This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
The NHL took Sunday off. However, it returns in full force Monday with nine games. After a respite to assess the first handful of games of the season, here are some players to target avoid for your DFS lineups.
GOALIE
Ilya Samsonov, TOR vs. ARI ($26): Samsonov is going to have to be the man for the Maple Leafs for now, with Matt Murray out long term. He's shined in his first two starts this season, though he was never steady for the Capitals in the past. That being said, since the start of last season the Coyotes are last in goals and shots on net per game. This is a matchup that can help him stay hot.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Jonathan Quick, LOS at DET ($33): I don't want to overreact to two games, but the Wings did really revamp their lineup this offseason, so it is fair to look at them different. If you like larger sample sizes, though, Quick has a .900 save percentage over the last five seasons, which entails 158 appearances. I worry about him at this salary against the new-look Red Wings.
CENTER
Evgeni Malkin, PIT at MON ($24): Injuries plagued Malkin last year, and he's maybe lost a step, but on the other hand he had 42 points in 41 games last season. What are we sweating? He has a point in both games he's played thus far this year, and his wings are now Jason Zucker and Bryan Rust. Jake Allen has had to stand on his head so far, as he's faced 70 shots across two starts, but over the previous two seasons he had a .906 save percentage.
CENTER TO AVOID
Sam Bennett, FLA at BOS ($21): Bennett had 28 goals last season, but his previous career high was 18. Can he do that again with a revamped Panthers team that also has a new head coach? Since the start of last season, the Bruins have only allowed 28.7 shots on net per contest, and also have the fourth-best GAA.
WING
Artturi Lehkonen, COL at MIN ($21): With Gabriel Landeskog out, Lehkonen is getting the benefit of skating on Colorado's top line. You know, with Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen. Wouldn't you know it, he has four points through two games. Older goalies sometimes fall off a cliff, and I am legit concerned about Marc-Andre Fleury's viability at this point. The 37-year-old has a .776 save percentage through two games, and Filip Gustavsson is not much of a backup option.
T.J. Oshie, WAS vs. VAN ($18): Oshie is something of a power-play specialist. In each of the previous five seasons he's averaged at least 3:05 with the extra man, and he's a lock for double-digit power-play points per season (even though he's also a lock to miss a decent chunk of time). Through three games he's averaged 5:05 on the power play, and the Canucks have the 31st-ranked penalty kill since the start of last season.
WINGS TO AVOID
Troy Terry, ANA at NYR ($20): The Ducks have had a bit of a youth movement, but that could mean growing pains. The primary pain here, though, is the pain of facing Igor Shesterkin in New York. The reigning Vezina winner is off to a fine start, as he has a .935 save percentage through his first two outings.
Andrei Kuzmenko, VAN at WAS ($18): I think this salary is a little overzealous. Kuzmenko performed well in the KHL last season, but the NHL is a step up. He's played all of two games in this league, and while he has a goal, it came on the power play in which he got to spend 7:10 on the ice with the extra man. That simply does not happen 99 times out of 100. Darcy Kuemper rebounded after a bad first start with the Capitals, and he had a .921 save percentage last year.
DEFENSE
Morgan Rielly, TOR vs. ARI ($21): Rielly has three assists through three games, and why should that be too surprising? He had 58 helpers last year, after all, including 21 on the power play. Karel Vejmelka is the best goaltending option for the Coyotes, and he also has a 3.76 GAA and .897 save percentage in his career.
Brent Burns, CAR at SEA ($17): Burns doesn't have a point yet with his new team, but he has eight shots on goal through two games. The veteran defenseman has also averaged 2:36 on the power play, and he had 18 points with the extra man last season. Seattle, perhaps unsurprisingly for a new franchise, is last on the penalty kill since they joined the NHL.
DEFENSE TO AVOID
Gustav Forsling, FLA at BOS ($18): Forsling was a nice surprise last year, but he also doubled his career high in goals and points. He also had a 6.9 shooting percentage, having never done better than 5.3 in a season prior. It's unclear who will be in net for the Bruins, who are on the first night of a back-to-back and thus will end up using both of their goalies, but the team is second in shots allowed per game and fourth in GAA since the start of last season.
Josh Morrissey, WPG at DAL ($18): This is less about me not believing in Morrissey and more me really believing in Jake Oettinger. He's followed up his playoff run from last year with 60 saves on 62 shots faced through two starts this year. Morrissey at this salary on the road concerns me.
