This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Monday's tidy four-game slate features teams from all different areas of the standings. Here are some of the best values you can find from each.
Goalie
Corey Crawford, CHI vs. VAN ($25)
There are so many aspects of Monday night's contest working in Crawford's favor, it's honestly a bit shocking he's priced this low. For starters, the visiting Canucks are on the second half of a back-to-back, a situation that has seen them average 2.22 goals per game this season. Additionally, Crow shows a .920 save percentage at home and has won six of his last seven starts since returning from injury.
Goalie to Avoid
Darcy Kuemper, ARI @ TB ($35)
Kuemper's current price can be justified in some matchups, but a road game in Tampa Bay will not fall into that category. The Lightning offense is one of the best the league has seen in some time and, while the Canadian keeper has had a nice run of late, he's faced some pretty lackluster competition -- seven of his last nine starts have been against the league's bottom 19 offenses.
Center
Logan Couture, SJ vs. VGK ($23)
No, Couture hasn't had the greatest run of things, but that might be a good reason to pick him in this spot. Keep in mind, the 29-year-old is still on pace for his most productive season to date points wise, and he runs on the first power-play unit, as well as on the first line with the red-hot Timo Meier. The matchup is good with Vegas playing its second game in as many nights with a nebulous goalie situation.
Center to Avoid
Elias Pettersson, VAN @ CHI ($22)
After a phenomenal start to his rookie campaign, Pettersson has fallen on hard times, compiling just one goals with five points and a minus-8 rating over his last 11 games. It's very concerning that the young Swede averaged just 1.27 shots on goal per game during the stretch, which doesn't even give him floor appeal for fantasy purposes. The Madhouse on Madison can prove a difficult place to play, so don't take a chance.
Wings
Tyler Johnson, TB vs. ARI ($17)
Johnson has very much enjoyed the spoils of being on a line with Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov, and is now riding a four-game point streak that has seen him score four goals and land 12 shots on net. The American winger's higher usage in the offense is encouraging, and so is the fact that he's a stronger player at home than on the road -- 27 of his 44 points this season have been scored at Amalie Arena.
Brendan Perlini, CHI vs. VAN ($15)
Who knows what's gotten into Perlini lately, but if the gamemakers are going to price him this low at home against the Canucks in the midst of this scoring stretch, you really have no choice but to grab him here. The England native has an astounding eight goals over his last seven games, as his supporting cast in Alex DeBrincat and Dylan Strome continue to combine for one of the most surprisingly productive lines in hockey.
Wings to Avoid
Joe Pavelski, SJ vs. VGK ($24)
Even as his linemates Couture and Meier produce, Pavelski has continued to struggle -- the University of Wisconsin product shows two points with just 10 shots on goal and a minus-7 rating over his last seven contests. He has been shooting the puck at a relatively low 2.5 shots per game all season, and if there's no reasonable expectation that he's going to score, you should probably pass at this price point.
J.T. Miller, TB vs. ARI ($18)
Miller was, and still is, a solid player, but it would appear that his trade from the Rangers last season has forced him into more of a complementary role on a historically good offense with too many mouths to feed. The 26-year-old is on pace for his lowest points total since the 2015-16 campaign and he's managed just one assists since Feb. 28, a stretch of eight games. This is a situation where favorable company doesn't help.
Defnesemen
Erik Gustafsson, CHI vs. VAN ($19)
Gustafsson has managed to keep his breakout season rolling and he now shows 12 points in his last 11 contests. The Swedish defenseman gets dropped into a very favorable role Monday, as he'll get to face a Vancouver team on the second half of a back-to-back that doesn't particularly score or prevent goals well. Look for Gustafsson to attack early and often while quarterbacking the first power-play unit.
Jacob Trouba, WPG @ LA ($17)
Trouba's scoring efforts are fine, but it's his elite shot-blocking numbers that give him appeal in the daily slate -- the American blueliner currently ranks seventh in the NHL with 144 bruises this season, which gives a nice floor to build upon in the right matchup. Speaking of which, the Kings are probably not going to put up much of a fight at this point in their miserable season, giving Trouba a major production opportunity.
Defensemen to Avoid
Alexander Edler, VAN @ CHI ($20)
For a guy who has seen his plus-minus drop precipitously of late, Monday's contest could get very ugly very fast -- even with their struggles, the Blackhawks have been one of the league's best scoring teams at home, averaging 3.46 goals per game. If the longtime Canuck cannot get it going offensively -- a real possibility given recent track record -- then this could very well be a negative outing.
Nate Schmidt, VGK @ SJ ($18)
Schmidt has not generally enjoyed away games this year. The Minnesota native has recorded just a third of his points this season on the road, so asking him to go into the dreaded Shark Tank to produce is no small task, especially considering he's put up no points on two shots in two games there this season. Tired legs could play into this as well, given Schmidt will be playing the second half of a back-to-back.
