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Yahoo Daily Fantasy Hockey: Monday picks

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 22: Peter Budaj #31 of the Los Angeles Kings in goal during the third peirod of a 4-3 overtime shootout win over the Vancouver Canucks at Staples Center on October 22, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 22: Peter Budaj #31 of the Los Angeles Kings in goal during the third peirod of a 4-3 overtime shootout win over the Vancouver Canucks at Staples Center on October 22, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

By Chris Morgan

Monday may be about the college football championship game for most, but there are also four NHL games. That means you can play daily fantasy if you so desire. If you pay attention to this selection of players to target and avoid, much like the Tide, you could find yourself rolling.

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GOALIE

Peter Budaj, LOS vs. DAL ($33): Budaj has a tiny 2.03 GAA, thanks largely to the fact the Kings give up a mere 25.8 shots on goal per game. He hasn’t even needed to be great to have the fifth-best GAA in the NHL, though he has been good. The Kings are 12-5-1 at home, and the Stars are 5-10-4 on the road, so the odds are also pretty good Budaj will pick up a win.

GOALIE TO AVOID

Braden Holtby, WAS at MON ($35): This is a battle of two excellent teams, and two great goalies, which making picking a winner difficult. However, because Holtby is so good, he’s also quite pricey, and in fact he’s the most expensive goalie available. Washington is on the road, which hurts their chances of picking up a win a bit, and on top of that the Canadiens are scoring 3.08 goals per game.

CENTER

Anze Kopitar, LOS vs. DAL ($17): Kopitar has been incredibly unlucky, as he only has a 4.0 shooting percentage. He’s still got 15 assists though, and he’s playing 3:05 per game on the power play. The Stars have the 29th-ranked penalty kill, so perhaps this is the day that Kopitar’s luck finally turns around. At this price, it’s worth hoping that’s the case.

CENTER TO AVOID

Nicklas Backstrom, WAS at MON ($24): Carey Price has a 2.06 GAA and a .930 save percentage, making this a difficult matchup for Backstrom. While he has notched a few assists recently, he hasn’t scored a goal in his last 10 games. In addition to his tough matchup, Backstrom’s 6.8 fantasy points per game is fewer than several other available centers, including some cheaper ones.

WING

Johnny Gaudreau, CGY at WPG ($25): Gaudreau has been putting a lot of shots on goal recently, and overall he’s notched 93 shots in 32 games. He’s also tallied 10 power-play points. The Jets rank 25th in goals allowed per game, and 26th in penalty-kill percentage, and that all bodes well for Gaudreau. He’s pricey, but he’s worth it.

Tanner Pearson, LOS vs. DAL ($16): Pearson has picked up his level of play recently, tallying seven goals and 27 shots on net in his last eight games. Thanks in part to that upswing in performance, he’s now averaging 5.8 fantasy points per game. The Stars are giving up 3.03 goals per game, so this doesn’t seem like the kind of matchup that will slow Pearson down.

WINGS TO AVOID

Blake Wheeler, WPG vs. CGY ($22): The Flames are only allowing 28.4 shots on goal per game, and since Brian Elliott started playing better, both of their goalies are no longer liabilities. To that effect, the Flames may be ranked 16th overall in penalty-kill percentage, but they were third in December. Ten of Wheeler’s points have come with the extra man, so that doesn’t bode well for him.

Alexander Radulov, MON vs. WAS ($19): The Capitals are allowing the fewest goals per game in the NHL (2.03) and they are only giving up 28 shots on goal per tilt as well. While Radulov has been performing well recently, it has been against teams like Tampa, Dallas, and Toronto. Washington is a much tougher matchup, and even though there are only eight teams playing, you can still find better options.

DEFENSE

Drew Doughty, LOS vs. DAL ($20): Perhaps Doughty hasn’t been up to his own lofty standards, but he still has 20 points in 40 games. Additionally, he’s put 94 shots on net, and he’s blocked 64 shots as well. Doughty has also always been a good power-play contributor, and this year he already has eight points with the extra man. As previously mentioned, the Stars have the 29th-ranked penalty kill.

Aaron Ekblad, FLA at NJD ($16): The Devils give up quite a few shots, as they’ve ceded 31.3 per game. Putting pucks on goal is basically what Ekblad was born to do, as he’s already tallied 139 shots on goal in 40 games. While it’s been a while since he scored a goal, as long as he keeps racking up shots, that could be enough considering his relatively low price point.

DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID

John Carlson, WAS at MON ($21): It has already been mentioned how good Price has been in net this season, although that comes as a surprise to nobody. Carlson has picked up his play recently after a slow start, but he hasn’t been so good as to be matchup proof. At this price, he’s a bit risky, and you can probably do better with another option.

Jeff Petry, MON vs. WAS ($19): Petry is having a career year, as he’s already set a new career best in goals, and his 21 points is only four shy of his career high in that category. This is due in part to 8.6 percent shooting, which is well above his career average. This is as much about the matchup, though, and Washington’s excellent goal and shot prevention. The Capitals are also third on the penalty kill, so Petry isn’t likely to find much luck there.