This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
We are a couple days away from the end of February, and also the trade deadline. Monday brings us five NHL games. Let's bring the month of February into its conclusion with some DFS success. Here are my Monday lineup recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
Saturday and Sunday were laden with teams on the second leg of a back-to-back, so we arrive to Monday with zero teams in that position. There are four teams on the first game of a back-to-back Monday, but I feel like the only significant, landscape-changing decision that could be made is if Magnus Hellberg starts for Detroit instead of Ville Husso.
GOALIES
Jake Oettinger, DAL vs. VAN ($8,500): Oettinger has been stellar, as he has a 2.23 GAA and .926 save percentage. Now, the Canucks have averaged 3.32 goals per game, but that is a number that has been on the decline. That makes sense, as a few of their players are hurt, and Bo Horvat is now an Islander.
Alexandar Georgiev, COL vs. VGK ($8,000): Georgiev has a 2.63 GAA and .919 save percentage, but he's been excellent recently. Over his last 11 starts he has a 2.33 GAA and .932 save percentage, not to mention a 9-1-1 record. The Golden Knights rank 13th in goals per game, but the goaltending options are iffy Monday, and Georgiev is at home.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Troy Terry, ANA vs. CHI ($5,300): Since returning to the lineup, Terry has a goal in both of his games. He hasn't been as good as last year – a 19.3 shooting percentage was unlikely to be replicated – but he still has 44 points in 53 games. The Blackhawks are in the bottom seven in GAA and shots on net allowed per contest, so Terry could make it three in a row with a goal easily.
David Perron, DET at OTT ($4,000): Perron hasn't scored a goal in a bit, but his 9.9 shooting percentage should improve. However, he has seven points in his last nine outings, even if they are all assists. Cam Talbot may be back, but he has a 2.90 GAA and .905 save percentage.
FORWARD LINE STACK
Stars vs. Canucks
Wyatt Johnston (C - $3,500), Jamie Benn (W - $5,900), Ty Dellandrea (W - $2,600)
If you could swap Tyler Seguin in for Dellandrea, I'd be more pleased with this line stack, but this trio has been together by and large for a bit now. My hope was to catch more power-play minutes, as the Canucks have the league's worst penalty kill by a wide margin. However, they don't have a 3.97 GAA, second highest in the NHL, just because of that woeful penalty kill. There is still potential and upside in this line from the Stars.
The rookie Johnston has seven points in his last 13 games. He's also averaged 1:36 per game with the extra man and has five power-play points. Benn is the real power-play weapon of this trio. He's tallied 10 goals and nine assists with the extra man. Plus, the veteran has two points in each of his last two games.
DEFENSEMEN
Miro Heiskanen, DAL vs. VAN ($6,000): Here's a great opportunity to take advantage of that terrible Canucks penalty kill. Heiskanen's offensive breakthrough has been bolstered by his power-play success this year. He's averaged 3:05 per game with the extra man and has 19 power-play points.
Jake McCabe, CHI at ANA ($4,000): Seth Jones is the lodestone, but his partner on Chicago's top pairing is McCabe, and he's been strong recently as well. He has six points over his last nine games and has averaged 19:54 in ice time over that stretch. This matchup is so favorable I figured I'd take a show on McCabe over Jones to potentially save some salary. The Ducks have a 4.12 GAA and have allowed 39.8 shots on net per contest. Both are highest in the NHL.
