This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
It's a light night for the NHL on Monday, as there are only two games. However, one of those games features the Red Wings, so that should help tide your DFS lineup over for the day. Here are some players to target, and to avoid, for your daily fantasy hockey roster.
GOALIE
Juuse Saros, NAS vs. EDM ($31): The easy thing to do would be to just go with Pavel Francouz, and honestly that's a smart idea. However, just in case I wanted to make an argument for Saros instead of just saying "Take the goalie facing the Wings." Saros has been really impressive recently, as he has a 2.33 GAA and .930 save percentage over his last 11 games. The Oilers have averaged 2.91 goals and 29.4 shots on net per game on the road. If you don't want to just pay up for Francouz, Saros isn't a bad option.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Mike Smith, EDM at NAS ($29): There's really only one option here, given that you are obviously avoiding anybody in net for Detroit. Smith has also played well recently, but on the year he has a 2.87 GAA and .905 save percentage. The Predators have scored 3.14 goals and put 33.3 shots on net per game on average. By process of elimination, Smith is probably the guy to avoid.
CENTER
J.T. Compher, COL at DET ($15): Nathan MacKinnon is obviously great, and never a bad option if you can afford him. If you want to save some cash, though, Compher is currently the second-line center for the Avalanche. He only has 28 points in 61 games, but the Wings have a 3.78 GAA. There is no better matchup possible any day of the week.
CENTER TO AVOID
Dylan Larkin, DET vs. COL ($19): Larkin has basically been the Detroit offense recently. He has eight points over his last six games, even though I didn't realize the Wings had scored eight goals in that time. However, Pavel Francouz has a 2.24 GAA and .929 save percentage. I don't expect the scoring to continue.
WING
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, EDM at NAS ($21): There's a reason for skepticism about Juuse Saros, and that's the fact the Predators have the 29th-ranked penalty kill. Again, if you want an option other than Pavel Francouz I feel fairly confident in Saros, but there is potential for power-play success for Edmonton. Well Nugent-Hopkins has 22 power-play points in 59 games, so if Nashville doesn't stay disciplined watch out for the Nuge.
Joonas Donskoi, COL at DET ($13): I wanted to recommend Tyson Jost, but Yahoo still has him listed as a center, so Donskoi it is. Hey, he's still facing a team with a 3.78 GAA. Plus, the 27-year-old has 15 goals and 17 assists through 59 games. At this price, there is a ton of upside in this matchup.
WINGS TO AVOID
Filip Forsberg, NAS vs. EDM ($20): Forsberg has been snakebit for quite some time, as he doesn't have a single goal in his last 14 games. On top of that, 11 of his 43 points have come on the power play. The Oilers have the second-ranked penalty kill, so Forsberg isn't likely to find his puck luck there.
Anthony Mantha, DET vs. COL ($19): Mantha has actually played well when healthy. He's only played in 39 games, but he's notched 32 points. Still, Pavel Francouz has a 2.24 GAA and .929 save percentage. Plus, Colorado has a 2.39 GAA on the road, which is lowest in the NHL.
DEFENSE
Ryan Graves, COL at DET ($17): Graves doesn't play on the power play, but he hasn't needed to in order to have a strong fantasy campaign. He's notched nine goals on 124 shots, and he's often in the right place at the right time, as his plus-44 rating indicates. Graves also adds some fantasy value with his 131 blocked shots in 63 games.
Samuel Girard, COL at DET ($17): Girard is overshadowed by Cale Makar, and maybe even Ryan Graves, but he's no slouch. He's notched 33 points in 64 games, and he has a three-game point streak. The 21-year-old also has 12 power-play points. As you surely know by now, the Wings have a 3.78 GAA, highest in the league.
DEFENSE TO AVOID
Roman Josi, NAS vs. EDM ($29): As I mentioned earlier, the Oilers have the second-ranked penalty kill. Meanwhile, Josi has notched 20 of his 60 points with the extra man. Additionally, while he has 15 goals on the year, the Finnish defenseman only has one goal in his last 28 games.
Darnell Nurse, EDM at NAS ($17): The Predators may have a bad penalty kill, but Nurse isn't in line to take advantage of that. He's only averaged 1:01 per game with the extra man and only has three power-play points. Even Oscar Klefbom's injury hasn't led to much more time on the power play for Nurse. That means he'll have to face Juuse Saros and his .930 save percentage over his last 11 games without any help from having an extra man.
