The first four NHL playoff series kicked off Monday. Now, the other four join the party Tuesday, and we’ve got eight teams taking the ice. Here are the players to target, and to avoid, for your DFS lineups.
GOALIE
Connor Hellebuyck, WPG at VGK ($31): This is a tricky day for picking a goalie. The Jets and Golden Knights have averaged the fewest goals per game of these eight teams, though the Golden Knights were better. However, Vegas is starting Laurent Brossoit in net, and I want no part of that. Hellebuyck had a 2.49 GAA and .920 save percentage in the regular season. I’ll go with the American netminder Tuesday.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Igor Shesterkin, NYR at NJD ($30): This is a classic battle, and while Shesterkin is no slouch in goal, he has a formidable matchup on the road. The Devils averaged 3.52 goals and 34.4 shots on net per contest, both top five in the NHL. Plus, they have Timo Meier now, lifting the offense to another level.
CENTER
J.T. Compher, COL vs. SEA ($17): Compher is not seen as a key cog for the Avalanche, but he averaged 20:32 in ice time and 2:46 on the power play. That helped him notch 52 points, a new personal high. The Kraken were good at suppressing shots, but their goaltending is a real question mark. Philipp Grubauer is expected to face his former team, but he had an .895 save percentage this season.
CENTER TO AVOID
Auston Matthews, TOR vs. TAM ($35): I don’t want to get too much into the pressure on the Maple Leafs, and their lack of playoff success. By the same token, I don’t want to make too much of the Lightning making the last three Stanley Cup Finals, or Andrei Vasilevskiy coming up big time and time again. However… that is all true. On the numbers front, Vasilevskiy had a 2.41 GAA and .923 save percentage over his last 10 starts, and Matthews commands a hefty salary. I’m looking elsewhere.
WING
Chris Kreider, NYR at NJD ($20): Can Kreider’s prolific shooting overcome the Devils’ stingy defense? New Jersey only allowed 28.2 shots on net per contest, but when shots got to Vitek Vanecek, he only had a .911 save percentage. Kreider notched 229 shots on net in 79 games, tallying 36 goals in the process. Even if he isn’t quite as active as usual, it’s unlikely the Massachusetts native is shut down entirely, and that could be enough.
Nino Niederreiter, WPG at VGK ($15): After being dealt to the Jets, Niederreiter tallied six goals and seven assists in 22 games while putting 51 shots on net. Also, if Nikolaj Ehlers misses…