This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
The playoffs are entering the next stage Tuesday. It feels a little more like normal, but obviously things are still unusual. After all, these games are still happening with no fans in the arenas on neutral sites. Also, a 12 seed is playing Tuesday. On the plus side, we still have hockey basically all day. The first of Tuesday's four games starts at 3:00 p.m. ET. Here are some players to target, and to avoid, for your daily fantasy lineup.
GOALIE
Cam Talbot, CGY at DAL ($28): There were reasons for skepticism about Talbot after he put up a 2.63 GAA and .919 save percentage during the regular season. After all, it was only in 26 games, and he had struggled in net for the Oilers the last couple of years. However, in four games against the Jets in the qualifying round he had a 1.51 GAA and .945 save percentage. Winnipeg's offense is better than Dallas', as the Stars only scored 2.58 goals per game.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Joonas Korpisalo, CLM at TAM ($32): Korpisalo came up huge in shutting out the Maple Leafs in Game 5, but the Finn only had a .911 save percentage in the regular season. Yes, the Lightning have some injuries – and you may have trouble forgetting last year's series between these teams – but the Lightning scored 3.47 goals per contest, which was highest in the NHL.
CENTER
Pierre-Luc Dubois, CLM at TAM ($19): Dubois started 61.6 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, highest on the Blue Jackets. He also averaged 2:40 per game with the extra man. The Lightning had the 14th-ranked penalty kill, which isn't bad, but it's relatively poor for a playoff team. If Victor Hedman isn't able to play for Tampa, this matchup will look better for Dubois and the Jackets as well.
CENTER TO AVOID
Sebastian Aho, CAR at BOS ($33): Aho followed another excellent regular season with a strong series against the Rangers. He's worthy of a lofty salary, but Aho is $4 clear of any other center. That being said, the Bruins had a 2.39 GAA, which was lowest in the NHL by a healthy margin. It's going to be a difficult matchup for the Finn, and that will make it hard for him to give you bang for your buck.
WING
Jonathan Marchessault, VGK vs. CHI ($21): Marchessault put a whopping 235 shots on goal this season, despite playing in only 66 games. That kind of activity tends to pay off against the Blackhawks. Chicago allowed 35.1 shots on net per contest, which was highest in the NHL. If Marchessault puts enough shots on net, he may follow up on his two-goal performance in his last round-robin game.
Alex DeBrincat, CHI at VGK ($): Even in a down year (his 8.7 percent shooting didn't help) DeBrincat was excellent on the power play. He averaged 3:29 per game with the extra man, tallying 10 goals and six assists. The Golden Knights had the 27th-ranked penalty kill, and if the playoffs continue to be penalty happy that could bode well for DeBrincat.
WINGS TO AVOID
David Pastrnak, BOS vs. CAR ($34): Like Aho, I am a little down on Pastrnak solely because of his salary in this matchup. The Hurricanes only allowed 29.3 shots on net per game, and they also had the fourth-ranked penalty kill. They did that with Petr Mrazek only putting up a .905 save percentage this season, but the Czech netminder looked strong against the Rangers in his two starts in that series.
Johnny Gaudreau, CGY at DAL ($23): This was a puzzling season for Gaudreau. His point total dropped from 99 to 58, and he went from scoring 36 goals to only 18. The fact he played in just 70 games only accounts for part of that decline. Dallas had a 2.52 GAA this season, second best in the NHL, and even if Ben Bishop is still unfit to play Anton Khudobin had a 2.22 GAA and .930 save percentage.
DEFENSE
Shea Theodore, VGK vs. CGY ($21): Theodore was incredible in the round robin, notching four points and 11 shots on net in only three games. That comes after a breakout regular season in which he tallied 219 shots on net over 71 games with 16 power-play points. Chicago may have managed a 3.06 GAA this season, but allowing 35.1 shots on net per game is never an encouraging sign for a defense. Plus, you saw how high scoring that Edmonton-Chicago series was, right?
Miro Heiskanen, DAL vs. CGY ($17): This is a bet on Heiskanen's talent, as the young defenseman doesn't necessarily have a great matchup on paper. Although, you never know when Cam Talbot may look like the goalie who had a GAA over 3.00 in the two seasons prior to this one. The 21-year-old had 35 points in 68 games and averaged 2:17 per game with the extra man. For what it's worth, he also had four assists and eight shots on net in the round robin.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Mark Giordano, CGY at DAL ($20): Giordano's drop from last season was even starker than his teammate Gaudreau's. The veteran defenseman managed a mere five goals in 60 games with only 26 assists as well. As I noted previously, the Stars had a 2.52 GAA this year, so the matchup is formidable, even for a Norris winner.
David Savard, CLM at TAM ($18): It's a little puzzling to see Savard at this salary, which is the same as his more dynamic teammates Zach Werenski and Seth Jones. Sure, Savard had three assists against the Maple Leafs, but on the season he only had 11 points, all helpers, in 68 games. Savard is not traditionally an offensive contributor, and now he's facing a Tampa team with a 2.77 GAA.
