Monday's NHL schedule features but a single game. The Rangers host the Senators at 7:30 p.m. EDT. For DFS purposes, you get $50,000 in salary to divvy out to six players. One is your Captain and nets you 1.5 times the points, but with an elevated salary.
This is an interesting one to parse. The Rangers are on the second leg of a back-to-back, but they did save Igor Shesterkin for this game. Meanwhile, the Senators are on the first leg of a back-to-back, and the second game is a road game against the floundering Red Wings. While my beloved Wings seem primed to miss the playoffs again with a proper March collapse, that is a game with major playoff implications. As such, James Reimer may start this one for Ottawa.
With the knowns, and the unknowns, here is the lineup I landed on.
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CAPTAIN
Drake Batherson, OTT at NYR ($14,100): The Rangers, on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back, are in the bottom 10 in shots on net allowed per game. They also have a bottom-10 penalty kill. Batherson has 12 points in his last 11 games, and on the campaign he has 23 power-play points. Given that the Senators are the rested team, I wanted a Senator as my Captain, and Batherson was my choice.
UTILITY
Mika Zibanejad, NYR vs. OTT ($9,000): Though the Rangers played Sunday, you don't solely want Senators. The avenue to find success with the Rangers on Monday is in the fact the Senators have the 30th-ranked penalty kill. On Sunday, Zibanejad picked up his 30th goal of the season, and that goal was also his 30th power-play point on the campaign.
Shane Pinto, OTT at NYR ($7,800): Pinto has 12 points in his last 16 contests. Additionally, nine times in those 16 games he notched at least three shots on target. Shesterkin has done his best since returning from injury, but he still has a 2.97 GAA in that time owing in part to the defense in front of him.
Alexis Lafreniere, NYR vs. OTT ($7,200): Lafreniere has notched his second 20-goal season, and he's likely to have his second 50-point season as well. Beyond that, after the trade deadline, the one-time first-overall pick is finally getting time with the top power-play unit. Lafreniere has three power-play goals in his last seven games, and as noted Ottawa has the 30th-ranked penalty kill.
Claude Giroux, OTT at NYR ($6,400): Giroux was really going all out to end a lengthy goal drought in his last game. He put seven shots on net, and to his credit one of them did go in. He has four points, and 16 shots on net, over his last six contests, and playing on Ottawa's top line and second power-play unit could benefit him.
Jordan Spence, OTT at NYR ($5,200): To close out the lineup with limited salary left, I went with Spence. As with my Captain, I wanted a Senator as the Rangers are the team on the second leg of a back-to-back. Additionally, Spence has been hot. He has four assists in his last four games, so at this salary in this scenario, why not take a shot?
