This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
This is a great time of the year to be playing DFS NHL contests. On a day like Monday, when the games don't have a ton of playoff implications, there is still something to get excited about. There are five NHL matchups starting at 7 p.m. ET or later. These are my lineup recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
There are no NHL teams on the second leg of a back-to-back Monday. A few teams are on the first leg, but the only one with a chance to complicate things on the goalie front is the Panthers. If Mack Guzda starts instead of Sergei Bobrovsky, that changes things.
GOALIES
Stuart Skinner, EDM vs. SAN ($8,500): I was a little surprised to see Skinner as the highest-salaried goalie Monday, but I still like him in this matchup. All in all, he may have a .911 save percentage, but over his last eight home starts he has a 2.48 GAA and .917 save percentage. The Sharks rank 25th in goals per game, but their offense no longer features Timo Meier.
Alexandar Georgiev, COL vs. CHI ($8,400): This is the obvious choice and the safe bet. You aren't going to get closer to a lock for a win, and Georgiev has been the best goalie of Monday's options. He has a 2.58 GAA and .918 save percentage. Meanwhile, the Blackhawks have only managed 2.51 goals per game. They will safely finish last in the league on that front.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Evander Kane, EDM vs. SAN ($6,200): It's a little more armchair psychology than I tend to get into, but Kane definitely feels like the kind of dude who would get geared up to face his former team. Also, less nebulously, he's skating on Connor McDavid's wing right now and is coming off a hat trick. The Sharks have a 3.76 GAA, 30th in the NHL, which also bodes well for Kane when facing his old squad.
Valeri Nichushkin, COL vs. CHI ($6,100): Nichushkin has 19 points over his last 16 games. While he's on the second line with J.T. Compher as his center – and with Artturi Lehkonen now out and not playing alongside those two – the Russian does get to play on the first power-play unit. Nichushkin has averaged 3:21 per game with the extra man and has 13 power-play points in 39 games. The Blackhawks rank 20th on the penalty kill, which isn't as bad as you might think, but they are a weaker roster than they used to be, and they have effectively nothing to play for at this point.
FORWARD LINE STACK
Senators at Penguins
Ridly Greig (C - $2,600), Alex DeBrincat (W - $5,900), Claude Giroux (W - $5,700)
It would be nice if the Senators would bump Shane Pinto back up to centering this line, but even if that was the case, the stars here are on the wings. The Penguins have allowed 33.4 shots on net per game, and they also have three defensemen who are listed as day-to-day at the moment. On top of that, the goaltending has been bad recently. Casey DeSmith has struggled all year, which his 3.11 GAA and .907 save percentage attest to. Tristan Jarry actually had a 3.03 GAA and .907 save percentage himself, but since returning from injury he has a 4.17 GAA and .863 same percentage in 11 games.
Greig is only 20, and was a first-round pick. He has three points in 13 NHL outings, so admittedly he's being carried along in this stack. Maybe his talent will show through in this one, though. DeBrincat's 9.3 shooting percentage is low for him, but he has 21 goals in 69 games because he's put 226 shots on net. He's also added 35 assists this season, two off his personal best. In his first season with the Senators, Giroux has 28 goals and 39 assists. That includes 18 points in his last 16 outings.
DEFENSEMEN
Brandon Montour, FLA at DET ($6,100): If not for Josh Morrissey, Montour would be the story among breakthroughs on the blue line. The Panthers defenseman has tallied 12 goals on 200 shots on net in 67 games, and he has 46 assists as well. He's on a four-game point streak, and in that time he has five points with the extra man. Detroit ranks 19th on the penalty kill, and Ville Husso has a 2.97 GAA and .901 save percentage.
Mattias Ekholm, EDM vs. SAN ($3,700): Being dealt to the Oilers has put an extra pep in Ekholm's step. In nine games with his new team he has seven points. San Jose, as I noted, has a 3.76 GAA. It also has a top-eight penalty kill, but Ekholm has only averaged 39 seconds per game on the power play with the Oilers.
