This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
OK, the Super Bowl was great, but now what are you going to do? Well, the NHL season is in full swing, so how about playing some daily fantasy? Here are some players to target and to avoid selected from Monday's three games of NHL action.
GOALIE
Steve Mason, PHI vs. STL ($27): Neither the Flyers nor the Blues have been particularly good defensively, although Philadelphia (2.98) has been a bit better than St. Louis (3.10). The Blues have also only taken 27.6 shots on net per game. Additionally, Philly is 16-7-4 at home, while St. Louis is 8-13-1 on the road. Mason has a pretty good chance of getting a win, and he's tied for being the cheapest goalie available Monday with his counterpart Jake Allen. To get the next cheapest goalie, you'll need to spend $32.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Frederik Andersen, TOR at NYI ($34): Over his last three games, Andersen has given up 13 goals. That means he now has a 2.73 GAA and .916 save percentage. The Islanders have scored 2.92 goals per game, and the Leafs are on the road. It's not a great selection of goalies Monday, but Andersen still seems questionable.
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CENTER
Mitch Marner, TOR at NYI ($16): Thomas Greiss, New York's probable starter in net, has been decidedly better than Jaroslav Halak, but the Islanders still have allowed 32.5 shots on goal per game, so Marner could be busy. He has put 126 shots on goal in 50 games, scoring 13 goals in that time. He's also been quite hot recently, notching 15 points over his last 12 games. On top of everything else, Marner's tallied 14 power-play points.
CENTER TO AVOID
Sean Couturier, PHI vs. STL ($16): Without any particularly great goalies in action Monday, and with some porous defenses taking the ice, there aren't a lot of clearly bad matchups to choose from. Couturier gets the selection here because his fantasy output probably doesn't make a ton of sense at this price point. He's only averaging 4.4 fantasy points per game, a paltry number. The next player available who is averaging fewer points is the mighty Alan Quine, who only costs $13.
WING
Evander Kane, BUF at NJD ($19): The Devils have allowed 31.3 shots on goal per game, and Kane is nothing if not a guy who puts a lot of shots on net. He's tallied 136 in 40 games, and over his last 12 contests he's notched 56 shots on goal. Kane also has 10 points in his last 12 games, so he's doing something with that shot volume too.
Alexander Steen, STL at PHI ($15): It feels like Steen is flying under the radar a bit, but he's tallied nine points over his last eight contests. The Flyers, as previously noted, have allowed 2.98 goals per game, and they also rank 18th in penalty-kill percentage. Steen has 11 power-play points, so he could take advantage of this fact. Also, he has 44 blocks, a solid number for a forward who contributes this much offensively.
WINGS TO AVOID
James van Riemsdyk, TOR at NYI ($22): The Islanders have allowed a lot of shots, but Greiss does have a 2.35 GAA and a .924 save percentage. Van Riemsdyk is having a good season, but he's facing the best goalie playing Monday. Given how pricey he is relative to the other options on the slate, you can do better.
Andrew Ladd, NYI vs. TOR ($17): Ladd is another player whose numbers on the season don't seem to line up with his price. He's averaging a mere 3.9 fantasy points per game, which simply is not good. Ladd only has 11 goals and five assists, not to mention only two power-play points. At $17, you can find several players having better seasons at a cheaper price.
DEFENSE
Colton Parayko, STL at PHI ($15): Parayko's 6.3 fantasy points per game is the third best average of any defenseman in action Monday, but he is not the third priciest defenseman. Right there, he's looking like a good value, even before you consider the quality of this matchup and Philadelphia's goal prevention issues. Additionally, the Flyers have averaged 31.1 shots on net per tilt, so Parayko, who has 81 blocked shots, should have chances to get in front of some pucks.
Andy Greene, NJD vs. BUF ($12): If you are looking for an interesting source of cap relief, Greene has a few things going for him. The Devils don't have much of a defensive grouping, but he's is best of the bunch. Greene has taken on a bigger role on the power play, and over his last seven games he's averaged 2:55 with the extra man, while the Sabres have the 29th-ranked penalty kill. Buffalo also has allowed a league-worst 33.6 shots on net. Greene doesn't usually take a ton of shots, but there's a good chance he'll take more than usual in this matchup.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Nick Leddy, NYI vs. TOR ($17): A lot of Leddy's damage has come on the power play. He's averaged 3:14 with the extra man, notching 10 of his 27 points in that time. Toronto has the sixth-best penalty kill in the league, so Leddy might not be able to have his usual success in this matchup. He also doesn't block as many shots as his teammates Johnny Boychuk ($15) or Calvin de Haan ($17), and could miss out out on some value as the Leafs have taken 32.3 shots on net per game.
Shayne Gostisbehere, PHI vs. STL ($17): Gostisbehere was a healthy scratch in Philadelphia's last game. You'd be hard-pressed to find a better reason to be down on a player. He hasn't scored a goal since November 25, and he only has four on the season. Additionally, 13 of Ghost Bear's 21 points have come on the power play, and St. Louis ranks ninth in penalty-kill percentage.
