This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
I hope you've been enjoying the start of the NHL season, because the league is giving you a bit of a breather Monday. There are only two games on the slate. I'm still looking at numbers from last season by and large, though I am checking in on what teams are doing this year. The sample size is small, and even usage numbers can be skewed by the way games have played out. Power-play time can be all about an opponent taking a lot of penalties, for example. Here are some players to target, and to avoid, from Monday's limited slate.
GOALIE
Frederik Andersen, TOR vs. STL ($33): There's no other goalie I really want to start Monday. Nature of there only being four teams playing. Andersen is extremely consistent, as his save percentage in each of his last four years has been between .917 and .919. Yes, the Blues won the Cup last year, but their offense ranked 15th, and they are on the road.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Jordan Binnington, STL at TOR ($33): Now to switch to the opposite side of this game, if only because I don't think you'd consider a goalie in the Buffalo-Columbus game to begin with. Binnington was truly amazing as a rookie, and he has a 2.44 GAA and .921 save percentage through two games this year. However, the Maple Leafs scored 3.49 goals and averaged 33.4 shots on net per game last year, and their offense looks even better to start this season.
CENTER
Pierre-Luc Dubois, CLM vs. BUF ($15) : While the talent around Dubois has taken a hit, he's now also the de facto top-line center for the Blue Jackets. Not that the third-overall pick from 2016 hasn't shown his skills in the past. The 21-year-old had 27 goals and 61 points last year. As for the Sabres, they had a 3.27 GAA last year while giving up 33.0 shots on net per game.
CENTER TO AVOID
Brayden Schenn, STL at TOR ($19): Schenn had a big campaign in his first year with the Blues, but last season his numbers dipped a bit. He had 54 points, which is in line with his numbers in Philadelphia before he changed teams. Don't get excited by the fact the Canadiens just scored six goals on the Maple Leafs. That was with backup Michael Hutchinson in net.
WING
Jeff Skinner, BUF at CLM ($21): Skinner is coming off perhaps the best year of his career, as he scored 40 goals for the first time in his first year as a Sabre. He's always loved to shoot the puck as well, as he's had over 250 shots on goal in each of his last four contests. Sergei Bobrovsky is no longer in Columbus, leaving Joonas Korpisalo, who had an .897 save percentage last year, as the ostensible number-one goalie.
Victor Olofsson, BUF at CLM ($19): Hey, there are only two games on the slate, so why not double up? After all, I did just mention Joonas Korpisalo's .897 save percentage last season. I don't want to overreact to the three points in two games Olofsson has this year, or the four points he had in six games last season. However, he is also now on Buffalo's top line next to Jack Eichel, which does intrigue me.
WINGS TO AVOID
Jaden Schwartz, STL at TOR ($21): You could probably just take players from the Blue Jackets-Sabres game, if I'm being honest, though there are some players worth considering in the Maple Leafs-Blues contest. Schwartz I'm not high on, though. He had a great postseason, but he's coming off a year where he had only 11 goals.
Kasperi Kapanen, TOR vs. STL ($10): Kapanen is on the first line for the Maple Leafs, which means he gets to skate alongside John Tavares and Mitch Marner. That's great, but so far that hasn't yielded any points this year. While I recommended avoiding Binnington mostly by process of elimination, and because of a lot of other talent players on the Leafs, he's still a really good goalie.
DEFENSE
Zach Werenski, CLM vs. BUF ($17): Werenski goal total dropped from 16 to 11 last year, but his point total rose from 37 to 44. He also really increased his power-play output, as he notched 15 points with the extra man. Carter Hutton is off to a hot start to the season, but last year, his first as a starter, he had a 3.00 GAA and .908 save percentage.
Colin Miller, BUF at CLM ($17): When he was with the Golden Knights, Miller always got favorable starting position. I don't know if that will be the same case with the Sabres, but right now he's paired with Rasmus Dahlin on the top pairing, which could bode quite well. I've noted a couple times already that Joonas Korpisalo had an .897 save percentage last year, but he also had an .897 save percentage the year before that.
DEFENSE TO AVOID
Tyson Barrie, TOR vs. STL ($22): Barrie was a power-play machine in Colorado. So far, Toronto seems primed to give Barrie plenty of time with the extra man as well, as he's averaged 3:10 per game on the power play in three games with the Leafs. However, the Blues had the ninth-ranked penalty kill last year, and that includes all the time before Jordan Binnington took over in the crease.
Jake Muzzin, TOR vs. STL ($14): In Los Angeles, Muzzin got plenty of power-play time. He averaged double-digit points with the extra man in his last four full seasons with the Kings. However, the Leafs have not just Barrie, but Morgan Reilly. There is no room for Muzzin on the power play in Toronto. That drops his fantasy potential, and this is also a tricky matchup.
