This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Well, the Canucks are back in action officially, and they will be playing Tuesday. On the other hand, the Avalanche have had their game against the Blues postponed. As we head into the playoffs soon, I hope we can get all the teams healthy and ready to go. For the purposes of Tuesday, though, we have eight games on the schedule. The first one begins at the unusual time of 6:30 p.m. EDT, and I have a couple recommendations for that game, in addition to some other recommendations for the main contests.
GOALIE
Cal Petersen, LOS vs. ANA ($29): Petersen's GAA has risen a bit recently, but his play has been roughly the same. Yes, he has a 2.92 GAA over his last 10 games, but with a .916 save percentage. He's been facing a lot of shots when he's in the crease, but don't expect that against the Ducks. Anaheim has managed a mere 26.9 shots on net per contest, so Petersen could get a much-needed bit of relief.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Semyon Varlamov, NYI vs. NYR ($31): The Islanders have allowed Ilya Sorokin to get more starts recently, so I can't even be certain Varlamov will be in net. Even if he is, though, this is a tough matchup. The Rangers have been soaring offensively, and they are averaging 3.33 goals per game, which is top five in the NHL. Getting Artemi Panarin back and having Mika Zibanejad round into form has really turned the Rangers into a team to fear when selecting your DFS goalie.
CENTER
David Krejci, BOS at BUF ($17): Krejci is primed to be the top beneficiary of the Taylor Hall trade, presuming that Hall rounds into form after getting out of Buffalo. So far, so good, as Krejci has a four-game point streak. Due to goaltending injuries, the Sabres might be having to start Dustin Tokarski again, and he has a 3.15 GAA. I don't tend to trust 31-year-old goalies who have never seen more than 17 appearances in an NHL season.
CENTER TO AVOID
Brayden Point, TAM vs. CAR ($25): Point now has neither Nikita Kucherov nor Steven Stamkos available on his wing, which can't help but hurt his offensive upside. This is the second game of a back-to-back for the Lightning and Hurricanes, but Carolina has the goaltending depth to make that work. They can follow up having Petr Mrazek in net Monday with Alex Nedeljkovic, who has a 1.92 GAA and .930 save percentage.
WING
Bryan Rust, PIT vs. NJD ($26): Being on Sidney Crosby's wing is great, but being on Pittsburgh top power-play unit also has its perks. Rust has averaged 2:57 per game with the extra man, and he's tallied 11 power-play points after having 17 last season. Now Rust and company are getting a visit from the NHL's worst penalty kill, which certainly bodes well for the Pens.
Jesper Fast, CAR at TAM ($10): Will the Lightning try and run Andrei Vasilevskiy out there on back-to-back nights? It's definitely possible, because Tampa and Carolina are fighting for playoff seeding in their division. If they don't, though, that likely means Curtis McElhinney in net, and McElhinney has a 3.48 GAA and .862 save percentage. No team has a bigger dropoff from its starter to its backup. If McElhinney is in goal, there is huge opportunity here, and Fast also has a better situation than usual as he's been moved onto Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov's line while Teuvo Teravainen is out.
WINGS TO AVOID
Brock Boeser, VAN vs. TOR ($): The Canucks are back, and so is Boeser. He didn't look terribly rusty in his return, racking up an assist and three shots on goal. However, Jack Campbell has a 2.24 GAA and .919 save percentage, and the Leafs have also only allowed 28.2 shots on net per contest. I'm glad to see the Canucks back in action, but I'd prefer not to have Boeser in my DFS lineup.
Pavel Buchnevich, NYR at NYI ($24): This is a classic case of being concerned about a goalie because of the overall matchup, but not necessarily wanting to buy in on any specific player on the opposite side of that matchup. Buchnevich has 19 goals in 44 games, though on 18.4 percent shooting that is a career high. Also, his last four goals have come against the Devils, who are a decidedly easier matchup. The Islanders have a 2.31 GAA, second lowest in the NHL, so Buch could be kept in check.
DEFENSE
Jake Muzzin, TOR at VAN ($): With the Canucks having been out for so long, you may have forgotten that they have allowed the most shots on net per contest (33.9). Muzzin has put 80 shots on goal in 43 games, but only 2.5 percent of them have led to goals, which is unusually bad for him. A little puck luck and an increased opportunity to shoot could lead to Muzzin providing some value for your DFS lineup.
Markus Nutivaara, FLA vs. CLM ($11): When Aaron Ekblad suffered his brutal injury, I thought Nutivaara could be in for an increased opportunity. He's starting to make me look good on that front, as he has four points and 12 shots on goal in his last four contests. The Panthers are hosting the Blue Jackets for the second day in a row, and Columbus has the sixth-worst GAA because both Joonas Korpisalo and Elvis Merzlikins have struggled this season.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Seth Jones, CLM at FLA ($18): I wouldn't have minded having Jones in my lineup Monday against Sergei Bobrovsky, but Tuesday is a different story. First, he's on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back. Second, now Chris Driedger will be in net. Driedger has posted a 2.06 GAA and .927 save percentage, which is a big reason why the Panthers decided not to trade him at the deadline and keep him for the playoff run. Jones will probably wish they had dealt him.
Rasmus Dahlin, BUF vs. BOS ($16): It's been a brutal season for the Sabres, but at least Dahlin is starting to play better. He has eight points over his last nine games. That being said, on the season he has tallied 10 of his 20 points on the power play, and the Bruins have the league's best penalty kill.
