This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Tuesday's slate sees six of the league's teams in action, with a few juicy matchups for fantasy purposes. Let's take a look at some of the best values available.
Goalie
Jimmy Howard, DET vs. DAL ($29)
Since mid-December, the difference between Howard's play at home and on the road has been night and day -- the 33-year-old hasn't won an away game since then, but he's won five straight home starts, allowing two goals or fewer in each despite seeing 177 shots over that span. The Stars' offense isn't quite as good as advertised, ranking 13th in the league with 2.95 goals per game, and will be playing the second half of a back-to-back Tuesday.
Goalie to Avoid
Marc-Andre Fleury, VGK @ NSH ($39)
Fleury has been nothing short of outstanding for the expansion Golden Knights, but what you have to realize about his absurd save percentage and GAA numbers is that they are just not meant to last all season. We may be starting to see the cracks emerge, as Flower allowed three goals in an overtime loss his last time out. The Predators average 3.47 home goals per game, so don't pay this sky-high price for a possible disappointment.
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Center
Mathew Barzal, NYI vs. NJ ($18)
In his last three games, Barzal has posted three goals and seven assists, including two against the Devils on Jan. 7, to bring his season totals to 16 and 31, respectively. Following Monday's win over Montreal, the rookie is now exceeding a point-per-game pace and has likely taken control of the race for the Calder Trophy, so his daily fantasy price should rise in the coming weeks. Get him now while he's still cheap.
Center to Avoid
Brayden Schenn, STL @ TOR ($24)
Schenn has not found the back of the net since Dec. 20 and in the 10 games since then, he's posted just five assists and 21 shots on goal to go with a minus-4 rating. The Saskatchewan native does have 12 goals on the road this season, but he's done so with an unsustainable 21.8 shooting percentage. A trip to Toronto, where the home team allows 2.81 goals per game, isn't likely to help Schenn's woes.
Wing
Logan Couture, SJ @ ARI ($22)
Couture is showing confidence in the offensive zone and it's paying dividends, as he has turned 13 shots on goal into two goals in the last three contests. The 28-year-old averages a healthy 3:24 of ice time with the Sharks' first power-play unit and will look to take advantage of a weak Coyotes defense that allows 3.51 goals per game on average and kills off 80.5 of its penalties.
Kyle Palmieri, NJ @ NYI ($17)
Since returning from injury on Dec. 18, Palmieri has posted just decent numbers with three goals and six points, but it's encouraging to see him average 3.3 shots on goal per game over that span. More importantly though, the 26-year-old has recorded 10 of his 15 points on the power play and the Islanders enter Thursday's contest killing off just 73.9 percent of their penalties, setting Palmieri up for immediate success.
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Wings to Avoid
Jakub Voracek, PHI @ NYR ($28)
Voracek has been excellent on the power play this season and is on pace to crush his previous career-high for power-play points, but that won't help him Tuesday against a Rangers team that has been outstanding on the penalty kill this season, finding success 84.3 percent of the time and giving them the third ranking in the league. The Czech's Tuesday price makes him the second most expensive winger on the board, so don't blow your budget here.
Mats Zuccarello, NYR vs. PHI ($19)
Zuccarello's goal drought has ballooned to 10 contests and over that stretch of games, the 30-year-old has managed just five assists, 20 shots on goal, and an ugly minus-8 rating. The Flyers are riding a four-game winning streak that has seen them play well on both ends of the ice, and they have proven themselves to be road warriors throughout the season, allowing just 2.80 goals per away game.
Defense
Jakob Chychrun, ARI vs. SJ ($17)
Chychrun is quietly putting together a solid sophomore campaign as one of Arizona's top-four defensemen. The 19-year-old has posted six assists, 27 shots on goal, and 19 blocked shots in his last nine games and is quickly becoming an integral piece both at even strength and on the power play. The Florida native will have the opportunity to keep showing off his defensive prowess against a Sharks team that averages 32.8 shots per game.
Sami Vatanen, NJ @ NYI ($14)
Vatanen's price remains very low due to his sluggish start to the season, but he's looked a lot sharper of late, racking up a goal and four assists in his last seven contests. The Finnish blueliner often gets heavily involved on offense, as evidenced by his periodically high shot totals, and he quarterbacks the Devils' first power-play unit, a role that could provide further dividends considering the poor penalty killers across the ice.
Defensemen to Avoid
P.K. Subban, NSH vs. VGK ($23)
Subban's offensive production continues to cruise along at a decent level, but take note that the veteran defenseman has yet to crack the scoresheet against Vegas in two attempts this season. That's especially not good news considering the Golden Knights have a penchant for scoring, to the tune of 3.40 goals per game, and Subban has recently had a penchant for getting burned on defense, as shown by his minus-2 rating over the last four games.
Kevin Shattenkirk, NYR vs. PHI ($19)
It's been a miserable run recently for Shattenkirk -- the 28-year-old has just one assist, 19 shots on goal, and a minus-8 over his last 11 contests, and he has not scored a goal himself since Nov. 6. With the Flyers cooking on both ends of the ice, Shattenkirk's already poor rating could plunge even further, so you'll have to rely on him to get on the scoresheet to make it worth it. Don't take that risk at this price.
