This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
It's a Game 2 Tuesday! We have two Game 2s taking place, including the battle brought to you by the letter "V" out west. Four teams worth of players makes it tricky on DFS lineup decisions, but I think I have you covered. The first game begins at 7:00 p.m. ET. Here are my picks for Tuesday.
GOALIE
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TAM vs. BOS ($35): The last two starts for the Russian haven't been great, but in the bubble Vasilevskiy has a 2.08 GAA and .925 save percentage. He was able to put up a .925 save percentage for the entirety of last season, so we know he can sustain that. While the Bruins scored 3.24 goals per game this year, I would argue they have the least-potent offense of the four teams playing Tuesday.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Jacob Markstrom, VAN at VGK ($30): Why did I say the Bruins have the fourth-best offense of these four teams? Well, they were third among this quartet in goals per game during the regular season, but the Golden Knights – the only team behind them – led the league in shots on net per game. In the postseason, Vegas is now also leading in goals per contest. The Golden Knights are firing on all cylinders, and they just scored five goals on Markstrom and the Canucks in Game 1. I don't expect things to go much better in Game 2.
CENTER
Brayden Point, TAM vs. BOS ($27): I'm sure you probably don't need your arm twisted to consider Point. The only issue may be his high salary. To me, he's worth it. After tallying 64 points in 66 games, he has 11 points in nine playoff games, only being held off the scoresheet once. There are no complaints about Jaroslav Halak's performance this season, but his .919 save percentage is still a step down from Tuukka Rask's .929 save percentage.
CENTER TO AVOID
Bo Horvat, VAN at VGK ($23): In the playoffs, with the margins thin, it's notable that Horvat doesn't have a point in his last five games. The Golden Knights didn't have a great GAA (2.94) but they only allowed 29.3 shots on net per contest. Plus, some of that was with Malcolm Subban in goal. Now Robin Lehner is the No. 1 netminder for Vegas, and he had a .920 save percentage this season.
WING
Jonathan Marchessault, VGK vs. VAN ($25): Marchessault scored 22 goals in 66 games, but what's most notable to me is that he did that on 235 shots on net. I note that because the Canucks gave up 33.3 shots on goal per game. Marchessault is also on the point for the top power-play unit for Vegas, and the Canucks had the 16th-ranked penalty kill.
Alex Tuch, VGK vs. VAN ($18): Let's double down on Vegas wingers. Tuch is not in the upper echelon when it comes to salary, making him an enticing option to me. He missed a chunk of the season, but in the playoffs he has five goals on 27 shots in nine games. The 24-year-old has also averaged 2:08 with the extra man. I mentioned that the Canucks gave up 33.3 shots on net per game in the regular season. Well in the playoffs that has jumped up to 35.5, and their 3.09 GAA is on par with their 3.10 during regular-season campaign.
WINGS TO AVOID
Brock Boeser, VAN at VGK ($20): It's a concern that Boeser only has one point in his last five games. What alarms me more is that he only has two shots on goal in his last three contests. This was actually a down season in general for Boeser, who only managed 9.4 percent shooting. With Lehner in net and a healthy lineup including regular Selke candidate Mark Stone, the Golden Knights have only allowed 2.33 goals and 25.3 shots on net per game.
Jake DeBrusk, BOS at TAM ($15): Right now, if you are looking for depth scoring from Boston, you aren't going to find anybody reliable. DeBrusk is usually the guy to go with, but not in the playoffs. He had a two-goal game against Carolina, but he has only three points total in the playoffs. Throw in Vasilevskiy, who had a 2.52 GAA in a "down" year, and I don't expect DeBrusk to turn it back up.
DEFENSE
Quinn Hughes, VAN at VGK ($20): I am willing to still have some hope for Hughes. That's primarily because of what an ace he is on the power play. As a rookie he tallied 25 power-play points in 68 games. In the playoffs he's added seven more points with the extra man. The Golden Knights did have the 27th-ranked penalty kill this season. Lehner changes things, but only so much.
Nate Schmidt, VGK vs. VAN ($17): Schmidt has an assist in back-to-back games, but that's not the most intriguing thing about him. What's more notable is that he has tallied 34 shots on net in nine playoffs contests. In fact, in Game 1 of this series he had six shots on goal and four blocked shots. That kind of activity can rack up a lot of points for your DFS lineup.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Charlie McAvoy, BOS at TAM ($18): McAvoy is an offensive contributor – he had 32 points in 67 games – but he doesn't really contribute on the power play. He had two points with the extra man all season, and he hasn't added a single one in the playoffs. Without that, it can be hard to tally too many points, especially when things tighten up in the postseason. Also, when the goalie you are facing has a .925 save percentage in the playoffs.
Alexander Edler, VAN at VGK ($18): Fortunately, Edler wasn't hurt too bad when he was cut with a skate up by his face. Unfortunately, he doesn't do anything on the power play, so Vegas' 27th-ranked penalty kill is irrelevant. He does block a lot of shots, and that's worth something, but he only has two points in his last nine games, and Lehner had a .920 save percentage this year.
