This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
It's almost time for March Madness, but don't forget about the NHL while you wait for college hoops. The league is certainly doing its best to keep hockey on everyone's brains, as there are eight games Monday. That means there are a lot of players to sift through – some are interesting values, and some are more questionable. Here are the players I think that you should target and avoid.
GOALIE
Tuukka Rask, BOS at VAN ($31): The Bruins have only allowed 26.5 shots on goal per game, while the Canucks have managed a mere 27.6 shots on net per contest. That's partially why Vancouver has averaged 2.24 goals per game, third fewest in the NHL. Rask only has a .915 save percentage, but he has a 2.23 GAA thanks to his defensive support. Plus, in his last nine contests, his save percentage is a much-improved .934.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Mike Smith, ARI vs. COL ($35): On the one hand, the Avalanche have been the worst team in the league offensively. On the other hand, Smith has a 3.00 GAA and a .912 save percentage. The Coyotes have also allowed 33.6 shots on net per contest, second most in the NHL. If Smith was cheaper, you could justify taking a chance and betting on him to pick up a win. However, Smith is the fourth-most expensive goalie Monday, and it's hard to spend $35 on a goalie with a 3.00 GAA.
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CENTER
Ryan Johansen, NAS vs. WPG ($15): Johansen doesn't score a ton of goals, but he has 41 assists in 68 games, and he's tallied 12 points in his last 10 contests. Additionally, he's averaged 2:55 per game on the power play, and he's tallied 20 points with the extra man. The Jets have allowed 3.16 goals per game, and their goaltenders have a collective .897 save percentage. That's the second worst in the NHL, and their penalty kill, which ranks 28th in the league, isn't much better. Johansen can definitely take advantage of that last fact.
CENTER TO AVOID
Claude Giroux, PHI vs. CLM ($20): While Giroux has put his extensive cold streak behind him, there is still reason to be concerned about this matchup. Columbus' Sergei Bobrovsky has a 2.07 GAA and a .930 save percentage, both of which rank third in the NHL, and the Blue Jackets have allowed the second fewest goals per game in the league. However, given Giroux has not been at an elite level this season (he's averaged 6.0 fantasy points per game) it's particularly hard to trust him Monday.
WING
Filip Forsberg, NAS vs. WPG ($21): Forsberg has started 36.1 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, and he's made the most of his offensive opportunities recently. In his last 10 games, he has 11 goals, four assists, and 39 shots on goal. That includes a whopping four games where he tallied three points. As previously mentioned, the Jets have ceded 3.16 goals per game, but in February they allowed a whopping 3.73 goals per contest. Admittedly, in March they've only allowed 2.80 goals per game, but that's far from impressive, and not a reason for concern when it comes to Forsberg.
Jeff Skinner, CAR at NYI ($18): Skinner has tallied a whopping 213 shots on goal in 62 games, which is a level of productiveness that has been par for the course in his career. Of course, considering that he's started 43.2 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, perhaps we shouldn't be too surprised. It should be business as usual for Skinner against the Islanders, as they've allowed 32.0 shots on goal per contest. They've also allowed 2.94 goals per game, and 21 of Skinner's 213 shots have found the back of the net (including six on the power play).
WINGS TO AVOID
Chris Kreider, NYR vs. TAM ($22): The Rangers are the one team that will be in action on back-to-back nights Monday, which is always worth a demerit point, even at home. However, the bigger concern is how well Andrei Vasilevskiy has played for the Lightning recently. In his last six starts he has a 1.46 GAA and a .956 save percentage. Five of the seven worst defensive teams in the NHL are in action Monday, so you definitely have better options than Kreider just based on relative matchup value.
Conor Sheary, PIT at CGY ($22): Speaking of goalies who have been hot recently, Calgary's Brian Elliott has a 1.13 GAA and a .963 save percentage over his last seven games. If you want a larger sample size, over the entire season the Flames have only allowed 28.6 shots on goal per contest. Sheary has played well since returning from his most recent injury, but it has come against teams like the Canucks, Jets, and Sabres. The Flames are a different story. Additionally, Sheary isn't going to help you on the power play, as he only has three points with the extra man.
DEFENSE
Torey Krug, BOS at VAN ($19): Krug has made everybody forget about his slow start, as he has 13 points in 14 games since the start of February. He's also tallied 175 shots on net in 68 games and he's notched 19 power-play points. On top of that, Krug has started 36.7 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone. The Canucks have given up 31.6 shots on net per contest, and their penalty kill ranks 24th in the league. Furthermore, since the start of February, Ryan Miller has a 3.07 GAA and a .911 save percentage.
Mark Giordano, CGY vs. PIT ($19): Pittsburgh has allowed 32.6 shots on goal per contest, which is fourth most in the league. Giordano has taken 125 shots on goal in 68 games, which isn't a lot, but is not inconsiderable, and he does have 10 goals. However, on the other end of the ice he has blocked 153 shots. The Penguins have attempted 60.1 shots per 60 minutes, which is fourth most in the NHL. Though Pittsburgh has gotten better at goal prevention since Matt Murray returned to action, that has no bearing on Giordano's ability to generate fantasy value through blocked shots. Plus, he has 12 power-play points, and Pittsburgh has the 18th-ranked penalty kill.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Drew Doughty, LOS vs. STL ($22): Doughty has failed to score a goal in his last 21 games, which is partially responsible for the fact he has averaged 6.5 fantasy points per game. While Doughty has taken 150 shots on goal in 67 games, the Blues have only allowed 28.1 shots on net per contest. Additionally, in his last 11 games Jake Allen has a 1.83 GAA and a .939 save percentage. The Blues also have the eighth-ranked penalty kill, so don't expect much luck for Doughty with the extra man either.
Alex Pietrangelo, STL at LOS ($19): The Blues may have only allowed 28.1 shots on goal per game, but the Kings have been even better. Los Angeles has allowed a mere 25.9 shots on net per contest, the fewest in the NHL. The Kings have also allowed only 2.46 goals per tilt, and their penalty kill ranks fourth in the NHL. All of that does not bode well for Pietrangelo, who only has two goals in his last 34 games.
