It's Groundhog Day… again. Monday brings us a solid schedule of NHL action. There are actually no light days on the NHL docket this week until the Olympic break hits. Monday gives us 10 games on the slate, with the first pucks dropping at 7 p.m. EST. Onto the NHL DFS lineup recommendations!
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SLATE PREVIEW
No teams are on the second leg of a back-to-back Monday. Owing to the compressed schedule this week, a few teams are on the first leg of a back-to-back, though I don't know if there are any goaltending situations where the decision will matter too much. The only question is Washington, and the question there is largely based on Logan Thompson's health.
GOALIES
Karel Vejmelka, UTA vs. VAN ($8,400): Over his last 16 outings, 11 of which ended up in Utah wins, Vejmelka has a 2.38 GAA and .912 save percentage. The Canucks are the NHL's worst team and have averaged 2.56 goals and 27.0 shots on net per game. Of course, the Vancouver roster now isn't as good as it was when the season began.
Juuse Saros, NAS vs. STL ($8,000): It's been a mediocre stretch of starts for Saros, but being at home against the Blues could yield a positive outing for the Finnish netminder. St. Louis is the worst offensive team in the NHL and is battling Calgary to avoid being last in goals per game, and Chicago to avoid being last in shots on net per contest.
Spencer Knight, CHI vs. SAN ($7,500): The 24-year-old Knight, in his first full season as an NHL starter, has a .909 save percentage and 2.60 GAA. In the modern NHL, that'll work for a first-choice goalie, especially when you factor in the defense in front of him. While the Sharks are essentially average in goals per game, they have managed a mere 25.5 shots on net per contest. If Knight isn't too busy, he can hold his own.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Steven Stamkos, NAS vs. STL ($5,200): Stamkos' turnaround this season has been bolstered by his power-play production. He has 17 points in his last 17 games, and nine of them have come on the power play. The Blues and Senators are both bottom five in penalty-kill percentage, but the Blues allow decidedly more shots and have the higher GAA, so I went for a Predator over a Penguin in this section.
Matthew Coronato, CGY vs. TOR ($4,700): Last season, Coronato tallied 24 goals. This year he has 14 through 53 games. Additionally, in four of his last five outings he's put at least three shots on net. Coronato should be able to do that again, as the Maple Leafs have allowed the most shots on goal per game in the NHL.
Frank Nazar, CHI vs. SAN ($4,000): It took Nazar a few games to get on the scoresheet after returning from a long injury absence, but he has three points in his last two games. However, he wasn't exactly going through the motions upon returning, as he has 18 shots on net in six contests since getting back on the ice. The Sharks have given up 30.7 shots on goal per game, so they tend to be in trouble when Yaroslav Askarov isn't in form. Well, he hasn't been in form for a while. Since the start of December, Askarov has an .868 save percentage.
FORWARD LINE STACKS TO CONSIDER
Mammoth vs. Canucks
Barrett Hayton (C - $3,500), JJ Peterka (W - $4,300), Kailer Yamamoto (W - $2,700)
With a 3.58 GAA, the Canucks are last in the league on that front. They've also allowed 30.1 shots on net per game for good measure, which is also bottom five in the NHL. Utah's top line has been a bit cold, but its second line has been somewhat hot. That pairs nicely with the fact that the trio is much easier to work around salary-wise.
On the hot play front, Hayton has five points and 18 shots on net over his last five games. He's also the one member of this line that is on the top power-play unit, and the Canucks have the league's worst penalty kill. With 19 goals in 55 games, Peterka has delivered as expected for the Mammoth after coming over from the Sabres. He has seven points, including four of those 19 goals, over his last nine contests. Yamamoto has been the real surprise of this trio. Three times in his last five games he's had multiple points.
Wild vs. Canadiens
Joel Eriksson Ek (C - $5,900), Matt Boldy (W - $7,600), Marcus Johansson (W - $3,100)
The Canadiens are in the bottom 10 in penalty-kill percentage, are average at allowing shots on net per game, and are on the fringes of the bottom 10 in GAA. Jakub Dobes has a 2.97 GAA over six starts in the new year, but to even get to that level he had to make over 30 saves in two starts, which you can't bet on. He has an .894 save percentage this year, and Sam Montembeault has an .868 save percentage on the season. I like this Minnesota trio at home, in part because two of them are on the top power-play unit.
Eriksson Ek is on a four-game point streak. He also has 13 power-play points in 50 games on the season. With 29 goals, Boldy is well on his way to his second 30-goal season, and probably his first 40-goal season. He has 17 power-play points in 52 games for good measure. Johansson has had his best season in years. He has 13 goals and 35 points in 51 contests. While the Swede is on the second power-play unit, he does have seven points with the extra man.
DEFENSEMEN
Mikhail Sergachev, UTA vs. VAN ($5,600): Even without the same puck luck as last season, Sergachev has been quite productive. He has 37 points in 55 games, including 14 with the extra man. Vancouver has the league's highest GAA and the league's lowest penalty-kill percentage, so it's pretty easy to see why the Russian defenseman is worth a roster spot.
Erik Karlsson, PIT vs. OTT ($5,100): While opportunity played a role, Karlsson played an even 7:00 on the power play in his last game. On the campaign, the future Hall of Famer has averaged 3:02 per contest with the extra man, and right now he isn't sharing power-play time with Kris Letang, who is injured. The Senators are 30th in penalty-kill percentage, and also on the road. Plus, Karlsson might want to get on the score sheet against his old team.
Brady Skjei, NAS vs. STL ($3,200): Defensemen don't tend to have shooting percentages on par with forwards, but Skjei has had terrible puck luck even for a blue liner. He's averaged 22:24 per game in ice time, put 82 shots on net in 54 games, and scored a single goal. It's highly unlikely Skjei will finish the season with 1.2 percent shooting. Additionally, he has three assists in his last nine games and put four shots on net in his last outing. Maybe Skeji's luck will turn around against a Blues team in the bottom five in GAA.
