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Yahoo Daily Fantasy Hockey: Wednesday picks

SUNRISE, FL - JANUARY 7: Goaltender Tuukka Rask #40 of the Boston Bruins looks up at the video on the scoreboard after making a save against the Florida Panthers at the BB&T Center on January 7, 2017 in Sunrise, Florida. The Bruins defeated the Panthers 4-0. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)
SUNRISE, FL – JANUARY 7: Goaltender Tuukka Rask #40 of the Boston Bruins looks up at the video on the scoreboard after making a save against the Florida Panthers at the BB&T Center on January 7, 2017 in Sunrise, Florida. The Bruins defeated the Panthers 4-0. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)

By Chris Morgan

It’s a leisurely, run-of-the-mill Wednesday, but perhaps you can give your day a little spark with some daily fantasy hockey. The NHL has five games on the slate for you to choose from. If you want a little assistance when it comes to who to target, and who to avoid, here are some insights…

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GOALIE

Tuukka Rask, BOS at DET ($35): Rask has struggled a bit in his last three starts, but still picked up a win in two of them. Plus, on the season, he has a 2.03 GAA and a .923 save percentage. Detroit is a good team to turn things around against, as well, as they are only averaging 2.43 goals per game, and they have the league’s worst power play.

GOALIE TO AVOID

Carey Price, MON vs. PIT ($35): Price as the goalie to avoid? Has the world gone mad!? Not necessarily. The Penguins leads the league in both goals (3.51) and shots (34.7), and their power play ranks third. Price also hasn’t been up to his normal standards recently, as he has a 3.41 GAA and a .886 save percentage over his last nine games. Eventually, Price should be fine, but with a matchup against the league’s best offense on the docket, there’s still reason for skepticism.

CENTER

Bryan Little, WPG vs. ARI ($17): Little’s shots have been down a little recently, but he’s still taken 54 shots in 24 games. You don’t have to be a prolific shooter to put pucks on the net against the Coyotes anyway, considering Arizona gives up a league-worst 33.6 shots on goal per contest. Even with the slight drop in shots, Little is averaging 6.3 fantasy points per game, so he should be able to excel in this matchup.

CENTER TO AVOID

Logan Couture, SAN at LOS ($20): The Kings are the opposite of the Coyotes, as they give up the fewest shots per game in the league (25.8). Couture’s shots have been down recently, as he’s only taken 22 in his last 10 tilts. That’s not likely to change against the Kings, and Los Angeles also ranks in the top 10 in both goals allowed and penalty-kill percentage.

WING

Nikolaj Ehlers, WPG vs. ARI ($19): While Ehlers and Mark Scheifele have lost their linemate Patrik Laine for the time being, Ehlers hasn’t fallen off a cliff without the young Finn. He’s got eight points in his last eight games, and has taken 20 shots on goal in that time. The Coyotes, as previously mentioned, give up a ton of shots, and they also allow 3.16 goals per game.

David Backes, BOS at DET ($17): Jared Coreau pitched a shutout in his last game, but even after that the 25-year-old rookie has a 2.70 GAA and a .911 save percentage. Backes has performed admirably in his first year with the Bruins, as he’s notched 101 shots on goal in 39 games and averages 2:47 on the power play. Whether it’s Coreau or Petr Mrazek (3.19 GAA, .893 save percentage) in net for the Wings, it’s a favorable matchup for Backes.

WINGS TO AVOID

Conor Sheary, PIT at MON ($21): Price’s recent struggles aside, he still is a goalie with a Hart Trophy to his name, not to mention a 2.29 GAA and a .922 save percentage. Additionally, the place where Montreal has struggled this season, the penalty kill, is not something Sheary is really equipped to take advantage of. The Canadiens rank 23rd in penalty-kill percentage, but Sheary only has two power-play points.

Alexander Radulov, MON vs. PIT ($20): Radulov has been on a downswing recently. He’s notched one point, and — more pressingly — only two shots on goal, in his last five games. Pittsburgh’s Matt Murray has struggled a bit too, but still has a .916 save percentage after having a .930 mark last season. Regardless of the play of Pittsburgh’s netminders, Radulov hasn’t put a shot on goal in three straight games, so there’s reason for concern.

DEFENSEMEN

Torey Krug, BOS at DET ($18): Krug’s play has picked up recently, as three of his four goals have come in his last four games. He’s also taken 132 shots in goal in 47 games after registering 244 shots on net last season. The Wings rank 21st in goals allowed and 15th on the penalty kill, so Krug (15 power-play points) has a rather enticing matchup here.

Andrej Sekera, EDM vs. FLA ($15): Sekera is actually averaging more fantasy points per game than his slightly more expensive teammate Oscar Klefbom ($17). The Panthers, who will be on the second night of a back-to-back, take an average of 31.7 shots and allow 31.3 per contest. That bodes well for Sekera, who has taken 64 shots, but just as importantly has blocked 79. Against Florida, he should have the chance to do both.

DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID

Drew Doughty, LOS vs. SAN ($21): The Sharks don’t give up many more shots than the Kings, as they only cede an average of 27 per game. They also have a better team GAA than the Kings, as San Jose gives up 2.32 goals per contest. This game feels like it won’t feature many shots, or many goals, which makes it unattractive for fantasy purposes.

Marc-Edouard Vlasic, SAN vs. LOS ($18): Vlasic is involved in the same matchup as Doughty between two teams that excel at shot suppression and goal prevention. However, beyond that, Vlasic isn’t having a particularly good fantasy season. He’s only averaging 5.5 fantasy points per game, which is a worse average than several cheaper players in better matchups.

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