This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Christmas, and the NHL's break for the holidays, creep closer and closer. For now though, you can entertain yourself with Monday's five games. Here are some players we think you should either target or avoid, to try and keep your holiday season merry.
GOALIE
Cam Talbot, EDM at STL ($28): Talbot has been solid this season, posting a .916 save percentage. The Blues only averaging 28.9 shots per game as well, which is certainly not a bad thing from his perspective. However, the reason the Edmonton netminder is intriguing today is that the Blues will be starting Carter Hutton, who has a .889 save percentage to go with two wins in nine games played. That increases Talbot's chances of getting a win, and at this price, he could be a real steal.
GOALIE TO AVOID
John Gibson, ANA at TOR ($31): While the Ducks are 10-4-1 at home, they are a mere 6-7-4 on the road. Gibson's personal performance is also questionable, as he has a .906 save percentage. The Leafs, for their part, are second in the league with 33.9 shots on goal per game, so even if he manages to get a win, he could still be in for a long day. That's just too much of a risk.
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CENTER
Sean Monahan, CGY at ARI ($16): It's always exciting to see a player with a matchup against the Coyotes, who are 29th in goals allowed (3.1) and last in shots allowed (35.6). Monahan has been on a tear recently, working on a nine-game point streak. The odds of him keeping that going against Arizona are quite favorable, and so is his price point.
CENTER TO AVOID
Dylan Larkin, DET at CAR ($15): There are a bunch of great matchups for forwards and defensemen Monday, especially with Petr Mrazek projected to start for Detroit instead of Jimmy Howard. The Hurricanes do not provide one of those strong matchups. Cam Ward has a 2.30 GAA, and Carolina's only given up 27.5 shots per contest. Larkin's been pretty good at putting the puck in the net this season, but he only has two assists, and only three points on the power play. With more enticing options available, you can do better.
WING
Jordan Eberle, EDM at STL ($20): Unlike Talbot, Eberle can directly benefit from Hutton being in net for the Blues. Despite the worst shooting percentage of his career Eberle still has eight goals, and he's added 15 assists to that. With Hutton and his .889 save percentage in net, Eberle looks even better on paper than usual.
Kris Versteeg, CGY at ARI ($14): When Versteeg has been able to stay out of the trainer's room, he's been able to produce, scoring nine games in his last eight points. Since he seems to be healthy at the moment, you certainly have to like him in this matchup against the Coyotes. Versteeg comes at a particularly low price point, which makes him a very low-risk play with the potential to really pay off here.
WINGS TO AVOID
Filip Forsberg, NAS at PHI ($20): In the month of December, the Flyers are only allowing 2.22 goals per game. Now, on the season they are giving up 2.97 goals per game, and December is a small sample, but it's enough to make you think – and enough reason to be lukewarm on Forsberg, considering that he's only averaging 4.9 fantasy points per game. Even in a matchup with Philly, you don't want to be using him right now.
Alexander Steen, STL vs. EDM ($19): Steen is in a similar boat to Forsberg. Edmonton has been better at goal prevention than Philly though, and Talbot has better numbers than Steve Mason. Steen, meanwhile, only has three goals this season, and he hasn't taken more than two shots on goal in any of his last 13 games. There are Blues players you could opt for in this matchup reasonably, but he is not one of them.
DEFENSE
Dougie Hamilton, CGY at ARI ($17): Having a defenseman who puts a lot of shots on goal is a very good thing in a matchup against the Coyotes, and Hamilton does just that. He's already taken 97 shots in 33 games, and six of those have gone in. He may only have three power-play points, but he's had at least 15 points with the extra man in his last two seasons. Hamilton should start netting more power-play points soon, and it could easily begin against Arizona and their 21st-ranked penalty kill.
Justin Faulk, CAR vs. DET ($15): The fact that Mrazek, who has a .902 save percentage, is currently projected to be Detroit's starter in this game definitely is a point in Faulk's favor. He hasn't quite lived up to his own lofty standards, but has six points in his last six games and has tallied 85 shots on goal in 28 games. He's still playing a ton of minutes, and a good amount on the power play, so at this price Faulk looks like a potential bargain, all things considered.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Oliver Ekman-Larsson, ARI vs. CGY ($18): Chad Johnson's last couple of starts have been lackluster, but on the season he has a 2.24 GAA and a .926 save percentage. Meanwhile, Ekman-Larsson is having a down season by his standards. He's on pace for 40 points and 175 shots on goal, which would be his lowest totals since the 2012-13 season, when he only played 48 games. His salary is starting to reflect his statistics more than his reputation, but this price point is still a bit high given the matchup.
Mike Green, DET at CAR ($16): Green is considered day-to-day after taking a late hit in Detroit's last game. That's reason enough for concern, but he also has an elevated 11.9 shooting percentage, and three of his seven goals came in one game early in the season. He also plays 3:25 per game on the power play, and the Hurricanes have the best penalty kill in the league.
