This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Are you ready for some hockey? How long has it been since Hank Williams Jr. kicked off Monday Night Football? Dated references aside, there are four NHL games on the docket going up against an NFL game with too much Zach Wilson for most football fans, so why not catch some puck? Also, why not get into some DFS action while you're at it? Here are my players to target, and to avoid, for your DFS matchups.
GOALIE
Sergei Bobrovsky, FLA vs. CLM ($32): Bobrovsky has mixed good and bad starts in pretty evenly, but all in all he has a 2.51 GAA and .913 save percentage. He's also been helped by a defense that has only allowed 28.4 shots on net per contest. The Blue Jackets have managed a mere 2.55 goals per game, so this should be one of the better starts for "Bob."
GOALIE TO AVOID
Thatcher Demko, VAN vs. EDM ($38): At this point in the NHL season, there are things I think will likely continue. Like, for example, the Sharks being hot trash. Other statistic outputs, though, are likely anomalous. Demko won't have a .947 save percentage all season, given that he has never finished with a save percentage above .915 and is not prime Dominik Hasek. Also, the Oilers won't continue to average 2.70 goals per game. Connor McDavid. Leon Draisaitl. Some things don't need further explanation.
CENTER
John Tavares, TOR vs. TAM ($26): Even with the numbers Auston Matthews has put up, and even with all the shots he takes, he does not suck up all the oxygen in Toronto. Tavares has tallied 12 points in 11 games, but notably has 43 shots on net. Only once has he failed to manage at least three shots on target. The Lightning have allowed a whopping 34.3 shots on net per game, and while Jonas Johansson has two shutouts, he's allowed at least three goals in every other start.
CENTER TO AVOID
Roope Hintz, DAL vs. BOS ($31): Goals should be hard to come by in this one, even for a player of Hintz's caliber. The Bruins, just like last year, lead the NHL in GAA. This time around, they have an 1.91 GAA. They also rank second on the penalty kill for good measure.
WING
Sam Reinhart, FLA vs. CLM ($25): Bennett has scored over 30 goals in each of his two seasons with Florida prior to this one, and he seems primed to do it again. This year he's notched eight goals through 10 games, and he's put 35 shots on net as well. The Blue Jackets have a 3.09 GAA, which would be a real improvement from last year, and as such I expect that number to inflate a bit. Elvis Merzlikins only has a .905 save percentage, after all.
Ilya Mikheyev, VAN vs. EDM ($17): Mikheyev may be in "other guy" mode skating on the first line next to Elias Pettersson and Andrei Kuzmenko, who quietly potted 39 goals as a rookie. However, the Russian has been a fine complementary scorer when healthy throughout his career. The problem, including this season, has been health, but after missing the first four games of the campaign, Mikheyev has six points in seven contests. While Edmonton will improve offensively, defensively it is a major question mark. With both of its goalies struggling, Edmonton boasts a 4.10 GAA.
WINGS TO AVOID
Johnny Gaudreau, CLM at FLA ($17): "Benched for the third period" is not a good look for Gaudreau, or the Blue Jackets for that matter. He was signed to be the star Columbus needed, but he's on his third head coach already and this year he has a mere one goal and four assists through 11 games. Bobrovsky has a 2.51 GAA and the Panthers have held opponents to 28.4 shots on net per contest, as I noted. It's not the time to trust in "Johnny Hockey."
James van Riemsdyk, BOS at DAL ($14): At this point, van Riemsdyk looks like a bit of a power-play specialist. He's averaged 13:41 per game in ice time, but 3:09 on the power play. Three of his seven points have come with the extra man. I mentioned the Bruins have the second-ranked penalty kill, but guess who's first? That's right, the Stars.
DEFENSE
Victor Hedman, TAM at TOR ($20): Maybe last season was an anomaly for Hedman. His 4.9 shooting percentage was below his career 6.9 number, after all, and also he's back on the first power-play unit. All that has helped the Swede tally 11 points in 11 games. It might just be a couple bad starts, but Joseph Woll did have all of 11 appearances prior to this season. He started this year well, but has allowed nine goals over his last two starts.
Morgan Rielly, TOR vs. TAM ($19): Rielly is playing much less on the power play, but much more overall, and he's producing even while averaging under two minutes a night with the extra man (and he still has three power-play points anyway). Rielly has eight points, 23 shots on net, and 20 blocked shots. The Lightning have allowed 34.3 shots on net per game, and with Jonas Johansson as their primary goalie, that's a concern. Two shutouts are bolstering Johansson's overall numbers, but in six of his eight starts he has allowed at least three goals.
DEFENSE TO AVOID
Miro Heiskanen, DAL vs. BOS ($21): Heiskanen is pulling an inverse of the Hedman experience, following up a career year with a lackluster campaign. He has five points in 10 games, but three of them came in one contest against the Ducks. The Finn hasn't put more than one shot on net in any of his last seven games. Now, he has to face Boston's league-leading defense.
Darnell Nurse, EDM at VAN ($15): Demko's numbers will regress, and the Oilers' offense will improve, but at the present time Demko has been quite good, and Nurse has started slow. He has three points in 10 games, and that's with an 8.0 shooting percentage. Even if Demko is really the guy with a career .912 save percentage, he can manage at home against Nurse.
