This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Sure, the NHL trade deadline is exciting. However, don't forget about the games! There are four contests Monday night, the first starting at 7 p.m. EST. Here are my recommendations for your DFS lineups.
SLATE PREVIEW
There are no teams on a back-to-back Monday. With the deadline, though, be sure to keep an eye out on lineups and transactions. The Ducks have already been sellers, and the Canadiens easily could be.
GOALIE
Jeremy Swayman, BOS at MON ($8,200): The Canadiens are at the bottom of the league at 2.52 goals per game. That's a paltry number, but Swayman tends to keep teams in check beyond that. He has a 2.09 GAA and .925 save percentage.
Juuse Saros, NAS at ANA ($7,900): In addition to the guys they've traded, the Ducks are missing guys like Ryan Getzlaf and Rickard Rakell. That's on a team that has already only averaged 29.7 shots on net per contest. Oh, and let's not overlook Saros. He has a 2.47 GAA and .923 save percentage.
VALUE PLAYS
Taylor Hall, BOS at MON ($5,300): Hall has become a fine playmaker, with 11 assists to go with three goals in his last 15 games. He'll be trying to set up his teammates against a Canadiens team with a 3.77 GAA, highest in the NHL.
Valeri Nichushkin, COL vs. EDM ($4,500): The Avalanche have maybe the best first line in hockey when everybody is healthy, but with Gabriel Landeskog out, somebody had to take his spot. That somebody is Nichushkin. He's no slouch, with 17 goals and 18 assists this season. However, he has two points in each of his last two games. He and his new linemates will likely face Mikko Koskinen, who has a 3.04 GAA and .904 save percentage.
LINE STACKS TO CONSIDER
Wild vs. Golden Knights: Frederick Gaudreau (C - $3,800), Kevin Fiala (W - $5,400), Matthew Boldy (W - $4,300)
The Wild spoil you with choice. Does any team have a top-six as strong as Minnesota? The goaltending has not been a strength for the Golden Knights. Laurent Brossoit and Logan Thompson are trying to hold it down, but Brossoit has a 3.55 GAA and .869 save percentage in his last seven games. And yet, his 2.90 GAA is better than Thompson's 2.98
Centering these two has been a boon for Gaudreau. He has nine points in his last 14 games. It helps Gaudreau that Fiala put his bad puck luck behind him. He now has 20 goals in 60 games and has 18 points in his last 14 contests. The rookie Boldy has only played in 29 games, but he has 24 points. That's with a 16.4 shooting percentage that is totally sustainable.
Predators at Ducks: Colton Sissons (C - $2,500), Tanner Jeannot (W - $3,100), Yakov Trenin (W - $2,500)
Nashville has a great first line, but I'm sagging here to try and save some salary but still get some upside. The Ducks are retooling and shorthanded. That won't help John Gibson turn things around. Over his last 12 games he has a 4.86 GAA and .856 save percentage, almost unbelievably-bad numbers.
Sissons may only have 27 points this season, but he has a three-game point streak wherein he's tallied five total points. Jeannot has quietly been one of the top goal-scoring rookies. He has 21 goals in 62 games, and has a goal in each of his last three outings. Trenin, meanwhile, has 15 goals, including two in his last three contests.
DEFENSE
Devon Toews, COL vs. EDM ($5,200): With Samuel Girard and Bowen Byram both hurt, you have to spend salary to get an Avalanche defenseman worth his fantasy salt. Fortunately, Toews should be worth it against an Oilers team with a 3.16 GAA. Toews has averaged a whopping 25:19 in ice time, notching 46 points in 51 games. That includes 12 in his last 15.
Mattias Ekholm, NAS at ANA ($3,300): Finally, a Nashville defenseman is producing other than Roman Josi! That's vital for fantasy players looking to save some DFS salary. Ekholm has five points in his last eight games. Sure, that's unusual for him, but this is a defenseman who had three 30-point seasons in a row. He can produce from time to time. Why not see if he can stay hot against the ice-cold Gibson?
