As the NHL regular season heads toward its conclusion, some teams are vying for playoff seeding, or even a playoff spot, while others are playing out the stretch. On an individual level, many players are trying to hit personal milestones, be they new career highs or round numbers. Then, of course, there are the DFS players. Hey, that’s you! You want to succeed down the stretch as well. There are eight NHL games on the slate Tuesday. Here are my players to target, and to avoid, for your lineups.
GOALIE
Jacob Markstrom, CGY vs. ANA ($25): It’s possible Dustin Wolf will be starting for the Flames instead of Markstrom. The Flames have swapped starts between the two a bit recently, but not for long enough to know if that is just happenstance or if it is intentional. What I do know is that Markstrom has a 2.69 GAA, while the Ducks are locked into finishing 30th in goals per game. They’ve averaged 2.41 goals per contest, and the lineup has had a youth movement and has less talent than before the trade deadline.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Linus Ullmark, BOS at NAS ($35): Now the Bruins, they’re a team with a clear goaltending rotation. Ullmark is up, and while he’s not going to win the Vezina again, he has a 2.64 GAA and .913 save percentage. However, the Predators have surged in the second half of the season. They’ve averaged 3.27 goals per game, 11th in the league.
CENTER
Connor Bedard, CHI at NYI ($22): Even with his injury absence earlier this year, Bedard has done enough to secure the Calder trophy. He’s tallied 57 points in 60 games, including 19 with the extra man. Bedard’s power-play success is the highlight here, as the Islanders have the league’s worst penalty kill. Also, the Islanders are on the second day of a back-to-back.
CENTER TO AVOID
Sidney Crosby, PIT at NJD ($33): Crosby has shown no signs of slipping here in his age-36 season. He’s tallied 82 points in 74 games, and he’s basically the only Penguin to do much on the power play, where he has 19 points. However, the Penguins are on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back. Crosby may still be a high-level NHL player, but he does have a lot of mileage on his legs. While the Devils have not been strong defensively all in all, mostly due to issues in net, they have a top-12 penalty kill. Plus, while it likely won’t continue, Jake Allen has a 2.59 GAA and .923 save percentage in seven games since being dealt to New Jersey.
WING
Jesper Bratt, NJD vs. PIT ($25): Bratt has 73 points, which is where he ended up in…