Tuesday was, for me at least, a sobering reminder just how frustrating Daily Fantasy Sports can be on any given day.

In case you missed it, Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, and Lance Bouma were announced as late scratches for the Calgary Flames for “disciplinary reasons”.

There were rumblings that the players showed up 15 minutes before a 10:30 a.m. practice on Monday (the day after the Super Bowl), and that coach Bob Hartley was not pleased with the performance that day. There was no indication that they would serve as healthy scratches until late Tuesday night.

By the time this news leaked out, rosters were already frozen on FanDuel and you were left scrambling for replacements on DraftKings.

To make matters worse, the Flames were playing in a dream matchup at home against a depleted and slumping Toronto Maple Leafs team. Gaudreau and Monahan were around 15% owned in the Breakaway on FD. For me, they were probably closer to 33% across my lineups on a night when 24 teams were in action.

That is a lot of dead lineups.

These days are going to happen, but that is just one day out of a season with nearly 200 of them. If you’re building solid lineups and using proper bankroll management, you’ll be able to endure these types of nights while still creating long term profit.

So if you were in the same boat as me on Tuesday, just brush it off and move on.

And to Gaudreau and Monohan: please get to the rink on time. The Flames and DFS players need you.

And now for tonight’s games.

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7 p.m. Los Angeles Kings at New York Islanders

Both of these clubs had recent goal-scoring outbursts within the last 5 days.

The Islanders with an 8-1 win over Edmonton on Sunday (they followed that up with a 3-2 win over Columbus on Tuesday) and the Kings with a 9-2 win in Boston on Tuesday.

The Kings are also one of the best road teams in the league at 17-7-2. The Islanders are just as good at home at 17-8-3. When you consider that the offenses are clicking on both sides of the puck this has the makings of a great game.

The Islanders offense is tough to peg down on a day-to-day basis, but Kyle Okposo is making that a little easier with his recent play. He has 6 points in his last 3 games and is now leading the Isles with 42 points in 50 games.

Sticking with Okposo’s line while they’re hot is a smart play. He’s skating on a line with Nikolay Kulemin and Frans Nielsen. Nielsen also anchors the first power play unit with Okposo and defenseman Nick Leddy.

Leddy is again a safe play as he is emerging into the PP QB that coach Jack Capuana has been hoping for all season long. He stuck with Leddy on the back end and it is paying off now as the PP is clicking and Leddy is finding his way onto the scoresheet.

The Kings notoriously play their best hockey down the stretch. We are still in the dog days of the season where unfocused and sloppy play are common, but it’s getting pretty close to the point where things tighten up and the best teams make their runs.

LA is the team to watch as the season transitions to the stretch.

The line to watch is whichever one Anze Kopitar is playing on. He has 7 points in the last 5 games and is leading the Kings with 47 points through 52 games.

Right now he’s skating with Milan Lucic and Dustin Brown. Lucic had 3 points his return to Boston on Tuesday, and is the type of player that was made to fit with this Kings core group. He’s a hard-nosed bruising winger. He and Kopitar will be creating a lot of offense together, starting tonight.

Other strong plays for LA tonight should be center Jeff Carter and defenseman Drew Doughty.

7 p.m. Buffalo Sabres at Philadelphia Flyers

Just when the Flyers seemed they were ready to make a run for the postseason, they have lost 3 straight games and are in a must-win situation if they intend to get back on track.

Winning tonight against Buffalo won’t be an easy task.

For one, Philadelphia is missing second line center Sean Couturier again. They are 2-8-2 when he is out the lineup. Playing without Couturier limits Philly’s secondary scoring, which they desperately need, but also leaves them without their best defensive center to play the dirty minutes against opposing team’s top lines.

To make matters worse, the Flyers are playing to a dismal 78.7% on the penalty kill, good for 7th worst in the league. They also take the 7th most penalties in the NHL. Not a good combination.

On the other side of the puck, the Sabres strength this season has been the power play. They’re 6th in the league connecting at a 21.1% clip.

This is a solid matchup for Buffalos power play.

The PP1 for the Sabres features Jamie McGinn upfront with Sam Reinhart and Ryan O’Reilly. The point positions are filled by forward Jack Eichel and defenseman Ryan Ristolainen.

Ristolainen is a very solid play in all formats tonight. If you’re looking to stack Buffalo forward as well, leaning towards O’Reilly and McGinn seems to be the way to go as they see even strength minutes together as well.

This is a great GPP play as they figure to be under owned and all signs point towards them getting their chances tonight.

For Philadelphia, Shayne Gostisbehere is still riding a 9 game point streak, so it makes sense to roster him where you can. The top line of Jake Voracek, Wayne Simmonds and Claude Giroux also deserve some looks as they figure to be the only lines in Philly sniffing the net lately.

7 p.m. Anaheim Ducks at Columbus Blue Jackets

The Ducks seem to have reached the stretch run before anybody else as they’re 8-2 record over the last 10 have shot them up to 3rd in the Pacific Division.

The line shuffle from a couple of weeks ago have them playing their best hockey and they have a great matchup tonight against the NHL’s worst defensive team.

Rickard Rakell was the hero for the Ducks on Tuesday with two goals in a 4-1 over Philly. He’s playing on a line with Corey Perry and Patrick Maroon. Using Perry and Rakell is a safe play in both cash and GPP’s tonight.

Ryan Getzlaf is also playing his best hockey of the season. He had 2 assists in Tuesdays win and has 10 points in his last 7 games. His line with David Perron and Chris Stewart have been clicking as well and are a safe play tonight with a great matchup.

7:30 p.m. Colorado Avalanche at Ottawa Senators

The Sens are playing on the second half of a back-to-back after losing 3-1 last night in Detroit.

Ottawa didn’t exactly put forward their best effort last night after acquiring Dion Phaneuf in hopes of making a playoff push.

This is one of the games that has potential to be sloppy tonight, which in turn can lead to goals being scored on both ends.

Colorado players will be very under owned in GPPs tonight so this makes them a good option to take a look at specifically in GPPs.

Matt Duchene has quietly put together a solid season with 24 goals and 43 points through 56 games. He’s playing with Nathan McKinnon on the top line which should be the line getting the scoring opportunities tonight.

Also worth a look is Avalanche defenseman Tyson Barrie. He’s scored 33 points this year and is the QB on the PP1.

For the Senators, defenseman Erik Karlsson is the play tonight. He doesn’t seem to come off the ice, and has 60 points through 55 games this year. He’s a solid play in all formats.

Upfront, Mike Hoffman, Kyle Turris and Bobby Ryan form one of the most talented lines in the league. They’re worth a look, especially at home, where Ottawa is playing to a 14-9-4 record.

8 p.m. Washington Capitals at Minnesota Wild

The hottest team in the league meets the coldest.

Capitals players will be all over DFS rosters tonight and for good reason. They’ve won 4 in a row, are running away with the East, and the Wild are 1-7-2 in their last 10.

Ovechkin and Washington’s number 1 ranked power play are a safe bet in all formats tonight. He’s skating with TJ Oshie and Nick Backstrom on both the power play and even strength. This is a tremendous stack and it will be popular tonight. So if you choose to go with them, make sure you can differentiate your lineup with your other picks.

Washington also has defenseman John Carlson back, making him a safe play in all formats. This power play is deadly, and they will get their looks tonight as Washington wins their 5th straight.

Also needing consideration for Washington is their second line centered by Evgeni Kuznetsov. He and Justin Williams along with Andre Burokovsky give the Caps the best secondary scoring in the league.

As for the Wild, there’s not much to like here lately. They’re not scoring and their not winning. A fade is in order, and if they don’t get it together soon, they’ll be watching the playoffs from home this year.

8 p.m. Boston Bruins at Winnipeg Jets

Here is a great opportunity for Boston and their 2nd ranked power play to put up some solid numbers against the Jets and their 27th ranked penalty kill.

Patrice Bergeron is on pace to have his best season since scoring 70 points in 2006-07. With 45 points through 53 games, keep riding this guy, especially while he continues to see PP1 minutes.

Also on the top power play is Loui Eriksson and Ryan Spooner. The points are filled by defenseman Torey Krug and center David Krejci.

Stacking Bergeron with Krug could pay off in this one. Throwing Brad Marchand into the mix also creates a high ceiling play for GPPs as his 25 goals lead the Bruins and he plays on the top even strength line with Bergeron. Marchand also sees PP2 time.

Another high-ceiling play for the Bruins tonight is their third line. Eriksson was bumped down to the third line to play with Spooner and Jimmy Hayes. This is a solid GPP stack tonight because, aside from their above average production from a third line, you also get under-owned exposure to the PP1 through Spooner and Eriksson.

8:30 p.m. Dallas Stars at Chicago Blackhawks

Dallas is currently 3 points behind the Central Division Hawks, so this will be a huge game with regards to the implications for the standings.

Chicago hit a minor speed bump with a 2-0 loss on Tuesday to San Jose. The loss came while the Hawks were playing with rookie winger Artemi Panarin who had the flu. Before that, they had won 16 of their last 20 games.

They are leading the West with 76 points and trail only Washington in the President’s trophy race.

Coincidently, Patrick Kane also has 76 points this season through only 57 games. He’s a play in all formats along with linemate Panarin. At this point the only questions about Kane are how many points can he put up this year and how wide of a margin can he win the scoring race by?

Defenseman Duncan Keith is also a safe play from Chicago tonight as he sees the PP1 minutes with Panarin and Kane and has 32 points through 47 games this year.

Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin are beginning to heat back up for Dallas after a lull that lasted through most of January. Seguin has 5 points in the last 4 games and Benn has added 3 in his last 2.

The trouble here is they are playing one of the hottest goalies in the league in Corey Crawford who leads the NHL in shutouts with 7.

Benn and Seguin are a GPP play only tonight but the ceiling is high as this game means a lot to Dallas.

9 p.m. Toronto Maple Leafs at Edmonton Oilers

Jordan Eberle and Connor McDavid will make magic tonight.

With trading away Dion Phaneuf, the Maple Leafs have essentially thrown in the towel on this season and are focused on building for the future.

The Leafs are still without top scorer James van Riemsdyk and now are playing with a depleted defensive corp that lacks leadership.

Look for the Oilers take advantage in this game by forcing Toronto to match their high-tempo style of play.

This is where McDavid is at his best and he’s bringing Eberle along for the ride. These two are a safe play in all formats tonight and are in line to score multiple points tonight.

I’d also want to look Edmonton’s way for goaltending tonight, whether it be Cam Talbot or Anders Nilson. Both options should be cheap, and they get a great matchup against Toronto who doesn’t score much to begin with.

Also deserving looks in Edmonton is Taylor Hall and Leon Draisitl who have been the sole reason to watch Edmonton during McDavid’s absence.

The future is bright in Edmonton, and games like the one tonight will show flashes of what that fans can expect out of these young stars over the next couple of years.

10:30 p.m. Calgary Flames at San Jose Sharks

The last time Johnny Gaudreau was a healthy scratch, game 6 of the 2014-15 season, he responded with a goal and an assist when he made it back into the lineup.

Gaudreau and Monahan are exceptionally talented players but they are also still very young. They still have something to prove. You can bet that being forced to sit out a game has lit a fire in their stomachs and Calgary’s top line will be in full flight tonight in San Jose.

They are a safe play yet again in all formats along with linemate Jiri Hudler and defenseman Mark Giordano who runs the PP1.

Interestingly, the Sharks do not have a very good record at home. They’re playing to 10-12-2 in San Jose.

However, they are 6-2-2 in the last 10 and keeping pace with LA in the Pacific Division.

It’s tough to know which San Jose team will show up tonight. I’d leave their best players Joe Pavelski, Joe Thornton and defenseman Brent Burns to GPP options only.