Advertisement

Yahoo Daily Fantasy Hockey: Monday picks

SUNRISE, FL – FEBRUARY 09: Aaron Ekblad #5 of the Florida Panthers carries the puck during a game against the Los Angeles Kings at BB&T Center on February 9, 2017 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
SUNRISE, FL – FEBRUARY 09: Aaron Ekblad #5 of the Florida Panthers carries the puck during a game against the Los Angeles Kings at BB&T Center on February 9, 2017 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

By Chris Morgan

After a busy weekend in the NHL — Saturday was Hockey Day in Canada and Sunday was Hockey Day in America, after all – there are only two games Monday. That’s a big step down, but that doesn’t mean you can’t play daily fantasy. The pickings are slimmer, but you still have some decisions to make about who to target and who to avoid.

[Join a Yahoo Daily Fantasy Hockey contest now]

GOALIE

Jake Allen, STL vs. FLA ($30): Here’s how bleak the goaltending situation is Monday: Arizona’s Mike Smith is the most expensive netminder. Allen hasn’t had a great, or even a good, season, but his team should still be able to get him a win. The Blues are 18-9-4 at home, and St. Louis has scored 2.85 goals per game. Meanwhile, the Panthers have only scored 2.53 goals per contest, and Roberto Luongo has a 3.93 GAA and a .892 save percentage in his last nine games. In a vacuum, Allen wouldn’t usually be a great choice, but he’s the best of an uninspiring set of options.

GOALIE TO AVOID

Mike Smith, ARI vs. ANA ($33): As previously noted, Smith is the priciest goalie Monday. That’s the same Smith who has a 2.87 GAA playing for a team that has allowed 33.7 shots on goal per contest. Anaheim will be on the second night of a back-to-back, but they are still clearly a better team that Arizona. The Ducks have allowed 2.53 goals per game, while the Coyotes have only scored 2.32 goals per game. Given how this season has gone for Arizona, it feels hard to justify paying more money for Smith than you’d have to spend on any other goalie.

CENTER

Vincent Trocheck, FLA at STL ($17): Yes, Allen was chosen as the goalie to target, but as mentioned it’s not necessarily because of Allen’s play, given that he only has a .902 save percentage. Trocheck, meanwhile, has played 21:28 per game, and he’s started 33.8 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone. He’s notched 20 goals on 161 shots on net in 57 games, and is also currently nursing a five-game point streak.

CENTER TO AVOID

Christian Dvorak, ARI vs. ANA ($17): Because John Gibson played Sunday, Jonathan Bernier is projected to start for the Ducks on Monday. However, it’s entirely possible Gibson, who has been having a great year, will get another nod. Even if Bernier does start, since the beginning of January he has a 2.00 GAA and a .933 save percentage. Beyond that, Dvorak will cost you $17 even though he’s only averaged 3.9 fantasy points per game. Jonathan Marchessault is averaging the second fewest fantasy points per game in the $17 range, and he’s all the way up at 6.2.

WING

Jakob Silfverberg, ANA at ARI ($20): As mentioned already, the Coyotes have allowed 33.7 shots on net per game, which is the second most in the NHL. They aren’t headed in the right direction either, as Arizona has given up 35.4 shots on goal per contest in February, to go along with 3.25 goals per game. Silfverberg has notched 17 goals on 158 shots on net, and he’s tallied 23 shots on goal in his last six games.

Alexander Steen, STL vs. FLA ($15): In addition to Luongo’s recent struggles, the Panthers have allowed 31.6 shots on net per game. Steen’s picked up his play recently, as he’s notched 14 points in his last 15 games. Additionally, he has 50 blocked shots in 53 games, which is a pretty good number for a forward with offensive skills. Considering how few players are in action, getting somebody like Steen at this relatively cheap price feels like a nice bargain, especially given Luongo’s issues as of late.

WINGS TO AVOID

Jussi Jokinen, FLA at STL ($17): Because of questionable goaltending, the Blues have allowed quite a few goals, but they have some defensive bona fides. They’ve only allowed 27.6 shots on net per contest, and their penalty kill is ranked fourth in the league. Jokinen only has 19 points in 47 games, and he’s only notched 81 shots on net in that time, leading to just 3.9 fantasy points per game. To find anybody averaging fewer points per game, you have to get down to a handful of players who will only cost you $12.

Jordan Martinook, ARI vs. ANA ($17): The Ducks have only given up 29.5 shots on net per game, in addition to only having allowed 2.53 goals per game. Both of those rank in the top 10 in the NHL. Martinook has already scored more goals this season (10) than he did all of last season (nine) in part because his shooting percentage has jumped from 8.3 to 12.2. It’s hard to know which is more indicative of his true talent level, but that is a notable increase, and Martinook has only taken 82 shots in 52 games. Plus, considering he’s only averaged 0:29 per game on the power play, he’s not going to help you there.

DEFENSE

Hampus Lindholm, ANA at ARI ($17): While Cam Fowler is often thought of as the “offensive” defenseman on the Ducks, Lindholm actually starts a much greater percentage of his shifts in the offensive zone (34.5 to 28.5). He doesn’t get quite as much power-play time, but he gets enough (1:50 per game) to make him slightly more interesting against Arizona’s 27th-ranked penalty kill. After a slow start, Lindholm’s offensive output has picked up a bit, as he has seven points and 32 shots on goal in his last 13 games. He’s also blocked 61 shots in 47 games, so he can add a little fantasy value there.

Aaron Ekblad, FLA at STL ($16): The Blues doesn’t allow many shots per game, but Ekblad is the kind of player who can overcome that. He’s tallied a whopping 175 shots on net in 57 games, putting him on pace for 252 this season. Ekblad has also started 39.3 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, which ranks eighth in the league among defensemen who have played at least 500 minutes this season. Plus, after some struggles to score earlier this season, Ekblad has a three-game point streak.

DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID

Alex Petrovic, FLA at STL ($17): Petrovic has put up a pretty impressive point total in limited action, having tallied 11 points in 24 games. However, he’s on Florida’s third pairing and he’s only averaged 17:40 per game, including a mere six second a night on the power play. Additionally, Petrovic has only taken 24 shots on net in 24 games. There aren’t really any clearly bad values among blueliners Monday, so it makes sense to steer clear of Petrovic and his limited track record of success.

Alex Goligoski, ARI vs. ANA ($17): The Ducks are the one team in action Monday that has shown any defensive acumen, so even though they are the only team that will be in action on back-to-back nights there’s still reason for skepticism about any Coyotes players. Goligoski and Oliver Ekman-Larsson will both cost you $17, but Ekman-Larsson has had a decidedly better fantasy season, as he’s averaged 5.2 fantasy points per game to Goligoski’s 4.6. So if you really want a Coyotes defenseman, and you probably shouldn’t, Ekman-Larsson is the better option.

MORE FROM YAHOO HOCKEY: