This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
By now you surely know the drill. Monday's contests consist of Game 2 of Senators-Penguins and Game 3 of Ducks-Predators, which takes place Tuesday. With that in mind, here are some players to target, and to avoid, for Monday's contests.
GOALIE
Marc-Andre Fleury, PIT vs. OTT ($32): Fleury took the loss in Game 1, but he's still at home in Game 2, and the Penguins went 31-6-4 in Pittsburgh this season. Additionally, the Senators scored a mere 2.51 goals per contest, 22nd in the NHL. Pittsburgh also gives Fleury plenty of offensive support, as the Penguins lead the league in scoring in the playoffs after doing the same thing in the regular season.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Craig Anderson, OTT at PIT ($33): Speaking of that potent Pittsburgh offense, the Penguins scored 3.80 goals on net at home this year. They also put 35.6 shots on goal per contest. Anderson was strong in Game 1, but he has a .917 save percentage in the playoffs. It's a tough matchup for Anderson, and with only four goalies in action anything can be the tipping point.
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CENTER
Evgeni Malkin, PIT vs. OTT ($32): Malkin is an example of a player who is well worth his hefty price. He leads the playoffs in scoring with a whopping 19 points in 13 games. He also has seven power-play points after 23 power-play points in 62 games. After the All-Star break, the Senators had the 27th-ranked penalty kill. Additionally, Malkin started 43.8 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, tops on the Penguins and one of the highest numbers in the league overall.
CENTER TO AVOID
Derick Brassard, OTT at PIT ($17): Brassard had a rough regular season (14 goals, 39 points), but he seemed to be turning things around against Boston. That turned out not to be sustainable. He tallied only one point against the Rangers, and was held pointless in Game 1 of this series. Brassard has also only averaged 1:39 per game on the power play in his last four games. Perhaps that shouldn't be surprising, considering that he only had seven power-play points in the regular season.
WING
Viktor Arvidsson, NAS vs. ANA ($23): It's been a while since Arvidsson has scored a goal, but he does have three assists in his last three games. He's also tallied 18 shots on net in those contests, and this year he put a whopping 246 shots on goal in 80 games. The Ducks have allowed 32.9 shots on net per contest in the playoffs and heading into Sunday's Game 2, John Gibson had a .911 save percentage. He had a .909 save percentage in Game 2.
Ondrej Kase, ANA at NAS ($12): An interesting development occurred in Game 2 for Kase. He found himself on Ryan Getzlaf's wing, and in the process he scored a goal on four shots. During the regular season, the youngster started 38.2 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, second most of any Duck. If he keeps playing alongside Getzlaf, his stock definitely rises. Considering how cheap he is, he could end up being a steal.
WINGS TO AVOID
Conor Sheary, PIT vs. OTT ($20): Speaking of guys with diminished minutes. Sheary has no goals in the playoffs, and only one point in his last seven games. In those seven contests, he's also only averaged 10:50 in ice time, and he's only put eight shots on goal. Ottawa's defensive stoutness (the Senators have allowed 2.62 goals per game in the playoffs) doesn't help Sheary's case either.
Corey Perry, ANA at NAS ($19): While Kase got moved up, Perry got moved back down to the third line. He only played 14:25 in Game 2, and put zero shots on goal. That doesn't bode well for Perry. Plus, although Pekka Rinne wasn't great in Game 2, he came into that game with a 1.41 GAA and a .950 save percentage.
DEFENSE
Roman Josi, NAS at ANA ($23): Josi managed to put 217 shots on goal in 72 games, which is a rather impressive number for a defenseman. He also tallied 18 power-play points while averaging 3:28 per game with the extra man. Josi has been prolific at putting the puck on the net in the postseason, as he's registered 36 shots on goal in 12 games. The Ducks have allowed 32.9 shots on net per game in the playoffs, and their penalty kill has also struggled in the postseason.
Cody Ceci, OTT at PIT ($14): The Penguins averaged 58.8 shot attempts per 60 minutes, sixth most in the NHL, and the most of any team left in the playoffs. Ceci blocked 159 shots in 79 games, and he's added 38 blocked shots in 13 playoffs games. If Ceci can get in front of a few pucks, that alone could give you enough bang for your puck. The fact the Penguins have allowed 35.2 shots on net during the playoffs is an encouraging sign as well.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
P.K. Subban, NAS vs. ANA ($20): Subban simply isn't putting the puck on the net these days. In his last seven games, he has not put more than one shot on net in a game, and he's tallied four shots on goal total. That makes it hard to score goals, or have much fantasy value. He's also blocked one shot or fewer in five of those seven tilts.
Dion Phaneuf, OTT at PIT ($16): Phaneuf's offense has gone missing recently. He has two points in his last 11 games, and both of those points came in the same contest. He also only has one blocked shot in each of his last five games. He's basically playing like a lesser version than Ceci at the moment, so why spend more money on Phaneuf when you can just have Ceci?
