Yahoo Daily Fantasy Hockey: Wednesday picks

By Chris Morgan

The time for roses and heart-shaped boxes of chocolate has passed, but you can fill that hole in your heart with daily fantasy hockey. There are four NHL games Wednesday, and here are some of the players worth targeting and avoiding…

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GOALIE

Jake Allen, STL at DET ($23): Yes, Allen has been bad. He has a 2.67 GAA and a .904 save percentage. You know who has been worse? Detroit’s Petr Mrazek (3.10 GAA, .899 save percentage), who will be opposing Allen on Wednesday. Plus, the Blues have won four in a row while the Wings have lost four in a row. Allen is also really cheap, and the goalie right above him, Roberto Luongo, costs $30.

GOALIE TO AVOID

Brian Elliott, CGY vs. PHI ($34): Elliott has posted a 2.85 GAA and a .895 save percentage this season, and it’s not like he’s been much better recently. Over his last seven starts, he has a 2.88 GAA and a .900 save percentage. The Flyers also have the 10th-ranked power play, while the Flames rank 19th on the penalty kill. Elliott is the most expensive goalie Wednesday, which seems like a stretch given his play.

CENTER

Tomas Hertl, SAN vs. FLA ($17): Hertl has played reasonably well since returning from injury. In those eight games, he’s notched five points and 21 shots on goal. Additionally, Hertl has an offensive-zone start percentage of 33.84. The Panthers have allowed 31.4 shots on net per game, which means Hertl should be able to continue his prolific shooting Wednesday.

CENTER TO AVOID

Claude Giroux, PHI at CGY ($23): Giroux only has one point in his last seven games, and he doesn’t have a single multi-point outing in his last 11 contests. That’s partially why he’s now only averaged 6.1 fantasy points per game. To find a player averaging fewer, you have to get down to Tyler Bozak ($18). Calgary’s goalies have struggled, but the Flames have only allowed 28.3 shots on net per contest. It’s not a terrible matchup, but given Giroux’s recent struggles, and his price, there’s reason to be skeptical.

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WING

Johnny Gaudreau, CGY vs. PHI ($22): Gaudreau has one of the highest offensive-zone start percentages in the NHL (46.27) and has also averaged 3:30 on the power play. He’s also tallied six points in his last six games while firing 17 shots on net. The Flyers have allowed 2.93 goals per game, and their penalty kill ranks 18th in the league.

Kenny Agostino, STL at DET ($13): Agostino has averaged 5.8 fantasy points per game, but to be fair, he’s only played four games. Nevertheless, he’s tallied 12 shots on net while scoring two points, and he’s even seen a little power-play time. As mentioned previously, Detroit’s Mrazek has a 3.10 GAA and a .899 save percentage, so this is a great matchup for Agostino to potentially take advantage of at a bargain price.

WINGS TO AVOID

Jonathan Huberdeau, FLA at SAN ($28): Huberdeau has been great in limited action this season, but he’s only played in three games and has a 15.4 shooting percentage. The Sharks should provide Huberdeau with a challenge, as they’ve only allowed an average of 2.35 goals and 27.5 shots this season. Huberdeau is the second most expensive winger, and three games don’t carry as much weight as San Jose’s season-long success defensively.

Michael Frolik, CGY vs. PHI ($18): Michal Neuvirth has had a rough season, but over his last five games he’s notched a 1.20 GAA and a .946 save percentage. Philadelphia has also only allowed 28.6 shots on net per game. Frolik likely won’t be able to take advantage of the Flyers’ 18th-ranked penalty kill, as he’s only averaged 0:58 per game with the extra man.

DEFENSEMEN

Colton Parayko, STL at DET ($15): Parayko has averaged 21:14 per game, and his offensive-zone start percentage is 30.09. The Wings have allowed 3.02 goals and 30.8 shots on net per game, and their penalty kill ranks 21st. Parayko hasn’t gotten a ton of power-play time, but he’s still managed to notch nine power-play points while tallying 132 shots on net and 88 blocks in 56 games.

Shayne Gostisbehere, PHI at CGY ($14): Gostisbehere was a healthy scratch not all that long ago, but has still averaged 3:57 of power-play time (14 points). Ghost also has a particularly high offensive-start zone percentage for a defenseman (45.22). The results haven’t been there this season, but the opportunity still is. The Flames have the 19th-ranked penalty kill, so maybe Gostisbehere’s luck will turn around, at least for one night.

DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID

Michael Matheson, FLA at SAN ($18): It might surprise you to find out that Matheson is the most expensive defenseman for the Panthers. This is a bit odd, especially since Matheson has only notched two points in his last 19 games, and they both came in the same contest. The Sharks have been stout defensively, as previously mentioned, and Matheson has only averaged 0:38 on the power play.

Nikita Zaitsev, TOR at CLM ($16): Toronto will be on the second night of a back-to-back, and the impact of back-to-back games in sports has been well established at this point. While Sergei Bobrovsky has perhaps not been as impressive recently as he was earlier in the season, he still has a stellar 2.19 GAA and .925 save percentage. Zaitsev has only averaged a middling 4.9 fantasy points per game, and he only has one goal in his last 25.

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