This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
The NHL playoffs continue Tuesday at 7:00 PM Eastern time with Game 3s from the Bruins-Blue Jackets and Sharks-Avalanche series. Read on to see which players to target and which ones to avoid when Columbus and Colorado get their first cracks at home ice in this pair of tied second-round affairs.
GOALIE
Sergei Bobrovsky, CLS vs. BOS ($34): The San Jose-Colorado series has had by far the most open ice of the four second-round clashes, so it's best to pick goalies from other matchups. It's hard to go wrong with Bobrovsky, who has a pair of Vezina Trophies on his mantle and is 5-1 so far this postseason. Boston's offense dropped off noticeably on the road to 2.85 goals per game during the regular season compared to 3.41 at home, where last change made it easier to find favorable matchups for the Bruins' talented top line.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Martin Jones, SJ at COL ($24): While Jones has been better in the past few games, he still has by far the lowest floor of these four netminders. Only once in nine games has Jones held the opposition under two goals this postseason, while he's been pulled in the first period twice and allowed six goals in another game.
CENTER
Charlie Coyle, BOS at CLS ($15): Coyle remains incredibly cheap considering his production this postseason. He has five goals and two assists through nine games and is currently riding a three-game point streak. The Bruins' traded deadline acquisition is an obvious choice at just $15.
CENTER TO AVOID
Patrice Bergeron, BOS at CLS ($32): Bergeron costs over twice as much as Coyle, but the No. 1 center has been much less noticeable in this series. He's without a point and has a minus-1 rating through two games against Bobrovsky and the Blue Jackets. Now, Bergeron will have to face them on the road, where he scored just 29 of his 79 regular-season points.
WINGS
Mikko Rantanen, COL vs. SJ ($26): Rantanen is in the midst of a six-game point streak that's featured five goals and six assists. He's scored four of those 11 points while skating on the top power-play unit, while the rest have come from his even-strength time on the second line. With the opposition's top defense pairing busy trying (and usually failing) to contain Nathan MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog on Colorado's top line, the third member of the Avs' Big 3 is excelling against lesser competition.
Artemi Panarin, CLS vs. BOS ($24): Speaking of point streaks, Panarin's now sits at nine games, including two goals and an assist in the 3-2 Game 2 win over Boston. The pending unrestricted free agent was already due for a hefty payday, and Panarin could be earning himself an even bigger contract as one of the best players so far this postseason.
WINGS TO AVOID
Brad Marchand, BOS at CLS ($31): Like his linemate Bergeron, Marchand has been significantly less effective on the road and hasn't gotten going in this series. Columbus has limited Marchand to a minus-2 rating without a point through two games, so he'll be hard-pressed to live up to his $31 valuation.
Oliver Bjorkstrand, CLS vs. BOS ($17): Bjorkstrand has been held in check with a combined minus-0.2 fantasy point through two games in this series. He's also put just two pucks on net, which isn't a good sign for a player who has almost no impact as a playmaker -- Bjorkstrand dished just 13 assists all season.
DEFENSEMEN
Brent Burns, SJ at COL ($29): Burns won't come cheap, but it's imperative that you find the funds for the bearded blueliner given his performance so far this series. In the first two games, Burns has posted an incredible three goals and seven points to go with eight shots, 10 blocks and a plus-3 rating.
Cale Makar, COL vs. SJ ($18): Makar has displayed tremendous offensive instincts over his brief time in the NHL, and coach Jared Bednar will have the opportunity to maximize the rookie defenseman's talents by controlling his matchups on home ice. While Makar's a risky option given that his NHL experience consists of just five playoff games, he already has the skills to be a game-changer on any given night.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Erik Karlsson, SJ at COL ($25): Karlsson has been quiet on the road this postseason, totaling just one assist over the three first-round games in Vegas. Considering Colorado held the Swedish blueliner to only one helper in the two matchups between these teams in San Jose, chances are Karlsson won't get things going in Colorado.
Erik Johnson, COL vs. SJ ($17): While Makar's a high-risk, high-reward guy, his teammate Johnson offers barely any reward at all. The stay-at-home blueliner recorded just 25 points in the regular season, and Johnson has just two shots and a minus-3 rating without a point over his last four games.
