This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Here are some NHL players that I suggest you target, or avoid, from Monday's slate of six games. However, the first game is at 1:00 PM ET, so be sure to get on top of things early. It's President Day. Let's do it for Warren G. Harding!
GOALIE
Jonathan Quick, LOS at CHI ($28): Sure, Quick and the Kings are on the road, but the Blackhawks are 13-13-3 at home. They are also 2-7-1 in their last 10 games. Quick has a 2.51 GAA and a .920 save percentage, and Los Angeles has recently fortified their defense by adding Dion Phaneuf. The American netminder is on the cheaper end, making him worth a shot away from California.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Mike Smith, CGY vs. BOS ($32): For starters, Smith is still banged up, so he may not even play. Even if he can give it a go, this is a dicey situation. The Flames are 13-14-3 at home, while the Bruins are 16-6-4 on the road. Boston has also scored 3.27 goals per game, which is top five in the NHL.
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CENTER
Eric Staal, MIN at NYI ($20): In his last 13 games Staal has tallied 15 points, giving him 26 goals and 26 assists through 58 contests. Now he gets to set his sights on the Islanders and their woeful defense. New York has a 3.55 team GAA and it has allowed 36.2 shots on net per contest. Both are league worsts.
CENTER TO AVOID
Ryan Getzlaf, ANA at VGK ($23): Getzlaf has zero points in his last four games, and only four in his last 11. The home-ice juggernaut that is the Golden Knights should make things tough for Getzlaf. Vegas has a 2.25 team GAA at home, second best in the NHL, and it has only allowed 29.5 shots on net per contest.
WING
Kevin Fiala, NAS vs. OTT ($17): Fiala has started 60.6 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, third most among Nashville forwards. He's also averaged 2:23 per game with the extra man, tallying 11 power-play points in 56 contests. The Senators have the 29th-ranked penalty kill, which bodes well for the Swiss winger.
Jordan Eberle, NYI vs. MIN ($17): Eberle has 20 goals in 60 games, meaning he has hit the 20-goal threshold for the fifth straight season. The Islanders have a lot of high-scoring players, but there could be plenty of offense to go around in this one. Minnesota has a 3.59 team GAA in away games. That's worst in the NHL. Yes, even worse than the Islanders.
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WINGS TO AVOID
Johnny Gaudreau, CGY vs. BOS ($29): The Bruins have a 2.45 team GAA, which is best in the league. They've also allowed a mere 29.2 shots on net per contest, second best in the NHL. Boston has even been strong on the road, posting a 2.54 team GAA away from home. That will make it awful hard for Gaudreau to end up being worth this price.
Patrick Kane, CHI vs. LOS ($29): Kane scored two points in his last game, but prior to that he was held scoreless in five straight. The Kings haven't been quite as tough as the Bruins, but their 2.50 team GAA is second only to Boston. Additionally, Kane has done a lot of his damage on the power play, and Los Angeles has the third-ranked penalty kill.
DEFENSE
Ryan Ellis, NAS vs. OTT ($20): It's taken Ellis a little time to get into the swing of things after missing so much time with an injury, but in his last seven games he has four points and 25 shots on net. The Senators have a 3.40 team GAA and have allowed 33.3 shots on net per contest. That team GAA is second worst in the NHL, which could help Ellis continue to round into form.
Nick Leddy, NYI vs. MIN ($15): Leddy has been hot, notching seven points in his last eight games. That includes four power-play points, giving him 14 points with the extra man through 60 games. In addition to having the worst road team GAA in the league, the Wild have the 27th-ranked penalty kill in away games.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Erik Karlsson, OTT at NAS ($26): Karlsson has had a great season by most standards, but not by his own. Though he is the most expensive blueliner Monday, he's "only" averaged 7.0 fantasy points per game. Several cheaper players have averaged more. The Predators, for their part, have a 2.54 team GAA and a .921 team save percentage. That also makes this a rather tough matchup for Karlsson.
Mark Giordano, CGY vs. BOS ($20): The tremendous defensive acumen of the Boston Bruins was established at length earlier. In short, they've been arguably the best defensive team in the NHL, making this a difficult matchup for Giordano. On top of that, the 34-year-old only has one goal in his last 18 contests.
