For Monday, Yahoo’s main slate of contests features the four games starting at 4 p.m. ET or later. Here are some players to target, and to avoid, for your DFS lineups.
GOALIE
Jacob Markstrom, CGY vs. PHI ($22): This is less about Markstrom’s play as it is about the matchup and also his salary. The Flyers have managed only 2.67 goals per game, lowest of any of those eight teams Monday. On top of that, the Flames have allowed a mere 27.4 shots on net per contest. If Calgary’s defense keeps Markstrom from being too busy – highly plausible – he should at the very least not allow more than a couple goals at most.
GOALIE TO AVOID
David Rittich, WPG at NYR ($28): Rittich may have a 2.49 GAA, but he also has a .911 save percentage. He doesn’t play a ton behind the workhorse Connor Hellebuyck, but he’s likely to start here on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back. The Rangers have averaged 3.36 goals and 32.1 shots on net per contest, and now they have Vladimir Tarasenko in the mix as well.
CENTER
Filip Chytil, NYR vs. WPG ($17): Another reason to be wary of Rittich as your goalie? The Rangers reunited their young forwards on a line and it is paying off. That’s especially true for Chytil, who has 14 points in his last 15 games. Catching an opponent that is on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back and starting their backup goalie should only benefit Chytil on Monday.
CENTER TO AVOID
Pierre-Luc Dubois, WPG at NYR ($24): Dubois is, of course, going to be on the road playing his second game in as many days. Admittedly, Igor Shesterkin has struggled since the All-Star break, but I don’t expect the reigning Vezina winner to keep scuffling. He still has a 2.55 GAA and .914 save percentage as is, and the Russian has a career .924 save percentage for good measure.
WING
Jared McCann, SEA at SAN ($17): McCann has a five-game point streak, and given that James Reimer has a 3.31 GAA and .895 save percentage, it could easily become six. Now, the Sharks do have the second-ranked penalty kill, and McCann has tallied 11 of his points with the extra man. However, that means he has 29 points outside of his power-play time, including 21 goals.
Kyle Palmieri, NYI at PIT ($17): Since returning from injury, has nine points in 11 games, He also has 29 shots on net in that time, and the Penguins have allowed 34.1 shots on goal per contest. Also, Tristan Jarry has yet to return, and Casey DeSmith has a 3.28 GAA and .904 save percentage.
WINGS TO AVOID
Jake Guentzel, PIT vs. NYI ($28): Guentzel’s lofty salary is coming up against a matchup against Ilya Sorokin in net for the Islanders. Sorokin has a 2.44 GAA and .923 save percentage. The Russian goalie has also helped the Islanders to the fifth-ranked penalty kill, and while only 11 of Guentzel’s 50 points have come with the extra man, that fact certainly doesn’t help his fantasy upside.
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Travis Konecny, PHI at CGY ($20): Konecny has three points over his last two games, but prior to that he had an eight-game stretch without a point. All in all, he has six points in his last 15 games, with three of them coming against the two worst defenses in the NHL. The Flames are not that. They’ve allowed only 27.4 shots on net per contest and have a top-10 penalty kill.
DEFENSE
Noah Dobson, NYI at PIT ($19): As I noted, the Penguins have allowed 34.1 shots on net per game. Dobson, for his part, pelts the net with pucks. He’s tallied 153 shots on goal in 55 outings. The defenseman also has at least one point in six of the seven games he’s played since the All-Star break. If Jarry is still not ready to return, as expected, even better for Dobson.
Vince Dunn, SEA at SAN ($17): Yes, 11 of Dunn’s 40 points have come on the power play. However, he has 12 points in his last 17 contests, and only two of those have come with the extra man. That’s encouraging with Dunn set to face a team with the second-ranked penalty kill but a 3.65 GAA.
DEFENSE TO AVOID
Kris Letang, PIT vs. NYI ($21): Nine of Letang’s 23 points have come on the power play, but as I noted, the Islanders have the fifth-ranked penalty kill. Sorokin has a .923 save percentage, as I noted, which also doesn’t bode well for the veteran Penguins defenseman.
Neal Pionk, WPG at NYR ($15): Pionk will be facing his former team, but he’s stuck playing second fiddle to Josh Morrissey these days, and that has left him basically not playing on the power play. He only has two points with the extra man. Now he’s on the second leg of a back-to-back facing the reigning Vezina winner who has a 2.55 GAA even with some recent struggles.
