This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
The best part about Monday's seven-game slate is the amount of stacking opportunities. There's just so many!
Start with the most obvious, with Tyler Seguin (six points in past three games) and Jamie Benn (four-game point streak) facing the Predators, and Jonathan Toews (five points in past five games, but no Marian Hossa now) and Patrick Kane (league-leading 78 points) against the Leafs. These two duos are probably the best bets for DFS owners, with the Stars going up against a Predators team that can't figure out how to keep the puck out of its own net, while the Blackhawks duo will be looking to light up the league's worst team.
Then there's the timeless duo of Pavel Datsyuk (four-game point streak) and Henrik Zetterberg (three-game point streak), re-united and facing a red-hot Kyle Okposo (five-game point streak), who finds himself re-united with John Tavares (goals in five of his past games). Both teams are in tight battles for playoff position, and it's no wonder that their respective coaches have decided to go back to what's worked.
Later, it's a Pacific Division battle between the Ducks and Flames, where Ryan Getzlaf (already 11 points in February) and Corey Perry (three points in past five games) will go head-to-head against Sean Monahan (three goals in past five) and Johnny Gaudreau (two assists in two games), while the Coyotes' duo of Max Domi (three assists in past six) and Anthony Duclair (two points in past three) will try to make minced meat out of Montreal's goaltending, which is not expected to have Carey Price back anytime soon.
They're often overlooked, but Henrik (two assists in past two) and Daniel Sedin (snapped six-game goal drought) round out the final group of duos, against a struggling Wild team that just saw head coach Mike Yeo get canned. The Wild won just once in their past 10 games, and find themselves so far out of the playoff race it'd take a miracle run to get back in, especially in the tough Central Division.
GOALIE
Jacob Markstrom, VAN vs. MIN ($34) - The Canucks put in a horrendous performance against the league-worst Leafs, and there's no way it can happen again, right? Ryan Miller will get the night off in favor of Markstrom, who will look to extend his winning streak to five games. Vancouver is banged up, and the Wild will want to impress new head coach John Torchetti, but Markstrom's been very good this season. He hasn't allowed more than two goals in each of his last four starts and faces a team that has had trouble scoring, which makes him a strong value play Monday. For those wishing to take less risk, Corey Crawford ($42) is the best bet.
Goalie to Avoid:
Jonas Hiller, CGY vs. ANH ($38) - The Ducks are suddenly the scariest team in the Pacific Division because their big guns have finally woken up. After languishing at the bottom of the division for much of the season, the Ducks have now won eight of their last 10 games and have a nine-point cushion against Calgary. Hiller is coming off a poor start against Arizona where he allowed four goals on 35 shots.
CENTER
Tyler Seguin, DAL at NSH ($27) - He suffered a cut on his arm against Washington, but thus far has not been ruled out for Monday's match. If he dresses, Seguin will be one of the top DFS players, scoring six points in his last three games, all of which were wins for the Stars. Pekka Rinne continues to struggle this season and will almost assuredly allow a few goals against a vaunted Stars offense. If Seguin doesn't play, Ryan Getzlaf ($27), Pavel Datsyuk ($25) and Jonathan Toews ($24) are also strong plays.
Center to Avoid:
Ryan Kesler, ANH at CGY ($22) - He's past his prime and is unlikely to ever post another 40-goal season, a result of tough defensive assignments, past injuries and his own limited abilities as an offensive player. Even against Calgary, Kesler's unlikely to hit the score sheet with just one assist in his last four games. He has just 27 points in 54 games this season.
WINGS
Patrick Kane, CHI vs. TOR ($33) - The league's top scorer deserves a spot in fantasy lineups every night. DFS players may not win with Kane in their lineup, but there's a good chance they'll lose without Kane, since he's the best offensive player in the league, with a healthy lead in the Art Ross race with 78 points. The Leafs may have pulled off an impressive defensive performance Saturday, but they won't be able to repeat that against the Blackhawks.
Jamie Benn, DAL at NSH ($29) - Whenever Patrick Kane and Benn are playing, picking wingers should be a no-brainer. Like Tyler Seguin, Benn is on a four-game scoring streak and coming off a strong game against Washington. The Predators will put Shea Weber and Roman Josi on Seguin and Benn, which will certainly make things tougher, but these days it seems like any pucks thrown at Pekka Rinne will wind up in the net.
Kyle Okposo, NYI vs. DET ($24) - Okposo is on a five-game point streak with three goals and five assists, and the Red Wings are expected to start Jimmy Howard in goal, giving Okposo an excellent chance to extend his streak to six games. He could probably shoot the puck a little more frequently, but he can be just as productive creating space and feeding pucks to John Tavares ($30). For DFS players who don't want to go with Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn, Tavares and Okposo is another duo worth picking. If neither duos are appetizing, then Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry ($22) will also do.
Wings to Avoid:
Patric Hornqvist, PIT at FLA ($27) - The Panthers have lost two straight, including a 5-0 shellacking by the Predators, but DFS owners are better off picking the Penguins' big guns. Despite playing alongside Sidney Crosby, Hornqvist has just one assist in his past four games and has a minus-4 rating over his last two games. He's a gritty forward who is very good at going into the dirty areas and retrieving pucks, but he just doesn't have the offensive talent to justify a lineup spot or his price tag.
DEFENSE
Roman Josi, NSH vs. DAL ($24) - Josi has a goal and four assists in his last three games, a model of consistency even though the Predators have alternated gone L-L-W-L-L-W in their last six games. He'll likely be tasked to shut down Dallas' top line, but that doesn't mean it'll completely take away his chances to score. For DFS owners who really like stacking up one team, you can't really go wrong with both Josi and Shea Weber ($23).
P.K. Subban, MON at ARI ($27) - Like Nashville, the Habs are having trouble stringing together wins recently but that hasn't prevented Subban from extending his point streak to eight games. After scoring just one goal over the first three months of the season, Subban has scored four goals since Jan. 9. The Coyotes will start the relatively inexperienced Louis Domingue in net, who may have trouble against a team that has scored 15 goals in its last four games.
Defensemen to Avoid:
Ryan Suter, MIN at VAN ($22) - It remains to be seen if the Wild's freefall will continue, and so long as they have trouble scoring, Suter's stats just won't be very good. He plays against the opposition's top lines, which means his offensive opportunities may be rather limited, and even when he does manage to create scoring chances, the Wild's forwards have had a lot of trouble capitalizing. Against a hot goalie in Markstrom and a Vancouver team that is looking to bounce back from a horrific Saturday showing, Suter's not a very enticing play.
Johnny Boychuk, NYI vs. DET ($21) - Among defensemen priced at $20 and over, Boychuk's most likely the weakest play. True, he has two goals and an assist in his last four games, but offense was never really Boychuk's strong suit. Those duties are usually given to Nick Leddy ($18) with Boychuk leading the way on the defensive side of the puck and pitching in only when opportunities arise. That's also not mentioning it's an early afternoon game, which usually throws things out of whack.
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