This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Monday can't help but feel like a step down after Sunday. I don't know if you heard, but Alex Ovechkin now has the most goals in NHL history and received an in-game ceremony as long as eight Adrien Brody Oscar speeches. However, don't let your energy flag! There are five NHL games Monday night and you can have some DFS success! First puck drops at 7 p.m. EDT. Here are my NHL DFS lineup recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
There are no teams on the second leg of a back-to-back, and only the Kraken are on the first leg of such a scenario. That doesn't bear much relevance. When I was writing this paragraph I accidentally wrote "suck" instead of "such" at first, perhaps owing to having the Kraken goaltending situation on my mind. Okay, that's a little unfair, as Joey Daccord has looked better recently, but not so good I would consider him against the Kings, or so good I'd avoid Kings in that matchup.
GOALIES
Calvin Pickard, EDM at ANA ($8,400): Stuart Skinner has not been available for the Oilers, but that hasn't been an issue. Pickard has a .914 save percentage in his last 11 appearances, and he's allowed exactly two goals in each of his last four outings. Anaheim has averaged 2.68 goals and 27.9 shots on net per game. The shorthanded Oilers may not give Pickard the offensive support he's used to, but this matchup is still worth a shot.
Dustin Wolf, CGY at SAN ($8,100): The Flames rank 30th in goals per game, and the Sharks 31st. However, while the Sharks have a woeful goaltending situation, the Flames have Wolf. He has a .910 save percentage to go with a 2.63 GAA, which is certainly sufficient when it comes to squaring off with San Jose.
VALUE PLAY/ONE-OFF
Viktor Arvidsson, EDM at ANA ($5,700): You know, with the way the Oilers have looked offensively as of late, you might think Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are important to the team. However, Arvidsson has three goals in his last four games, and he's put at least four shots on net in all of those outings. In fact, he's put 40 shots on net over his last 14 contests. The Ducks have gotten intermittently-good goaltending, but they have allowed a league-high 31.9 shots on goal per game.
FORWARD LINE STACK TO CONSIDER
Flames at Sharks
Nazem Kadri (C - $7,000), Yegor Sharangovich (W - $4,300), Martin Pospisil (W - $4,100)
I knew I was going to want to stack a Calgary line, but given the team's lack of offensive success on the year I was not spoiled for choice. However, the Sharks have a 3.75 GAA, which is comfortably last in the league. They have given up 31.6 shots on net per game as well, second highest behind only the Ducks. This is the Flames' first line, and while only Kadri has found success on the season, this matchup makes this stack worth it.
As to Kadri, he has 12 points in his last 10 games, giving him 60 on the season. He's also put 257 shots on net in 76 contests, and he should have plenty of chances to get pucks on target against the Sharks. Sharangovich has certainly taken a step down from scoring 31 goals last season, but on the flip side he scored 31 goals just a season ago. Maybe that kind of production can be tapped into with the right matchup. He's also oscillated between the first and second power-play unit, and the Sharks rank 27th on the penalty kill. Pospisil is shaping up to be particularly bad at converting shots into goal, but be that as it may, a 3.8 shooting percentage is essentially unsustainably low for a forward. At least he's staying at it, as he's put multiple shots on net in each of his last six games.
DEFENSEMEN
MacKenzie Weegar, CGY at SAN ($6,500): Weegar is active all over the ice, as he has 170 shots on net and 176 blocked shots in 75 games. He won't score 20 goals as he did last year, but he has 43 points on the season, including 19 with the extra man. Given that the Sharks rank in the bottom six in GAA, shots on net allowed per game, and penalty-kill percentage, Weegar will have plenty of opportunity in this matchup.
Drew Doughty, LOS vs. SEA ($5,000): Doughty has five points in his last four games, and also 12 points in his last 16 contests. He may have missed most of the season, but the veteran defenseman has rounded into form as the playoffs loom. I mentioned Daccord has had a few good starts recently, but over his last 14 outings he has an .889 save percentage. Even in his last six starts he may have three games allowing one goal or fewer, but also three games allowing four goals each time.
