This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Monday, the NHL was quite busy. Tuesday, only four teams are in action. None of them played the night before, so at least they'll be rested. It's still an opportunity for some NHL DFS. Here are the guys to target, and to avoid, for your DFS lineup.
GOALIE
Igor Shesterkin, NYR at LOS ($35): I considered taking a shot on Craig Anderson, but ultimately I decided it was worth going with the one goalie on the slate you can truly trust. The reigning Vezina winner has a 2.34 GAA and .917 save percentage. Los Angeles is middling offensively, so I am not too concerned about the Russian netminder in this matchup.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Craig Anderson, BUF at MON ($31): I said I considered Anderson, so now I will go into why I decided against it. His .910 save percentage is the second highest of the four goalies expected to start Tuesday. The Canadiens have also put the fewest shots on net per contest of these four teams. That being said, Anderson is 41, and he has a .901 save percentage over the last six seasons. Ultimately, I couldn't trust him enough on the road to make him my lineup's goalie.
CENTER
Dylan Cozens, BUF at MON ($16): Cozens is getting a real chance to contribute to the Sabres' lineup this season. The 21-year-old has averaged 17:10 in ice time, and also 2:52 per game with the extra man. That's helped him tally 12 points in 18 games. Jake Allen, meanwhile, has a 3.33 GAA and .898 save percentage.
CENTER TO AVOID
Anze Kopitar, LOS vs. NYR ($17): Well, you look at the projected starters in net, and avoiding the guy with a relatively high salary facing the best goalie of the bunch by a mile makes sense. On top of that, though, the Rangers have only allowed 28.2 shots on net per game. Kopitar has only put 37 shots on goal through 21 contests, so while he's playmaking, he's not attacking.
WING
Jeff Skinner, BUF at MON ($17): Skinner has kicked it into gear with five goals on 38 shots and seven assists over his last 12 games. It helps that he's started 60.3 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, second highest on the Sabres. Montreal has allowed 33.2 shots on goal per contest, and as I noted Allen has an .898 save percentage.
Jimmy Vesey, NYR at LOS ($12): Vesey has recently gotten a chance to play on the top line alongside Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider. He also has four points in his last five games. The Kings don't allow a lot of shots on net, which is why they "only" have a 3.38 GAA as Jonathan Quick has an .892 save percentage.
WINGS TO AVOID
Gabriel Vilardi, LOS vs. NYR ($15): Vilardi came out of the gate on fire, racking up 10 goals. However, he has zero points in his last seven games. Even with that, his 20.8 percent shooting is due for more regression. Facing a goalie with a 2.34 GAA and .917 save percentage is not likely to help.
Josh Anderson, MON vs. BUF ($11): Not wanting to only recommend avoiding Kings, I turn to the Canadiens. Craig Anderson does have a .910 save percentage, which I may not trust long term, but it is a fact. The Habs' Anderson is not as prolific of a shooter as teammates like Cole Caufield, and he isn't a power-play stalwart like Kirby Dach. He does have three points in his last two games, but his five goals have come on only 31 shots on net through 16 games.
DEFENSE
Jacob Trouba, NYR at LOS ($16): Trouba is a paragon of bad puck luck thus far. He's put 57 shots on net through 19 games, robust for a defenseman, but has zero goals. Last year, Trouba potted 11 goals on 204 shots on target. Over his last five seasons, Quick has an .899 save percentage, so pucks on target often produce results when he's in net.
Owen Power, BUF at MON ($15): The rookie defenseman has averaged 23:45 in ice time per game, though they have been easy minutes. He's averaged 2:11 a night with the extra man and started 59.8 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, third most on the Sabres. Power doesn't have a goal, and he shoots a lot less than Trouba so he isn't quite as unlucky, but he does have eight assists. The Canadiens, meanwhile, have a 3.50 GAA.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Rasmus Dahlin, BUF at MON ($27): Dahlin has been great, but his salary is formidable. His 10.9 percent shooting is likely to regress given the Swede's career 5.6 percent mark coming into this season. Also, half of Dahlin's points have come on the power play. The Canadiens, surprisingly, have a top-10 penalty kill.
Drew Doughty, LOS vs. NYR ($17): The argument against using Kings players facing Shesterkin has been made a couple times now. Doughty also doesn't have a goal in his last 18 games.
