This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Monday night is a breezy one for the NHL (and I'll admit I'll be tuning into the Simpsons broadcast of Monday Night Football myself) with only three games on the slate. Still, that's enough to play NHL DFS, and one need not watch the games to play DFS and to have DFS success. Puck drops at 7:00 p.m. ET. Here are my lineup recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
Only one team is on the second leg of a back-to-back, and it is about as generous a version of that experience. The Rangers get to be at home for both games, they played at 1:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, and their opponents are the Chicago Blackhawks.
GOALIE
Sam Montembeault, MON vs. ANA ($7,900): Three of the bottom-four teams in goals per game are in action Monday, so there are options. Montembeault is a higher-variance option, but that actually is a feature and not a bug for me here. He has three shutouts in 21 appearances, even if he has a .905 save percentage overall. Anaheim is a long way from home, and it has averaged 2.44 goals and 27.5 shots on net per game.
VALUE PLAY/ONE-OFF
Will Cuylle, NYR vs. CHI ($4,500): Hopefully Cuylle's 22-year-old legs will be plenty fresh even on the second leg of a back-to-back. He's been a pleasant surprise for the Rangers, having tallied nine goals and 12 assists through 26 games. Petr Mrazek has hit the injured reserve (IR), leaving Arvid Soderblom as Chicago's No. 1 netminder. While he's looked better this season than in the past, he's only played in eight games, and his career .887 save percentage carries weight.
FORWARD LINE STACK TO CONSIDER
Canadiens vs. Ducks
Nick Suzuki (C - $6,000), Cole Caufield (W - $7,100), Alex Newhook (W - $2,500)
The Ducks have been playing with fire. They have allowed 33.3 shots on net per game, the highest in the NHL. Anaheim is not in the bottom 10 in GAA solely through heretofore unprecedented play from Lukas Dostal and better-than-expected play from John Gibson. Since Gibson got healthy, he's taken over as the top goalie for the Ducks. That's despite the fact he posted a .900 save percentage over the prior five seasons. It's almost like the Ducks aren't focused on winning this year. Even Gibson's .909 save percentage this year is nothing to write home about, and I think Montreal's top line can get plenty of pucks on target Monday.
Suzuki has made steady, incremental improvements every season, so I expected him to round into form in time. Indeed, he has a six-game point streak going and now has 28 points in 27 games. Suzuki has also averaged 3:26 per game with the extra man, and the Ducks have a bottom-10 penalty kill. Caufield is the one who is going to make life tougher for Gibson. He had 314 shots on net last year and has 76 through 27 games this season. While poor puck luck limited him to "only" 28 goals last season, he's already lit the lamp 17 times this year. The other wing on this line has been a rotating cast, with Newhook currently in the role. While he has zero assists this season, he has six goals. Last year in 55 games with the Habs he tallied 15 goals to go with 19 helpers.
DEFENSEMAN
Owen Power, BUF vs. DET ($4,400): Rasmus Dahlin is considered day-to-day, but back spasms are nothing to mess with for a professional athlete. If he can't go, Power will be on the point for the top power-play unit. Over the last five games – going back even to before Dahlin's back was keeping him out of the lineup – Power has averaged 3:18 per game with the extra man. The Red Wings are battling the Islanders to avoid having the worst penalty kill in the NHL, and they have a key injury issue of their own. With Cam Talbot out, Ville Husso (career .902 save percentage) has been tending goal.
