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Yahoo Daily Fantasy Hockey: Wednesday picks

COLUMBUS, OH – NOVEMBER 23: Seth Jones #3 of the Columbus Blue Jackets warms up prior to the start of the game against the Calgary Flames on November 23, 2016 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH – NOVEMBER 23: Seth Jones #3 of the Columbus Blue Jackets warms up prior to the start of the game against the Calgary Flames on November 23, 2016 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)

By Chris Morgan

It’s a quiet Wednesday in the NHL with only three games on the docket, which means your options for daily fantasy are a bit limited. However, you’ll still have decisions to make, so here’s some suggestions to sink your teeth into…

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GOALIE

Jonathan Bernier, ANA vs. EDM ($31): This isn’t a particularly easy matchup for Bernier and the Ducks, but there are still reasons to like Bernier here. For starters, in his last 14 games, Bernier has a 1.98 GAA and a .937 save percentage. Overall, the Ducks have only allowed 2.43 goals and 29.7 shots on net per contest. Anaheim is also 23-8-4 at home, another point in Bernier’s favor.

GOALIE TO AVOID

Thomas Greiss, NYI at NYR ($30): There are only six goalies in action Tuesday, and the top four projected starters are hard to make a case against. That leaves Greiss as the priciest questionable option. Greiss only has a .913 save percentage, and in his last 20 games he has a 3.30 GAA and a .892 save percentage. The Rangers have scored 3.17 goals per game, so even though the Rangers will be on the second night of a back-to-back, this could be a rough game for the German netminder.

CENTER

Derek Stepan, NYR vs. NYI ($18): As was just noted above, Greiss has played some bad hockey in net for the Islanders recently. Overall, since the All-Star break the Islanders have given up 3.43 goals per contest. Stepan has averaged 6.8 fantasy points per game, and he’s done that despite having a career-low 7.0 shooting percentage. That hasn’t stopped him from putting pucks on net, though, as he’s tallied 31 shots on goal in his last eight games. He’s also notched four power-play points in those contests, and Stepan has 15 power-play points overall.

CENTER TO AVOID

Ryan Kesler, ANA vs. EDM ($20): Kesler only has two goals in his last 27 contests, and now he has to go up against Cam Talbot and his 2.32 GAA and a .922 save percentage. While Kesler’s had a good season, he’s cooled down considerably down the stretch, and this is not a favorable matchup, so don’t expect things to turn around Wednesday.

WING

Brandon Saad, CLM vs. TOR ($21): This is quite the matchup for the Blue Jackets. The Maple Leafs have allowed 32.8 shots on net per game, third most in the NHL, and they’ve also given up 2.85 goals per contest. Columbus’ top wings are all on the pricier side of things, but you can save a smidge of cash with Saad. Not that you’ll be losing much potential, as Saad has tallied 20 goals on 177 shots in 71 games.

J.T. Miller, NYR vs. NYI ($17): The Islanders have allowed 3.01 goals per game this season, and, as mentioned earlier, that number has ballooned to 3.43 goals per contest since the All-Star break. That bodes well for Miller, who has averaged 6.3 fantasy points per game. Miller has notched 20 goals this season, and in his last seven games he’s tallied four points.

WINGS TO AVOID

James van Riemsdyk, TOR at CLM ($20): Columbus has only allowed 2.30 goals per game, which is third fewest in the NHL. The Jackets are even better with Sergei Bobrovsky in net. Bob currently leads the NHL in both GAA (2.04) and save percentage (.931), so you aren’t going to find a tougher matchup out there for a forward right now. It’s almost irrelevant what kind of season van Riemsdyk is having. He’s on the pricier side of things and going up against a goalie that might end up winning the Vezina Trophy. Plus, Columbus’ penalty kill ranks 10th in the NHL.

Patrick Maroon, EDM at ANA ($17): Maroon has had a breakout season, as he’s notched 25 goals in 72 games. However, he hasn’t had much fantasy value beyond that. He’s only tallied 12 assists and five power-play points. The Ducks have only allowed 2.43 goals per game, fourth fewest in the NHL, and Bernier has a stellar 1.98 GAA in his last 14 contests.

DEFENSEMEN

Seth Jones, CLM vs. TOR ($19): Jones is the third most expensive defenseman Wednesday, but with only six teams in action, finding value down the pecking order is a bit trickier. In this matchup, Jones should be able to earn this price point anyway — and then some. He’s averaged 6.9 fantasy points per game, recording 128 shots on goal and 105 blocked shots in 65 games. It’s already been noted that the Maple Leafs have allowed 32.8 shots on net per contest. However, they’ve also attempted 60.6 shots per 60 minutes, which is third most in the league. That means Jones should be able to rack up fantasy points on both ends of the ice.

Nick Leddy, NYI at NYR ($15): With Johnny Boychuk out, Leddy is pretty clearly the top defenseman for the Islanders. He’s been up to the task, notching seven points in the last 10 games. On top of that, Leddy has averaged 3:05 per game on the power play, and he’s tallied 13 points with the extra man. The Rangers are the only team Wednesday who will be playing on the second night of a back-to-back, which tends to hurt a team’s performance. Additionally, since Henrik Lundqvist is out, the Rangers will either have to start Antti Raanta two nights in a row, or roll the dice with third-stringer Magnus Hellberg.

DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID

Oscar Klefbom, EDM at ANA ($20): Klefbom is the second most expensive defenseman Wednesday, but he may struggle to live up to that against the Ducks. It’s already been established how good Anaheim has been defensively, and how well Bernier has played recently. On top of all that, though, the Ducks have the fourth-ranked penalty kill. Eleven of Klefbom’s 30 points have come with the extra man, and it will be hard for him to perform to that level against Anaheim. The Ducks have also only allowed 29.7 shots on net per contest on average.

Jake Gardiner, TOR at CLM ($17): Gardiner represents a step down in the defenseman rankings Wednesday. He’s the most expensive player that’s averaged fewer than 6.4 fantasy points per game (he’s averaged 5.6). However, the reason to avoid him has more to do with this particularly tough matchup. The Jackets have been great defensively, and Bobrovsky has been as good as any goalie. Gardiner also has zero goals and 11 shots on net in his last 10 games.

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