This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Five games are lined up in Wednesday's slate. Starting at 12 p.m. EDT, the Lightning and Blue Jackets kick off the first of four straight potential elimination contests, while the Blues and Canucks enter the evening tied at 2-2.
GOALIE
Jake Allen, STL vs. VAN ($27): Allen had an excellent regular season but couldn't dethrone Jordan Binnington from the starter's crease. He had to wait until the Blues went down 2-0 in the playoffs, and then Allen came alive with two straight wins, registering a .953 save percentage in the process. The Blues have the momentum and are in control, so Allen's at a supreme value.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Philipp Grubauer, COL vs. ARI ($38): Grubauer sports the most expensive salary by a long shot, and it's going to be tough to live up to. While Arizona's offense is by no means high-powered, that works against Grubauer when he faces just 20.3 shots per game. That leaves little margin for error.
CENTER
David Krejci, BOS vs. CAR ($19): The Hurricanes will likely go back to Petr Mrazek in the crease, but Krejci has been a stud no matter who's between the pipes. He has a point in every game this series, totaling two goals and four assists. In fact, he's tied with Brad Marchand ($30) for the team's most points in August.
CENTER TO AVOID
Sean Couturier, PHI vs. MON ($23): This series has two of the league's hottest goaltenders, so it's tough to roster players on either team. In Couturier's case, it's even more difficult. His floor is low with just one point, two shots on net and an even plus-minus rating over the last three contests.
WINGS
David Perron, STL vs. VAN ($22): Perron has been a shooting machine this round, firing 17 times over four games and finding the back of the net twice. He's added four assists as well to be one of the team's most consistent players. Perron's safety net is nice, and Ryan O'Reilly ($22) has a similar outlook on the same line, so consider stacking the two.
Ryan Dzingel, CAR vs. BOS ($10): With Andrei Svechnikov (leg) on the shelf, Dzingel will once again be thrust into the top-six. He's spent some time in the press box in August, but the 28-year-old has oodles of potential, evidenced by two 20-goal seasons since 2017. His salary is rightfully in the gutter, but Dzingel can be a steal in this elimination contest.
WINGS TO AVOID
Brock Boeser, VAN vs. STL ($22): Boeser has failed to record a point against Jake Allen in this series despite registering four against Jordan Binnington through the first two contests. The Blues have done a good job shutting him down, too, as Boeser has 1.72 xGF/60 -- a steep drop off from his 2.39 regular-season mark.
Andre Burakovsky, COL vs. ARI ($17): Burakovsky has been productive with a point in three straight games, but this is a dangerous illusion. He's averaged just 11:49 of ice time in that stretch while firing a measly four shots on net. Let your competitors take the bait.
DEFENSE
Torey Krug, BOS vs. CAR ($19): Krug hasn't lit up the point column in August, but he hasn't failed to shoot and block enough shots to make him worth your while. We know what his potential is -- he posted multiple points in 10 of 61 games during the regular season -- so bet on the upside here with the benefit of a safety net.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson ARI vs. COL ($17): Ekman-Larsson understands how rare it is to get a shot at the Stanley Cup, and the Coyotes captain knows he hasn't reached his potential these playoffs. He continues to log massive minutes and inject physicality into the lineup, and with a 0.5 point-per-game rate over the last two seasons, he's due for an offensive surge.
DEFENSE TO AVOID
Vince Dunn, STL vs. VAN ($17): Dunn can't seem to get off the third defensive pairing, and he doesn't get the call with the man advantage. With things going well for the Blues, don't expect head coach Craig Berube to make any changes, either.
Jaccob Slavin, CAR vs. BOS ($17): Slavin is lauded for his defensive abilities, but he's had tough luck against the Bruins with a minus-4 rating to couple with zero points. He bites the bullet and faces off against Boston's top line, and that leaves those who roster him in a precarious position.
