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Yahoo Daily Fantasy Hockey: Wednesday picks

BOSTON, MA – FEBRUARY 9: Brad Marchand #63 of the Boston Bruins skates against the San Jose Sharks during the third period at TD Garden on February 9, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Bruins defeat the Sharks 6-3. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA – FEBRUARY 9: Brad Marchand #63 of the Boston Bruins skates against the San Jose Sharks during the third period at TD Garden on February 9, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Bruins defeat the Sharks 6-3. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

By Chris Morgan

There are three games on the NHL slate Wednesday, which is business as usual for the league on hump day. Here are some players to target and avoid…

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GOALIE

Roberto Luongo, FLA vs. EDM ($28): While Luongo has had some struggles recently, the Panthers are still 8-1-1 in their last 10 games, and they’ve won five in a row. Despite those issues, Luongo also still has a 2.69 GAA, which is far from concerning. The Oilers are also the one team who was in action Tuesday, meaning the Panthers get them on the second night of a back-to-back. Luongo is the second cheapest goalie Wednesday, so if Florida remains hot, he’ll get you a win for cheap regardless of how well he plays.

GOALIE TO AVOID

Cam Talbot, EDM at FLA ($37): On the flip side of things, there aren’t really any issues about Talbot’s play recently. He’s actually been quite good in February. That being said, the Panthers have been as hot as any team, especially offensively. The Panthers have scored 3.86 goals per game in February, and as previously mentioned they’ve won five in a row. If Talbot was priced lower, you could still make the argument for him, but $37 is pretty steep. If you are willing to pay big bucks on a goalie, why not just splurge on Braden Holtby ($41) against the Flyers?

CENTER

Lars Eller, WAS at PHI ($18): Suddenly, Eller has found himself as a real offensive contributor for the Capitals. He’s notched a point in six of his last seven games, and while overall he’s seen basically no power-play time in his last three games, he’s averaged 1:57 with the extra man. Additionally, he’s started 35.9 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, which is third most on the Capitals, and more than even Alex Ovechkin. The Flyers, meanwhile, have allowed 2.97 goals per game, and their goalies have a collective save percentage of .895, which is tied for worst in the league.

CENTER TO AVOID

Claude Giroux, PHI vs. WAS ($22): On the flip side, we have the Flyers’ matchup with the Capitals. Washington has allowed 2.09 goals per game, which is the lowest in the league. Meanwhile, Giroux only has two goals since the start of January, and he’s only averaged 5.8 fantasy points per game thanks to his lasting dry spell. Even if Giroux had been playing well, this would be a bad matchup. His struggles just make this even more of a no-brainer.

WING

Brad Marchand, BOS at ANA ($25): The Ducks have only allowed 2.49 goals per game, which is quite good, but they’ve allowed 29.2 shots on net per contest, which is actually more than the Bruins (26.5). Meanwhile, the Bruins are tied for the league lead in shots on net per game (34.3), and Marchand is a big part of that. He’s having a fantastic season, as he’s tallied 59 points in 59 games, and in his last 20 games he’s averaged 1.4 points and 3.4 shots on net per contest. He’s a little pricey, but there are only three games and not many clearly great matchups. Marchand is the kind of player that’s basically matchup proof, though, and he’s still well worth this price.

Patrick Maroon, EDM at FLA ($16): Maroon is now playing alongside Connor McDavid on Edmonton’s top line, which is a great place for a winger to be. McDavid has started a higher percentage of his shifts in the offensive zone than any other Edmonton forward (37.1), but Maroon is right behind him at 35.7 percent. Maroon has notched 20 goals this season, and in his last 10 games he’s averaged 2.7 shots on net. The Panthers have allowed 31.6 shots on goal per game, and in February they’ve allowed 2.86 goals per contest.

WINGS TO AVOID

Jakub Voracek, PHI vs. WAS ($23): As previously noted, the Capitals have allowed a league-low 2.09 goals per game. They’ve also only allowed 27.9 shots on net per contest, and their penalty kill ranks sixth in the league. Nineteen of Voracek’s points have come on the power play, making this a particularly tough matchup for him. On top of that, he only has two goals in his last 19 games.

Jaromir Jagr, FLA vs. EDM ($18): This matchup is a little worse for the Panthers than it could have been, on account of the fact the Oilers saved Talbot (2.35 GAA, .921 save percentage) for this game. While Jagr has been incredibly impressive for his age, on the season he’s only averaged 5.4 fantasy points per game. Additionally, only once in his last 24 games has he notched more than two shots on goal in a contest. There are Panthers you can justify putting in your lineup, but it would be hard to make the case for Jagr.

DEFENSEMEN

Cam Fowler, ANA vs. BOS ($18): Fowler’s power-play production has dried up a bit, but his overall fantasy number are fine. He’s averaged 6.5 fantasy points per game, and taken 137 shots on net in 61 contests. While Tuukka Rask’s last couple of starts have been much better, over his last 15 games he has a 2.98 GAA and a .876 save percentage. On top of that, the Bruins have averaged 62.9 shot attempts per 60 minutes, the most in the NHL. That increases Fowler’s chances of getting in front of the puck, and he’s averaged 2.3 blocked shots over his last 10.

Oscar Klefbom, EDM at ANA ($16): Klefbom has also averaged 6.5 fantasy points per game, and he’s the cheapest player to do so by a couple of bucks. He’s contributed on both ends of the ice, having tallied 151 shots on net and 98 blocked shots in 60 games. Klefbom has averaged 21:58 of ice time per game, including 2:20 on the power play. The Panthers have allowed 31.6 shots on net on average, which seems to bode well for Klefbom.

DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID

Zdeno Chara, BOS at ANA ($18): It seems odd to see the veteran this highly-priced, considering he is not really an offensive impact player anymore. He only has 16 points in 52 games, and he’s only tallied one power-play point. The Ducks rank in the top ten in both goals allowed and shots on net allowed per game, so this isn’t a great matchup for him. In fact, it’s not likely to be very fruitful on the defensive end of the ice, either. While Chara has blocked 99 shots, the Ducks have only averaged 53.5 shot attempts per 60 minutes, which is just outside the bottom 10.

Alex Petrovic, FLA vs. EDM ($17): Petrovic is as expensive as any Panthers defenseman, even though he’s averaged fewer fantasy points per game (4.7) than three of them. He’s averaging less than one shot per game, and he’s only averaged six seconds on the power play. There would be reason for skepticism in any matchup, but against Talbot and his .921 save percentage, this selection just doesn’t make sense.