This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Monday is taking it pretty easy from an NHL perspective. That's not unusual, even when football season is over. Plus, it was a busy weekend, so a lot of teams earned a day off. Only four games are on the schedule Monday, but don't miss out on the DFS opportunities. Here are my NHL DFS lineup recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
No team is on the second leg of a back-to-back, but two teams are on the first leg. They are worth mentioning because they involve rather stark goaltending situations. There's a good chance Linus Ullmark will start against the Red Wings on Monday, leaving backup Anton Forsberg for Tuesday. However, the Avalanche might opt for Scott Wedgewood on Monday against Chicago's poor offense, thus saving Mackenzie Blackwood for a matchup against Minnesota with big playoff implications.
GOALIES
Mackenzie Blackwood, COL vs. CHI ($8,400): For now, Blackwood is projected to start against Chicago, so I will discuss him. Since joining the Avalanche he has a 2.22 GAA and .917 save percentage. The visitors have averaged 2.77 goals per game but are last at 24.5 shots on target per contest. Even if Wedgewood does start, he has a 2.23 GAA and .916 save percentage in 11 games since making the move to the Avalanche, and the matchup is plus. Now, his career track record doesn't support that, but it's enough for this opponent.
Anthony Stolarz, TOR at UTA ($7,900): Stolarz's last start was rough, but he was on the road against the Avalanche. That's not an easy matchup. On the year he has a .923 save percentage. Also, in six starts since returning from injury prior to that Avalanche game he had a .919 save percentage. Utah has averaged 2.83 goals and 28.3 shots on net per game, so this should not be as tough a night as when Stolarz had to face Colorado.
VALUE PLAY
Valeri Nichushkin, COL vs. CHI ($5,400): Nichushkin has hit the ground running since returning from his injury. Three times in five games he's put five shots on net. With Brock Nelson now his center, the Russian had three goals and an assist in Colorado's last outings. Though the addition of Spencer Knight does make Chicago's 3.47 GAA less relevant, he does nothing for the fact the team has given up 32.0 shots on net per game. To that end, Knight has made two starts for Chicago and faced 81 shots.
FORWARD LINE STACK TO CONSIDER
Sabres vs. Oilers
Josh Norris (C - $4,900), Tage Thompson (W - $6,700) Alex Tuch (W - $6,000)
My first instinct was to see about stacking an Oilers line. The Sabres have a 3.50 GAA and a below-average penalty kill. However, my choices were Leon Draisaitl and two wings who haven't produced recently or a trio of Connor McDavid, Zach Hyman, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins that would have really cut into DFS budgets. Ahh, but what about the home team? The Oilers have a 2.94 GAA, which is below average, but it is in the bottom eight in terms of penalty-kill percentage. While the salary outlay of this Buffalo line is not exactly easy on your budget, all three of these guys are on the top power-play unit and won't push you as close to your salary cap as Edmonton's top line.
Norris is a new addition to the Sabres. In his first game with the team the former Senator played 20:27, including 2:48 on the power play. He had 20 goals before being traded, and that was in 53 games. Thompson just had a three-game goal streak end, but he has 12 goals (and eight assists) over his last 18 contests. Though only five of his 31 goals have come on the power play, he also has eight assists with the extra man. Tuch has 12 goals and eight assists of his own in only a slightly-larger sample size. He tallied those numbers over his last 22 games. Tuch also has 66 shots on net in that time, which conveniently translates to three per contest.
DEFENSEMEN
Jake Sanderson, OTT vs. DET ($5,900): My first Jake on the blue line is Sanderson. What's crucial to me, and what makes Sanderson well worth his salary, is that he has 24 power-play points in 61 games. Detroit is fighting with Minnesota and the Islanders... well, maybe just Minnesota, to not be last in penalty-kill percentage. You want a defenseman who produces on the power play against the Red Wings whenever possible.
Jake Walman, EDM at BUF ($4,900): Here's a way to get a piece of the Oilers' lineup more easily. Walman's first game as an Oiler was quite encouraging. The 29-year-old played 24:40 and picked up an assist, three shots on net, and three blocked shots. As noted earlier, the Sabres have a 3.50 GAA, and they made no changes in net like the Blackhawks did.
