This is a lighter Wednesday than usual in the NHL, which is saying something because this is almost always the lightest day of the week. There are only two games on the slate. While the pickings are slim, here are the players to target, and to avoid, for your daily fantasy lineups.
GOALIE
Ilya Samsonov, TOR vs. PHI ($31): Not only are there only two games Wednesday, but the two road teams are both on the second leg of a back-to-back. It’s a strange day in the NHL. Samsonov gets the Flyers at home with his opponent on a back-to-back, but he also has a 2.35 GAA and .920 save percentage.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Casey DeSmith, PIT at BUF ($24): DeSmith is one of the NHL’s better backups, but it’s not easy to be on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back. Also, so far, the Sabres have been unexpectedly good offensively. Buffalo has averaged 4.11 goals per contest.
CENTER
John Tavares, TOR vs. PHI ($26): Tavares has played in 10 games thus far and has two four-game point streaks already. He’s also put 38 shots on net. The Flyers will likely be going with Felix Sandstrom in net, who so far in his career has a 3.21 GAA and .907 save percentage.
CENTER TO AVOID
Kevin Hayes, PHI at TOR ($17): Hayes has racked up assists, with nine through nine games. That’s not likely to continue, though, and the Flyers are on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back. As I noted previously, Samsonov has a 2.35 GAA and .920 save percentage.
WING
Rickard Rakell, PIT at BUF ($21): Rakell is shooting a ton in his first full season with the Penguins. He’s put 41 shots on net in 10 games and tallied five goals. The Sabres have allowed 32.9 shots on net per contest, and Eric Comrie has a .902 save percentage.
Michael Bunting, TOR vs. PHI ($16): Bunting doesn’t have a point in his last four games, but he still has five points on the season, and that’s with a 9.5 shooting percentage that should improve. Plus, he’s still on Toronto’s top line with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. Maybe facing a Flyers team on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back gets him back on the score sheet.
WINGS TO AVOID
Alex Tuch, BUF vs. PIT ($23): Needed to find another wing to consider avoiding, and it could be Tuch. Regression seems to be arriving after he opened the season on fire. Tuch may have six goals, but his 25.0 shooting percentage will fall, and that shooting percentage is even with the former Golden Knight not having a goal in his last four games. The Penguins are on a back-to-back, but DeSmith is one of the better backups with his career .915 save percentage.
Travis Konecny, PHI at TOR ($20): The Flyers are clearly the team to avoid Wednesday, as the team on the second leg of a back-to-back that is facing a goalie that has been good. As the one squad in such a scenario, the upside here is the lowest, and Konecny is the only wing of any true significance currently healthy for Philly.
DEFENSE
Rasmus Dahlin, BUF vs. PIT ($24): No defenseman is hotter to start the season than Dahlin. He’s played a whopping 25:23 per game and racked up six goals and six assists. The Swede will cool down, but for now he’s catching a team on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back.
Jeff Petry, PIT at BUF ($17): Petry is in the role as the secondary option behind Kris Letang (when Letang is healthy) this season, including on the power play. He’s tallied four points and 17 shots on net. The Sabres have been middling on the penalty kill, and Comrie has a .902 save percentage.
DEFENSE TO AVOID
Morgan Rielly, TOR vs. PHI ($22): This is a case of not wanting to go this high in terms of salary while Rielly has not been at his best. He doesn’t have a goal yet this season, and what’s more notable to me is that he’s only put 17 shots on net through 10 games. That’s a downtick for him. He only has points in one of his last five outings, so I think Wednesday I’m looking elsewhere.
Ivan Provorov, PHI at TOR ($19): The case against Provorov is clearer. It’s the same case I made against Hayes and Konecny. Philly is on the second leg of a back-to-back. Samsonov has a .920 save percentage. That all remains as true as when I began suggesting players to avoid earlier in this article.
