Yahoo Daily Fantasy Hockey: Monday picks

By Chris Morgan

Thanks to the upcoming All-Star break, the NHL is trying to squeeze a little more action into the days ahead. There are six games on this slate, which is more than your typical Monday. Here are some of the players to target, and to avoid, for your daily fantasy lineups.

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GOALIE

Martin Jones, SAN at COL ($36): Sometimes, it pays to keep things simple. San Jose has won four in a row, and Colorado has lost five in a row. The Avalanche are 5-16-1 at home, where they average the fewest goals scored per game (2.02) in the league. Jones, for his part, has an impressive 2.24 GAA. Yes, he is on the pricier side, but he’s as close to a lock for a win as you are going to find.

GOALIE TO AVOID

Chad Johnson, CGY at TOR ($30): In his last start, Johnson got yanked after giving up three goals on four shots. Now, most goalies have off nights, but Johnson’s save percentage has dropped to .917 after a hot start to the season. Toronto also ranks third in shots on net per game and sixth in goals per game, so it’s not an easy matchup, especially on the road.

CENTER

Sean Monahan, CGY at TOR ($16): The Maple Leafs have an impressive offense, but defensively they leave something to be desired. They give up a whopping 32.7 shots on net per contest, and their team GAA is 2.84. Monahan has really picked up his place recently. In his last six games, he’s taken 25 shots on net, and he’s currently sporting a five-game goal streak.

CENTER TO AVOID

Jordan Staal, CAR at WAS ($20): Washington has been the best team in the league at goal prevention this season, and Braden Holtby has a 1.99 GAA. That doesn’t bode well for Staal, who is only averaging 5.5 fantasy points per game. In particular, Staal only has two power-play points, and that’s not likely to change against the Capitals’ third-ranked penalty kill.

WING

Justin Williams, WAS vs. CAR ($16): Remember when Cam Ward was having a resurgent season? Yeah, that seems to have gone by the wayside. He now has a .909 save percentage, and the Hurricanes are allowing 2.76 goals per game. Williams, meanwhile, has 10 points in his last 10 games, and he’s notched 101 shots on goal in 46 games.

Reilly Smith, FLA at ARI ($16): Smith is having something of a rough season, but it hasn’t been all bad. He does have eight power-play points, and he has tallied 23 shots on goal over his last seven games. Fortunately, this is an outstanding matchup for him. Arizona gives up a league-worst 33.8 shots on goal, and they also allow 3.24 goals per game. You don’t need to be having a great season to have a good game against the Coyotes.

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WINGERS TO AVOID

Rick Nash, NYR vs. LOS ($21): Nash has played well since returning from injury, but that includes two games against Toronto and one against Dallas. The Kings are a distinctly tougher matchup. They have been the stingiest team when it comes to allowing shots (26.1 per game) and Peter Budaj has a 2.14 GAA. The fact the Rangers played Sunday probably won’t matter much since it was an afternoon game, but this matchup is still concerning from a fantasy perspective.

Nikolaj Ehlers, WPG vs. ANA ($19): Perhaps it’s happened under the radar, but the Ducks have been quite good defensively this season. They are in the top 10 in terms of goals allowed per game, shots allowed per game, and penalty-kill percentage. Additionally, it’s possible that both Patrik Laine and Drew Stafford could be out Monday, which would mean a lesser right wing on Ehler’s line. Skating alongside a player like Chris Thorburn could hamper his fantasy value a bit.

DEFENSE

Aaron Ekblad, FLA at ARI ($17): As noted previously, the Coyotes have been charitable when it comes to allowing shots and goals. Ekblad has tallied a ton of shots for a defenseman, as he already has 154 in 48 games. He’s also averaging 3:04 a game on the power play, and Arizona has the 27th-ranked penalty kill.

Marc-Edouard Vlasic, SAN at COL ($15): Vlasic isn’t having a great fantasy season, but he’s averaging 5.4 fantasy points per game, which is good for a player at this price point. Additionally, this is a matchup that Pickles can easily take advantage of. The Avalanche are dead last in goals allowed per game, and they also give up 32.3 shots on goal per contest as well. Vlasic averages 21:26 per game, which will give him plenty of opportunities against lowly Colorado.

DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID

Ryan McDonagh, NYR vs. LOS ($21): McDonagh is having a fine season, but as with Nash, this is about the matchup against the Kings. As mentioned above, the Kings have been quite stingy when it comes to giving up shots and goals, especially with Budaj in net. McDonagh is on the pricier side, and it will be hard for him to provide good value in this matchup. With teams like Arizona and Colorado in action, choosing a player going up against the Kings becomes less justifiable.

Justin Faulk, CAR at WAS ($18): Much like McDonagh, Faulk finds himself with a rather difficult matchup Monday. Washington has been even better at goal prevention than Los Angeles, and Holtby ranks fourth in the league in GAA. Faulk has a tough opponent at hand, and Carolina’s 23rd-ranked power play likely won’t have much luck against Washington’s penalty kill.

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