This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Wednesday provides us four games with the first matchup firing up at 7:00 p.m. ET between the Avalanche and Maple Leafs. Every game in this slate is an inter-conference clash with two of the teams (Ottawa and Washington) heading to the West Coast. Read on for tips and tricks to set your DFS lineup.
GOALIE
Ilya Samsonov, WAS at LA ($28): Samsonov continues to look like the Capitals' future with a 6-2-1 record and .914 save percentage so far. The 22-year-old should get the nod on the second half of back-to-back games, and there's no reason to shy away from him against the Kings, who rank 26th with 2.57 goals per contest.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Matt Murray, PIT vs. STL ($30): The Blues rank eighth over the last two weeks with 3.0 GF/60 at even strength. Meanwhile, Murray has accounted for five straight losses and posted an .852 save percentage in that span. His performance overall this year has been uninspiring, as his -9.52 Goals Saved Against Average is the third-worst in the league, per Natural Stat Trick.
CENTER
Brayden Schenn, STL at PIT ($20): Schenn's piled up 14 goals and 25 points through 29 games, as he's just three scores shy of his 2018-19 total. The 28-year-old has found a home in The Lou, and he leads the team with six tallies on the power play. Schenn will look to leverage that against Pittsburgh's 7.67 GA/60 on the penalty kill in November (20th).
CENTER TO AVOID
Anze Kopitar, LA vs. WAS ($20): Kopitar's posted just one point over the past four contests, and he's only fired two shots on net during that span. He's starting 47.1 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, too, so his chances will be few and far between to shake the slump against a strong Caps' blue line.
WINGS
Mikko Rantanen, COL at TOR ($27): Rantanen didn't appear hampered at all in his return from injury with a season-best four points Saturday against the Blackhawks. His surge should continue against Maple Leafs' goaltender Michael Hutchinson, who has a putrid 4.55 GAA this season.
Nathan Walker, STL at PIT ($10): Following his NHL promotion, Walker made a quick jump to the top line where he's starting 65.0 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone. The 25-year-old has a two-game point streak and it'd be three if not for an offsides call in his Blues' debut. He's a cheap option and a superb stack with Schenn.
WINGS TO AVOID
Andre Burakovsky, COL at TOR ($20): There's a good chance Burakovsky's demoted to the bottom six now that Rantanen is back. His price has risen considerably since his promotion, and it won't match the risk-reward scenario if he, in fact, loses most of his ice time.
Andreas Johnsson, TOR vs. COL ($18): Johnsson's posted four points over the last nine contests, and his minus-4 rating during that stretch has landed him with five games below 2.0 fantasy points. His chances of discovering a boom in this outing take a hit since Colorado has allowed 2.86 goals per road game, ranking eighth in the league.
DEFENSE
John Carlson, WAS at LA ($31): A defenseman has compiled 40 points before the 30-game mark seven times in NHL history. Bobby Orr did it five times, Al Macinnis did it once, and now Carlson has achieved the feat. Not bad company to be around. 12 of those points have come with the man advantage, so he's worth the hefty price tag against Los Angeles' 74.7 penalty-kill rate.
Thomas Chabot, OTT at EDM ($17): Chabot has accrued 16 points through 28 games, but it's his floor that makes him intriguing for DFS purposes. The 22-year-old averages nearly three shots on net per outing, and he's logging a whopping 25:20 of ice time in the process.
DEFENSE TO AVOID
Justin Faulk, STL at PIT ($17): Faulk has underachieved with the Blues, and he's recorded just one point over the past 12 contests. His average of just 0.25 PPG so far is the worst of his career, and a pairing with Jay Bouwmeester signals he'll be used in a more defensive role during this outing.
Ian Cole, COL at TOR ($16): Cole hasn't scored yet, and it's partly attributed to the fact that he's starting 33.3 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone. Considering he's only averaging 17:25 of ice time while firing less than a shot on goal per game anyway, Cole's not getting enough chances to notch points no matter who the opponent is.
