This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
It's a Monday in winter, and to make things worse there are only two NHL games today. However, that doesn't mean you can't play daily fantasy, and that doesn't mean we aren't here to help you with that.
GOALIE
Matt Murray, PIT vs. ARI ($41): The Penguins have won five in a row, and they are 11-2-1 at home. The Coyotes have the fewest wins in the NHL (nine) and they've only won three games on the road. Additionally, Murray has a .929 save percentage. Pittsburgh has the clearest path to victory Monday.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Mike Smith, ARI at PIT ($26): Smith is far and away the cheapest goalie projected to start Monday, but that's with good reason. In addition to Murray, the other two goalies in line to start are Carey Price and Tuukka Rask. One of these things is not like the other. Don't get too cute trying to save money; just steer clear of Smith.
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CENTER
Evgeni Malkin, PIT vs. ARI ($28): Malkin is the second most expensive center Monday, but the obvious play is to load up on Penguins. The Coyotes, who are allowing 3.04 goals per game, are clearly the worst defensive team in action. Sidney Crosby ($35) is even more expensive than Malkin, while Nick Bonino ($16) is a bit of a roll of the dice. Malkin is a proven commodity who is having another fine season (12 goals, 18 assists). He's worth ponying up for.
CENTER TO AVOID
Patrice Bergeron, BOS at MON ($22): Bergeron remains snakebit, as he still only has four goals, and he's stuck on two power-play points. The Canadiens are not the team to get right against. They are third in the league in goals allowed at 2.18, while Carey Price is also third in the league in both GAA (1.78) and save percentage (.940). Even if Bergeron had better numbers, you'd be smart to avoid this matchup.
WING
Chris Kunitz, PIT vs. ARI ($16): Kunitz, like Bergeron, has been unlucky when it comes to goal scoring. He only has two goals this season, but he also has a shooting percentage of 5.0. He's only finished with a shooting percentage below 10.0 once, and that season it was 9.9. Kunitz has scored 17 goals in each of his last two seasons, and he's got a great matchup against an Arizona team allowing 35.4 shots per game. With so few players in action, it's reasonable to pick up Kunitz relatively cheap and hope his luck turns around.
Radim Vrbata, ARI at PIT ($15): Yes, a lot of Pittsburgh's defensive numbers look iffy because of Marc-Andre Fleury's struggles in net. However, this is still a team that ranks 28th in penalty-kill percentage, and they're also allowing 32.1 shots per game. Vrbata is averaging 6.2 fantasy points per game, which is more than you will usually get at this price. If he lives up to that, he'll be a steal.
WINGS TO AVOID
David Backes, BOS at MON ($18): Like Bergeron, Backes is facing the Canadiens' stout defense, as well as the 2015-15 Hart Trophy winner in Price. Backes has been solid, but he only has three power-play shots, and his 61 shots on goal in 24 games is good but it isn't great. He's the kind of player you might use in a favorable matchup, but this is decidedly not that.
Brendan Gallagher, MON vs. BOS ($18): We've talked about Boston's tough matchup, but things aren't much easier for Montreal. The Bruins are only allowing 2.38 goals per game, and with Rask in net it's 1.85. Gallagher's minutes are down this season, and he only has two power-play points. Of course, the Bruins have the third-ranked penalty kill, so you wouldn't want to count on him with the man advantage anyway.
DEFENSE
Justin Schultz, PIT vs. ARI ($14): If you don't want to break the bank on Kris Letang ($29), Schultz is a solid alternative at less than half the price. He has eight points in his last six games, and he's averaging almost 17 minutes a game. It certainly feels like a better plan to take Schultz against the lowly Coyotes than to get a blueliner from that Bruins-Canadiens game.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson, ARI at PIT ($19): Ekman-Larsson has been a disappointment this season, but he's still averaging 4:06 per game on the power play, and he's totaled six points with the extra man. Considering the Penguins rank 28th on the penalty kill, Ekman-Larsson has the potential to take advantage of a favorable situation. His shots and minutes are down this year, but this is still a defenseman in his prime who has scored over 20 goals in his last two seasons.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Torey Krug, BOS at MON ($19): Krug has taken plenty of shots, especially for a defenseman, but he only has one goal to show for it. Montreal is middle-of-the-pack in shots allowed, but obviously not many of those shots are finding the back of the net. There are so few teams playing Monday, and Krug definitely has more talent than a lot of the blueliners in action. However, you can probably still find several players who provide better potential value.
Zdeno Chara, BOS at MON ($17): Chara is tied for the fifth most expensive defenseman on the slate. Shea Weber is much pricier, but he's been so good this year it's hard to completely dismiss him with only two games on the docket. Chara and Andrei Markov both cost $17, but Markov has been better this season (6.1 fantasy points per game to 5.3) and he has the slightly better matchup. Thus, Chara is the player to avoid.
