This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
After a jam-packed few days of sports, Monday is a bit lighter, and the NHL is no exception. There are only two games on the slate, but the first starts at 8 p.m. ET, so you get a little extra time to get your lineups in. Onto the DFS recommendations!
SLATE PREVIEW
Pretty straightforward here! No team is on the second leg of a back-to-back. Vegas, the one team on the first leg of a back-to-back, announced early Logan Thompson is getting the start Monday, so that's squared away as well.
GOALIE
Logan Thompson, VGK at STL ($7,800): I mentioned Thompson, and let's start there. It's clearly the easiest matchup of Monday, as the Blues have averaged 2.86 goals and 28.6 shots on net per game. While Thompson has been used intermittently since Adin Hill returned, he has only allowed one goal in each of his last two starts.
VALUE PLAY/ONE-OFF
Jonathan Marchessault, VGK at STL ($6,800) The Blues have left their goalies to shoulder a not insignificant workload. St. Louis has given up 32.4 shots on net per game. Marchessault thrives on getting pucks on goal. He has 233 shots on goal in 70 contests, which is no anomalous for him, and he's tallied 38 goals as a result.
FORWARD LINE STACK TO CONSIDER
Kings at Canucks
Anze Kopitar (C - $5,200), Adrian Kempe (W - $6,600), Quinton Byfield (W - $5,000)
After years of having a terrible penalty kill, the Canucks are middle-of-the-road this year. That's an improvement, but it is not imposing. Plus, at the moment, Casey DeSmith is the number-one netminder. He has an .899 save percentage this season. The Kings' top line is also the forward trio for the top power-play unit, making this the choice for a stack.
Of course, twisting your arm to turn to Kopitar right now is probably not necessary. He has had multiple points in four of his last five games. On the year, he has 20 points with the extra man. Wouldn't you know it, but Kempe also has four multipoint games in his last five outings. It's almost like these two facts are connected! Kemper is also a shot generator, with 215 shots on target in 65 games. Byfield is not quite as prolific as his two linemates, but he has four points in his last five outings. On the year he's enjoyed a breakthrough with 51 points in 68 contests.
DEFENSEMAN
Drew Doughty, LOS at VAN ($5,100): Might as well add the defenseman on the Kings' top power-play unit into the mix! Doughty has averaged 3:11 per game on the power play and has 17 points with the extra man. However, the veteran is not merely a power-play specialist. He has six points in his last nine games, all at even strength.
