This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
It was a bit odd that there were no NHL games Sunday, but hey, it's not like we were left wanting for sports content. Monday, though, the NHL returns with gusto. There are nine games on the slate, so let's get to it so you can get back in the swing of things, DFS style.
SLATE PREVIEW
Obviously, no teams are on the second night of a back-to-back Monday, since no teams played Sunday. Everyone should be nice and rested, especially with only a few games having taken place so far. Teams have played anywhere between one and four games at this point, so I am primarily looking at last season's numbers, though, thanks to the NHL website I am able to combine the numbers from this year with last year's to factor in what's happened so far to a degree.
GOALIES
Tristan Jarry, PIT at MON ($8,400): Jarry had a rebound campaign last year, notching a 2.42 GAA and .919 save percentage. He's off to a hot start to this season with a 2.02 GAA and .938 save percentage through three starts. The Canadiens are a young, rebuilding team, and they have averaged 2.62 goals per game since the start of last season as well (with a roster that seems worse on paper this year).
Frederik Andersen, CAR at SEA ($8,200): Let's see, here we have a goalie that posted a 2.17 GAA and .922 save percentage last season. Also, a team that is first in shots on net allowed per game and penalty-kill percentage since the beginning of last year. Andersen faces a Kraken team in that has only averaged 29.2 shots on net per contest in their existence, so it may not be a busy day for him.
Connor Hellebuyck, WPG at DAL ($7,400): Hellebuyck is my pick if you are trying to save salary. He tired down under a heavy workload last season, but obviously he's fresh now, and in his first start he made 40 saves on 41 shots against the Rangers. Now, it's a little worrisome he had to face 41 shots, but let's focus on those 40 saves! Also, the Stars being 21st in goals per game since the start of last season.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
David Perron, DET vs. LOS ($4,800): Perron has picked up his first goal as a Wing, and what's encouraging is that he already has a key role on the power play. Given that he had over 20 points with the extra man in each of his last three seasons, that seems wise. The Kings have the 23rd-ranked penalty kill since the start of last year, and over the last five seasons Jonathan Quick has a .900 save percentage.
Jason Zucker, PIT at MON ($3,100): Zucker is healthy, he's on Evgeni Malkin's wing, and he's had puck luck to start the campaign. That's all stuff he could have used last season, but he has now. Also, he has three points through two games. Zucker will likely face Jake Allen on Monday, and Allen had a .906 save percentage over the previous two seasons.
Alexis Lafreniere, NYR vs. ANA ($3,000): This should be Lafreniere's breakthrough campaign. He was taken first overall in the NHL Draft, and in his age-19 season he had 19 even-strength goals. This season, Lafreniere has two assists and zero goals, but 13 shots on net. Goals should follow. The Ducks keep turning to John Gibson, even though he has a .903 save percentage over the last five seasons.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Maple Leafs vs. Coyotes: John Tavares (C - $5,800), William Nylander (W - $6,300), Denis Malgin (W - $4,400)
The Coyotes are a safe bet to finish last in GAA and shots on net allowed per game. So far, that's proven accurate. Karel Vejmelka has faced 95 shots and allowed 11 goals through two outings. To put that another way, the only goalie to play for the Coyotes this season has a 5.55 GAA and .884 save percentage.
John Tavares isn't seen as the Leon Draisaitl to Auston Matthews' Connor McDavid, but Tavares did have 76 points last season and put 237 shots on net. He's opened this season with a three-game point streak. Nylander had 34 goals and 46 assists last season. Sure, 31 of his points came with the extra man, but the Coyotes have the 29th-ranked penalty kill since the beginning of last year, and it'll probably be worse than that this year. Malgin is getting the biggest opportunity of his NHL career. He did score in the opener, and as long as he's on Tavares' wing he'll have some upside.
Hurricanes at Kraken: Jesperi Kotkaniemi (C - $2,800), Andrei Svechnikov (W - $6,400), Martin Necas (W - $4,900)
The Kraken still need a solution in net. Last year, Philipp Grubauer had a 3.16 GAA and .889 save percentage. This year he has a 3.70 GAA and .848 save percentage. Martin Jones was added into the mix, even though he had a 3.12 GAA and .897 save percentage over the previous three seasons. Now, he's started off his Kraken tenure with a 3.60 GAA and .882 save percentage. Sounds bad for Seattle, but good for Carolina.
Kotkaniemi hasn't panned out yet, but he was the third-overall pick and had 34 points as a rookie in his age-18 campaign. He has 29 points in 66 games as a Hurricane last year, but now he's centering the second line and has averaged 16:03 in ice time, which would be a career high by a considerable margin. Svechnikov has always been a good goal scorer, but he had his first 30-goal season last year. He has a point in both of his games this season. Necas has had over 40 points in each of his last two campaigns, but last year he also had an 8.8 shooting percentage, which speaks to bad puck luck. He already has four points this season.
DEFENSEMEN
Kris Letang, PIT at MON ($6,300): Letang was able to enjoy a healthy season last year and responded with 10 goals on 214 shots on net with 58 assists. He has three points through two games this season and still plays a ton of minutes on the power play (Letang has averaged 3:36 per game with the extra man since his sophomore campaign). Allen, as I noted, has a .906 save percentage over the previous two years.
Moritz Seider, DET vs. LOS ($5,500): Seider doesn't have a point to follow up his Calder-winning campaign but fret not. He's averaged 22:06 in ice time (4:02 on the power play) and racked up nine shots on goal and five blocked shots. The points will come, perhaps against the Kings. Quick does have a .900 save percentage over the last five seasons, after all.
Bowen Byram, COL at MIN ($3,000): Byram has actually played fewer minutes per game than in his 30-game stint last season, wherein he racked up 17 points. However, the 21-year-old has averaged 1:30 on the power play, his first real time with the extra man. Byram also has a goal through two games. I wonder if we have seen the end of Marc-Andre Fleury as a viable NHL goalie. He's 37, and after having a .908 save percentage last season, he has a .776 save percentage to start this campaign.
