This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Welcome back, hockey fans! The All-Star break is over. David Pastrnak has an MVP he doesn't deserve (you were robbed, Tomas Hertl). Now, though, the games count again. There are six NHL games Monday. With plenty of rest for these teams, here are my players to target, and to avoid, for your daily fantasy lineup.
GOALIE
Marcus Hogberg, OTT vs. NJD ($24): No, I didn't forget everything I knew about hockey during the break. I am recommending a Senators goalie on purpose. Hogberg has shown at least some potential since getting called up this season, and he has a .926 save percentage over his last five appearances. The Devils have only managed 2.58 goals per game, and remember some of that came when Taylor Hall was still in New Jersey.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Carey Price, MON vs. WAS ($31): Price seemed like he had regained his old form last season, but this year he has a 2.84 GAA and .908 save percentage. Though Alex Ovechkin has to sit this one out for skipping the All-Star Game, the Capitals have plenty of offense behind Ovi. Otherwise, they wouldn't be averaging 3.55 goals per contest.
CENTER
Matt Duchene, NAS vs. TOR ($18): Duchene hasn't been quite what Nashville had hoped this year, but his 9.9 shooting percentage is the primary reason for that. He should get more puck luck coming his way, and he does have nine points with the extra man in 44 games. Frederik Andersen may have been an All-Star, but the Maple Leafs still have a 3.29 GAA and the 25th-ranked penalty kill.
CENTER TO AVOID
Brayden Point, TAM at DAL ($28): Point is having a great season, 42 points in 45 games, but he's well off the pace of last year when he had 92 points in 79 games. A lot of that is due to a drop off on the power play, where he has 11 points, and only one in his last 13 contests. The Stars have the league's best GAA, and the seventh-best penalty kill, so Point's return to action comes in a tough matchup.
WING
William Nylander, TOR at NAS ($22): Nylander has put his baffling 5.4 shooting percentage from last season far behind him. He's tallied 22 goals and 21 assists this year, including 12 power-play points. The Predators have had a puzzling season defensively, especially in net, and that shows in their 29th-ranked penalty kill.
Connor Brown, OTT vs. NJD ($16): Brown is probably bummed the league had to take the All-Star break, because he had a goal and an assist in his last three games before the hiatus. On the season he has 31 points in 48 games, but that's with an 8.8 shooting percentage that's actually a career low. I think Brown's streak could continue, because the Devils have a 3.68 GAA on the road and have allowed 34.4 shots on net per contest in away outings.
WINGS TO AVOID
Jaden Schwartz, STL at VAN ($20): Schwartz wasn't part of the All-Star festivities like a few Blues players, and also legends like Al MacInnis and his "100.4 MPH slap shot." He and his teammates are traveling to Vancouver, where the Canucks have been a tough opponent. The Canucks have a 2.58 GAA at home, and Jacob Markstrom personally has a 2.46 GAA and .926 save percentage on his own ice.
Jamie Benn, DAL vs. TAM ($18): This has not been Benn's season. A man who once scored 41 goals in a season only has 12 in 48 games this year. Like Benn, Tampa's goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy got off to a slow start, but unlike Benn the Russian goalie has picked up his play quite a bit (2.15 GAA, .928 save percentage in his last 18 games).
DEFENSE
Tyson Barrie, TOR at NAS ($20): Barrie got off to a slow start with his new team, but he has 10 points in his last 11 games, including five on the power play. He had 25 power-play points with Colorado last year, but he's only got eight this year in a new role. Still, the Predators have the 29th-ranked penalty kill, and we know Barrie knows what to do with the extra man.
Thomas Chabot, OTT vs. NJD ($17): I feel like I'm taking crazy pills but I am, in fact, recommending three Senators today. Hey, being at home against New Jersey is about as good of a matchup you can find that doesn't involve the words "Red Wings." Like I mentioned earlier, the Devils have a 3.68 road GAA. Chabot, meanwhile, has 27 points and 130 shots on goal in 48 games.
DEFENSE
Victor Hedman, TAM at DAL ($24): This is now about Hedman's play this season, though he only has five points, all assists, in his last 12 games. By his standards that's not great, and he is one of the priciest defenseman you will find. His price may be hard to live up to against the Stars, who have a 2.08 GAA at home.
Alexander Edler, VAN vs. STL ($21): The rise of Quinn Hughes has been great for the Canucks, but it hasn't been as good for Edler. Last year, he averaged 3:07 per game with the extra man, but this year he's down to 1:42 per contest. That hurts his fantasy potential, especially against a Blues team led by Jordan Binnington, who has a 2.58 GAA.
