This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
On the one hand, Monday only has two NHL games on the slate. On the other hand, the first game starts at 8:30 p.m. ET. That means you have limited options for your DFS lineup, but more time to get your lineups in compared to most days. These are my players to target, and to avoid, for your DFS lineups.
GOALIE
Philipp Grubauer, SEA vs. BUF ($21): Both Grubauer and Joey Daccord are getting playing time, and both have been doing fairly well in net recently. Grubauer is currently the "1" to Daccord's "1A," so I'll go with him. The German has a 2.17 GAA and .925 save percentage over his last nine outings. The Sabres have managed a below-average 2.93 goals per game. That's in line with the Coyotes and Blue Jackets, two offenses you likely don't think of as concerning when you select your DFS goalies.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Charlie Lindgren, WAS at CGY ($33): The Flames, 16th in goals per game, rank highest on that front of these four teams. Not a big day for offense! Lindgren's last two road starts have gone well, but that has not been the norm this year. He has a 2.72 GAA and .908 save percentage in away outings.
CENTER
Mikael Backlund, CGY vs. WAS ($18): Backlund has tallied 41 shots on net over his last 14 games. That's not a surprise, as he had 260 shots on goal last season. Now, he also has four goals in that time, but that isn't a surprise either, as Backlund's shooting percentages skew lower than average. However, throw in his seven assists in those 14 games and things look encouraging. Also encouraging, especially in a relative sense Monday, is Lindgren's .908 save percentage on the road.
CENTER TO AVOID
Dylan Strome, WAS at CGY ($19): Turns out it's harder to produce when you are not skating next to Alex Ovechkin! Strome still gets his power-play time with Ovi, and eight of his last 16 points have come with the extra man. The issue here, though, is that the Flames have the fourth-ranked penalty kill. That limits the potential for success with the extra man.
WING
Alex Tuch, BUF at SEA ($24): Tuch is the only wing currently on the top power-play unit for the Sabres, and the Kraken do rank 19th on the penalty kill. He also has 42 points in 61 games after having 36 goals and 43 assists last season. You only have four teams worth of players to pick from, and none of these matchups is truly imposing. I think you might as well mix it up Monday.
Jordan Eberle, SEA vs. BUF ($18): Eberle has two points in his last eight games after a hot streak of seven points in seven games. However, the former Islander has been unlucky, having put 23 shots on target in those eight games without a goal. The Sabres don't allow a ton of shots, but with a game in Vancouver on Tuesday, the expectation is Devon Levi will start Monday, as he was called up from the AHL for a reason. He also has an .891 save percentage in the NHL this year.
WINGS TO AVOID
Jeff Skinner, BUF at SEA ($21): If Tuch is the only wing on the top power-play unit, by deductive reasoning you know Skinner is not. In fact, he's also been down on the third line for the Sabres recently. Five times in his last seven outings he's had zero or one shot on target as well. With Grubauer having a .925 save percentage over his last nine games, only getting a single shot on goal isn't likely to suffice for Skinner.
T.J. Oshie, WAS at CGY ($15): You know how it goes with Oshie. He's a high-level power-play specialist…when healthy. This year he has 10 power-play points across the 42 games he's managed to play in. Of course, given the fact the Flames have the fourth-ranked penalty kill, it's not a good day to be reliant on working with the man advantage.
DEFENSE
MacKenzie Weegar, CGY vs. WAS ($19): Weegar has 15 goals this year already, which is remarkable. His scoring has slowed down, unsurprisingly, but he just picked up three assists in his last outings, so it's not like the former Panther has disappeared. The defenseman has 167 shots on net and 161 blocked shots. He's an active defenseman and with Noah Hanifin gone arguably the Flames' most-important defenseman.
Bowen Byram, BUF at SEA ($19): Why is there only one wing on the Sabres' top power-play unit? Because since the trade that brought him to town, Byram is skating with Rasmus Dahlin as both Buffalo's top pairing and as the point men on the power play. The 22-year-old defenseman has averaged 24:42 per game in ice time with the Sabres, including 2:50 with the extra man. That's helped him tally five points and 12 shots on net in five games. He should see plenty of the Kraken's middling penalty kill.
DEFENSE TO AVOID
John Carlson, WAS at CGY ($22): Once more, my fear of the Flames' fourth-ranked penalty kill comes into play. Carlson has tallied 14 of his 39 points with the extra man. He's also shot worse this year, or had worse puck luck, as his 3.8 shooting percentage is below his 6.3 career number. Given that Carlson is 34 and has been in the NHL for over a decade, I do worry it may be a true dip in production and not merely poor luck.
Rasmus Andersson, CGY vs. WAS ($12): This is simply a case of "Don't bet on the guy who is ice cold." Andersson only has one point in his last nine games. He only has 12 shots on net in his last 12 contests. The Swede hasn't scored a goal in his last 25 outings. Yeah, it's been a rough stretch for a usually-reliable defenseman.
