It's quite the busy Monday for the NHL, even with an NFL playoff game to contend with! Of course, you can always watch the sure-to-be-riveting game between the Texans and Steelers and still play NHL DFS contests. Plus, after how good Panthers-Rams ended up being, perhaps I should not be so jaded. There are a robust nine games on the slate for the NHL, with the first pucks all set to drop at 7 p.m. EST. Here are my lineup recommendations.
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SLATE PREVIEW
It was a light Sunday, but one team is still stuck on the second day of a back-to-back Monday. That would be the Devils, who have to visit the Wild. There are also some teams on the first leg of a back-to-back with some distance in quality between starters and backups in net, and some of those teams have good matchups for a netminder Monday. That could play a role in DFS decisions as well.
GOALIES
Jesper Wallstedt, MIN vs. NJD ($8,200): Wallstedt's turn in the rotation comes Monday, and he gets a Devils team on the second leg of a back-to-back. Not that he needs a ton of help, if any. The rookie is on pace to be a Calder finalist, as Wallstedt has a 2.28 GAA and .926 save percentage through 18 appearances.
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TAM at PHI ($8,100): This is one of those instances where a team is on the first leg of a back-to-back, and Jonas Johansson is no Vasilevskiy. However, almost every time the Lightning are in such a scenario, Vasilevskiy starts the first game of the two. The Russian has been bolstering his Hall of Fame resume with a 2.33 GAA and .912 save percentage. Philly may be just outside the bottom 10 in goals per game, but it has managed a mere 26.1 shots on net per contest.
Philipp Grubauer, SEA at NYR ($7,500): Against all expectations, Grubauer has worked his way into a proper goalie rotation with Joey Daccord after years of struggling in Seattle. This year the German has a 2.27 GAA and .927 save percentage, harkening back to his salad days in Colorado and Washington. Meanwhile, the Rangers are lost offensively. They sit in the bottom six in both goals and shots on net per game.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Brock Nelson, COL vs. TOR ($6,500): Chalk it up to playing in the shadow of Nathan MacKinnon, but Nelson has 21 goals in 44 games and I feel like that hasn't really registered with many, and perhaps with most. He's well on his way to his fourth 30-goal campaign in five seasons. The Maple Leafs have, surprisingly, allowed the most shots on net per contest in the NHL, and that makes it hard for any goalie, much less one on the road facing an onslaught from Colorado. That includes Nelson, naturally.
Mats Zuccarello, MIN vs. NJD ($5,000): Zuccarello has missed a considerable amount of time with injuries this year, but he has 21 points in 26 games. That's on 9.6 percent shooting, which is low for him, and only six power-play points while he's averaged 3:45 per game with the extra man. The Devils have a solid goaltending duo, with Jacob Markstrom in line to start Monday, but they have a below-average penalty kill and are playing their second game in as many days.
Kasperi Kapanen, EDM at CHI ($2,700): Kapanen has been back from injury for three games, and he has at least one point in each of those games. It helps to skate next to Leon Draisaitl. Even if Spencer Knight feels recovered enough from his illness to play, he's allowed at least three goals in six of his last nine outings, and Chicago has given up 29.7 shots on net per game.
FORWARD LINE STACKS TO CONSIDER
Canadiens vs. Canucks
Nick Suzuki (C - $6,300), Cole Caufield (W - $6,400), Alexandre Texier (W - $3,700)
The Canucks have a 3.57 GAA, which is in the bottom three in the NHL. Also, you may not believe this, and it may shock you to your very core, but Thatcher Demko is injured. That leaves Kevin Lankinen, who has an .883 save percentage this season, leading the way for Vancouver. Montreal's top line looks good to me as a result.
With 14 goals and 48 points through 45 games, Suzuki could end up with 30 goals and over a point per game once again. Additionally, 22 of Suzuki's points have come with the extra man, and the Canucks have the 30th-ranked penalty kill. Caufield already has his fifth 20-goal campaign in five NHL seasons. He's also put 128 shots on net through 45 contests and has put at least four shots on target in five of his last nine games. The Olympian Texier (the perks of being French) has 14 points in 23 games since joining the Canadiens. He's had three points in two of his last three outings.
Kraken at Rangers
Matty Beniers (C - $4,100), Jared McCann (W - $4,700), Kaapo Kakko (W - $3,300)
Don't forget that Igor Shesterkin is on injured reserve at the moment. Jonathan Quick can't really shoulder the load at 39 years old. He's started four of the last five games for the Rangers and in that time he has a 5.49 GAA and .786 save percentage. That makes it seem like a good time to stack Seattle's top line.
Beniers has started to tap into his rookie season promise again as of late. Over his last 10 games he has 10 points and 27 shots on net. It has helped Beniers that McCann, the greatest goal scorer in Kraken history, has been back for eight games. In that time he has seven points and 20 shots on target. Even Kakko, who has struggled since being the second-overall pick by the Rangers once upon a time, has showed some promise as of late. He has 11 points in his last 13 outings.
DEFENSEMEN
Lane Hutson, MON vs. VAN ($6,000): Quibble with Hutson's game or his skating if you like, but from a DFS perspective he is golden. Eight times in his last 16 games the defenseman has had multiple points, something a lot of forwards can only dream of. Speaking of dreams, it is something of a dream for a player like Hutson to face the Canucks, a team in the bottom three in GAA and penalty-kill percentage.
Brock Faber, MIN vs. NJD ($5,000): The arrival of Quinn Hughes could have pushed other defenseman to the periphery, but instead he's been the rising tide that lifts all boats. Or, at least, he's lifted the boat that is Faber. Faber is playing with Hughes at even strength, and over his last 14 games Faber has 12 points and is plus-11. Meanwhile, the Devils are the only teams on the second leg of a back-to-back Monday, and they are on the road to boot.
Artyom Levshunov, CHI vs. EDM ($3,700): Levshunov is a 20-year-old defenseman who sees a lot of his minutes on the power play and is on one of the NHL's worst teams, so it is no surprise his plus/minus is so poor. The upside is apparent, though, as he has a point in seven of his last 11 games. I could easily see Levshunov get on the scoresheet Monday. With Tristan Jarry out, the Oilers are rolling with Connor Ingram and Calvin Pickard, which I would consider the worst goaltending duo in the NHL at present outside of maybe Vancouver sans Demko.
