The trade deadline, and the start of Daylight Saving Time, are now both in the rearview mirror. We have a clearer picture of things going forward. Monday brings us four NHL games on the slate starting at 7 p.m. EDT or later. Here are my NHL DFS lineup recommendations.
Try our DraftKings NHL Lineup Optimizer to discover more expert recommendations, customize the player pool, set exposure percentage and mass-enter DFS lineups.
SLATE PREVIEW
One team is on the second night of a back-to-back, as the Blackhawks host the Mammoth. Utah is one of a few teams on the first leg of a back-to-back. The Mammoth and Rangers have talent gaps on the goaltending front, but both are projected to start their number-one goalies in divisional games Monday, and that makes sense to me as well.
GOALIES
Karel Vejmelka, UTA at CHI ($8,300): Vejmelka has a 2.64 GAA in large part due to the fact the Mammoth are in the top five in shot on net allowed per game. Chicago, meanwhile, is last in shots on goal per contest. Vejmelka could be in line to face under 20 shots Monday, and that bodes well in terms of potentially allowing goals.
Igor Shesterkin, NYR at PHI ($7,500): Shesterkin has less talent in front of him than he had in the not-too-distant past, but he's still a Vezina winner in his prime. The Russian has a .912 save percentage through 38 appearances. Philly and New York are 24th and 25th in goals per game, and both in the bottom five in shots on net per contest. I expect a low-scoring game, but Shesterkin is a better goalie than Dan Vladar and has a lower salary.
VALUE PLAY/ONE-OFF
Logan Cooley, UTA at CHI ($5,200): Injury got in the way of what was supposed to be Cooley taking his game to the next level after breaking through last season. However, he has 17 goals and 11 assists through 35 games, and he had two goals on five shots on net in his last outing. Chicago, as noted, is on the second day of a back-to-back, and Spencer Knight couldn't play Sunday because of an illness. If he's still out, the 'Hawks will be in a rough spot in net.
FORWARD LINE STACK TO CONSIDER
Senators at Canucks
Tim Stutzle (C - $6,700), Drake Batherson (W - $5,300), Claude Giroux (W - $3,700)
The Canucks are pretty clearly the worst defensive team in the NHL, especially now. Vancouver has a 3.71 GAA, comfortably highest in the NHL (nobody else is even over 3.50), and it has the league's worst penalty kill as well. Ottawa has two lines with two guys on the top power-play unit, but I have opted for this trio, since it sees more overall power-play time than the second line, and the talent level is a bit higher.
To the extent a player can quietly be on a 12-game point streak, Stutzle is quietly on a 12-game point streak. He already has his second 30-goal season as well. Since the Senators got back from the break, Batherson has six points and 17 shots on net in five contests. On the season he's tallied 20 points with the extra man. The veteran Giroux has been a bit cold, but he has 39 points in 62 games. That includes 10 points on the power play, and he's never had fewer than 18 power-play points in a full NHL campaign.
DEFENSEMEN
Thomas Chabot, OTT at VAN ($4,300): Jake Sanderson is banged up and may not play, which increases Chabot's upside from a DFS perspective. Beyond that, though, Chabot has five points and 11 shots on net through his last four games. The Canucks, as I mentioned, have a 3.71 GAA, so whether or not Sanderson plays Chabot has a real chance to get on the score sheet.
Filip Hronek, VAN vs. OTT ($3,800): Hronek remains in Vancouver, where sans Quinn Hughes he's the No. 1 defenseman. That also means a role on the top power-play unit. The Czech blue liner has 36 points in 63 games, including 11 with the extra man. It's Hronek's power-play time that means the most Monday, as the Senators have the 30th-ranked penalty kill.
