This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Thanks to Washington's victory over Pittsburgh on Saturday, we have a game Monday, but only one. As such, Monday and Tuesday have been combined for the purposes of daily fantasy hockey for Monday. With that in mind, here are some players to target, and to avoid, from Monday and Tuesday's tilts.
GOALIE
Marc-Andre Fleury, PIT vs. WAS ($35): Nashville's victory over St. Louis on Sunday means that there are only four goalies to choose from, and not of them are super inspiring. However, Fleury does have a .929 save percentage in the playoffs, and he's at home. Sidney Crosby is also back, which helps increase Fleury's chances of picking up a win. With the goalies in action Monday/Tuesday, having the guy who has the best chance to win may be the smartest way to go.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Craig Anderson, OTT at NYR ($30): Neither Anderson nor Henrik Lundqvist has had a great postseason, but Anderson's recent run of play has been particularly poor. He has a 3.86 GAA and a .878 save percentage in his last four contests. Additionally, the Senators lost both games in New York earlier in this series. The Rangers have also scored 2.91 goals per game in the playoffs, and they averaged 3.09 goals per contest during the regular season.
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CENTER
Kyle Turris, OTT at NYR ($15): Turris has five points in his last six games, including two goals in his last two contests. This comes after a season wherein he tallied 27 goals and 28 assists in 78 games, including 17 power-play points. Overall, Lundqvist has had a good playoffs, but he's got a .893 save percentage in his last four contests. On top of that, the Rangers allowed 2.90 goals per game at home this year.
CENTER TO AVOID
Derick Brassard, OTT at NYR ($17): Brassard picked up a goal in Game 5, but it was his first point of this series, and his first goal in eight games. What's more, in the two games played in New York earlier in this series, he was held to two shots on goal total. His minutes have also been down in the last couple of games too. While Turris and Brassard have roughly the same matchup, line matches aside, only one of the two (Turris,) has been playing well, and that's why he's worth targeting and Brassard is to be avoided.
WING
Marcus Johansson, WAS at PIT ($19): Johansson started 36.6 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, fourth most among Washington forwards. He's tallied eight points in the playoffs, and he currently has a three-game point streak. In his last three contests, he also has notched 10 shots on net. The Penguins allowed 32.6 shots on net per game this season, and in the playoffs that number is up to 36.8.
Rick Nash, NYR vs. OTT ($19): Nash started 35.0 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, which was second most of any New York forward. He tallied 23 goals on 195 shots in a mere 67 games. In the playoffs, he's added 38 more shots on net in 11 games. As previously noted, Anderson has struggled in this series, and during the regular season the Senators had the 27th-ranked penalty kill after the All-Star break. Nash doesn't get a ton of power-play time, but Ottawa's penalty kill concerns are still a minor reason for added optimism about Nash.
WINGS TO AVOID
Patric Hornqvist, PIT vs. WAS ($23): Hornqvist has been clearly banged up, and in his last game he managed zero shots on goal. He does have one goal in this series, but he hasn't quite lived up to his price point. The Capitals allowed a league-low 2.16 goals per game during the regular season, and during the playoffs they've allowed only 29.8 shots on net per contest. Braden Holtby may be unlikely to regain his regular-season form at this point (2.07 GAA, .925 save percentage), but the potential is there.
Bobby Ryan, OTT at NYR ($15): Ryan had a great series against the Bruins, but that good fortune hasn't continued against the Rangers. He has one point, an assist, in five games. Ryan only tallied 13 goals during the regular season, and he only had five power-play points in 62 games. His play against Boston may have made him seem intriguing, but now that he's seemingly come back down to Earth there's no real reason for enthusiasm about Ryan.
DEFENSE
Ryan McDonagh, NYR vs. OTT ($21): McDonagh had another fine regular season, tallying 42 points in 77 games, including 15 on the power play. He's taken that form into the playoffs, as he's got seven postseason points, all in his last eight games. That includes three power-play points. Additionally, he's blocked 32 shots in the playoffs after blocking 160 during the regular season, so he can add some fantasy value on that end of the ice. He may be on the pricier side of things, but he's worth it.
Nate Schmidt, WAS at PIT ($15): Schmidt has taken on a bigger role in the postseason, and he's notched four playoff points in nine contests. That includes a point in each of his last two games. As noted earlier, the Penguins allowed 32.6 shots on net per game in the regular season, and that number is up to 36.8 in the playoffs. However, Pittsburgh also ranked sixth in shot attempts per 60 minutes (58.8), which could give Schmidt the chance to block a shot or two.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Ian Cole, PIT vs. WAS ($17): Cole picked up a couple assists to start this series, but he's been held scoreless in his last three contests. He also only has one shot on goal in the entire series. On top of that, he hasn't lit the lamp in 25 games. While Washington hasn't been as strong defensively in the playoffs, the Capitals allowed a league-low 2.16 goals per game during the regular season.
Dion Phaneuf, OTT at NYR ($16): Phaneuf has five points in the playoffs, but those five points came in only two games. Other than that, he's been held without a point in the postseason. Plus, he only has one goal in his last 37 tilts. While Phaneuf could help fantasy owners without scoring, in each of his last three games he's tallied one shot on net and one blocked shot. Additionally, Lundqvist has a .930 save percentage in the playoffs, the best of any goalie in action Sunday.
