DraftKings NHL: Monday Breakdown

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Published on March 11, 2024

When the weekend ends, it's nice to have something to look forward to on Monday. For example, four NHL games. Also, the chance for some DFS success. First pucks drop at 7 p.m. ET. Here are my lineup recommendations.

SLATE PREVIEW

The Islanders are on the road for the second day of a back-to-back, doing the Ducks-and-Kings doubleheader. Meanwhile, the Rangers are the one team on the first leg of a back-to-back.

GOALIE

Cam Talbot, LOS vs. NYI ($7,800): Talbot started the year in excellent form. When he slipped, David Rittich stepped in. With Rittich never likely to sustain his play, Talbot is back as the top man in net for the Kings, and he's been on his game once more. Over his last eight starts, Talbot has an 1.87 GAA and .940 save percentage. The Islanders are average in terms of goals per game, but they are on the road for the second night of a back-to-back. While they have an above-average power play, the Kings have the league's best penalty kill.

VALUE PLAY/ONE-OFF

Alexis Lafreniere, NYR vs. NJD ($4,800): Lafreniere hasn't taken a leap, necessarily, but he has taken a step forward. He has 18 goals on 167 shots on net with 21 assists through 63 games, so he will put up career highs across the board, just not with a significant uptick. The Devils revamped in net at the deadline, but I doubt it will help. After all, the new ostensible number-one netminder is Jake Allen, and he has an .899 save percentage over the last four seasons.

FORWARD LINE STACK TO CONSIDER

Kings vs. Islanders

Anze Kopitar (C - $5,400), Adrian Kempe (W - $6,000), Quinton Byfield (W - $4,900)

This was the only choice for a line to stack in this matchup, but I believe it shall be worth it. All three of these gentlemen play on the top power-play unit. The Islanders have the league's worst penalty kill, and as noted they are also on the second leg of a back-to-back. While this is no "bargain" stack, it's also far from the most-imposing line out there from a salary perspective. Clearly, in this matchup, I think this is worth it.

Kopitar hasn't lost a step offensively, but in this paragraph I'm going to focus on power-play production. On that front, the Slovenian has averaged 3:06 per game on the power play and has 18 points with the extra man through 63 games. Kempe just returned from injury, but he's played 3:07 a night with the extra man on average, with 17 power-play points in 58 outings. Prior to his injury, he had four power-play points in four games. Byfield has taken a leap this season, though he also had more room for growth than Lafreniere. The 21-year-old has 12 points with the extra man, and he has 13 points overall in his last 16 games.

DEFENSEMAN

Drew Doughty, LOS vs. NYI ($5,500): Sure, it's the same well as my stack, and the reasoning is the same, but Doughty has been so good this year, especially on the power play. He's averaged 3:14 per game with the extra man and has 17 points on that front. In fact, the veteran defenseman has six power-play points in his last 12 contests. Now, he faces the league's worst penalty kill. Sometimes, it's best to not overthink it.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Chris Morgan plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: cmorgan3, DraftKings: cmorgan3.