really deserves it. I don’t want to bet on what will happen with this salary.
CENTER
Max DomiCHI on Mon ($16): Domi had the best campaign of his career with the Canadiens, but this season at least promises to be his second-best season yet. The 27-year-old has 14 goals and 21 assists in 51 games and averages 3:17 per competition most of the time. The Canadiens are 30th in penalties, as well as 3.66 GAA.
THE CENTER TO AVOID
Rupe HintzDAL vs. BOS ($28): Hinz’s shooting percentage has improved with every season in his career, but the 19.5 shooting percentage is pretty high and hard to maintain. Also, the Stars have the second-lowest GAA in the NHL at 2.54, while the Bruins have the first… 212. Yes, Boston dominates defensively, especially when Linus Ullmark and his .937 scoring percentage are scoring. The Bruins also have the highest number of penalty kills, with 16 of Hintz’s 49 points coming from an extra man.
WING
Pavel BuchnevichSTL vs. FLA ($19): Talk about returning with pleasure. In his first game since the injury, Buchnevich had three assists. Florida are in the second leg in a row and Spencer Knight is likely to be in goal. Night not only has a .906 save percentage, but it will be his first game in over a month.
Kyle Palmieri, New York vs. HERE ($15): After returning from injury, Palmieri scored seven points in eight games. The addition of Bo Horvath didn’t spoil anything either, as he is still on the wing of Brock Nelson in the second line. Ottawa are gearing up for a second game in a row, but also under terrible goaltending circumstances. Kevin Mandolez, purportedly a fourth-string goaltender, could make his NHL debut.
WINGS TO AVOID
Alex DeBrinkatOTT to NYI ($20): As I just noted, the Senators are in the second leg of the back-to-back match. This is good for Palmieri, but bad for DeBrinkat. It also doesn’t bode well that Ilya Sorokin is likely to be the Islanders’ goal scoring player, who has a 2.41 GAA and a .923 shooting percentage.
Arturi Lehkonen, color vs. HERE ($19): Lehkonen has seen his minutes go up this season – averaging 21:31 per game on the ice – and his 34 points in 48 games show the Avalanche have gotten their goals from the front wing. On the other hand, he has zero points in his last five games. Andrei Vasilevsky has a 0.919 save percentage this season and 0.924 in his last 10 games.
PROTECTION
Dougie HamiltonNJD to CLM ($30): Yes, it’s great that Hamilton scored 14 points in a series of seven matches. However, I’m tempted by his 186 net shots in 52 games. The Blue Jackets have a GPA of 3.83, which is certainly a lot, but they also allow 35.0 shots per game.
Noah Dobson, New York vs. HERE ($17): Dobson got back into rhythm after the break. He has five points in four games. I had to take another bite of the apple of this matchup. After all, the goaltender who was the understudy in the AHL is likely to make his NHL debut for the Senators on Tuesday.
PROTECTION TO AVOID
Thomas ChabotOTT to NYI ($19): I’ve already talked about the Senators back-to-back and Sorokin’s .923 shooting percentage, so let me add one more thing. The Islanders have five of the best penalty kills and Chabot scored 15 of his 29 points with an extra player.
Vince DunnSEA in WPG ($17): A year of Dunn’s career has personally benefited me on the fantasy front several times, but on Tuesday I avoid it. Connor Hellebukik has a 2.41 GAA and a .924 shooting percentage, while the Jets are also second in penalties. Dunn’s career year was bolstered by 10 powerplay points.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
