This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Christmas Eve, Christmas and even Boxing Day are being eschewed by the NHL. That means after Monday you won't have an opportunity to watch the NHL, or play NHL DFS, until Friday. Perish the thought. Of course, that means Monday is chock-a-block with action. There are 11 games on the slate starting at 7:00 p.m. ET or later. I'm here to help you head into the holiday break on a high note. Here are my DFS lineup recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
Several teams are on the second leg of a back-to-back, though the Panthers and Lightning are finishing a Sunshine State home-and-home. The Hockey Club is at home, but facing the Stars. Meanwhile, Washington, Carolina and Anaheim are all on the road.
GOALIES
Adin Hill, VGK vs. ANA ($8,400): Over his last 11 starts, Hill has a 2.08 GAA and a .923 save percentage. Only the Oilers have gotten to him, and the Ducks are very much not the Oilers. Anaheim is battling St. Louis for 30th in goals per game, which is far from an impressive battle. Anaheim is also on the second leg of a back-to-back.
Marc-Andre Fleury, MIN vs. CHI ($8,300): Filip Gustavsson has been banged up, so the Wild may want to let him have the break to get healthy. After all, not only is Chicago a former team of Fleury's, but this matchup should be one he can handle. The Blackhawks have managed a paltry 2.56 goals and 25.5 shots on net per contest. This is a chance for the 40-year-old to pad his Hall of Fame resume.
Jordan Binnington, STL at DET ($7,500): The Blues have been doing a "two for Jordan Binnington, one for Joel Hofer" rotation, so this would be a Binnington start. Although, Hofer has been the better goalie of the two, so maybe St. Louis will change things up a bit. I'd be happier with Hofer in net, but I'd still roster Binnington against a Wings team that has been frustrating recently. Well, frustrating to me, as a Wings fan. The 2.64 goals per game are bad enough as is, but the 25.3 shots on net per contest are what stand out from a futility perspective.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Brock Boeser, VAN vs. SAN ($5,800): Boeser has struggled to keep pace with what he did last season when he tallied 40 goals. However, he has 10 goals through 26 games, and he just lit the lamp twice in his last outing. The Sharks have allowed a robust 32.8 shots on net per contest and are relying on Alexandar Georgiev as the top goalie while Yaroslav Askarov adjusts to the NHL. The former Colorado goalie has allowed at least three goals in each of his three starts since the trade that sent him to San Jose.
Wyatt Johnston, DAL at UTA ($5,500): Johnston has 12 points over his last 15 games. While he didn't have a point in his last outing, he put a whopping nine shots on target. To that end, Johnston has a 6.6 percent shooting rate this year, so expect an uptick in puck luck to arrive, possibly soon. Though Karel Vejmelka has played well for Utah, his team is still on the second leg of a back-to-back, and the Stars are rested. I don't want to stack against Vejmelka, but I think it's worth grabbing a piece of the Dallas offense.
John-Jason Peterka, BUF at NYI ($4,900): Peterka is on a four-game point streak, including two power-play points. The 22-year-old wing has averaged 2:49 per game with the extra man as well. While every season is a new experience in the NHL, some things do carry over from year to year. On that front, the Islanders remain woeful on the penalty kill, as they are last in the league on that front.
FORWARD LINE STACKS TO CONSIDER
Golden Knights vs. Ducks
William Karlsson (C - $5,300), Victor Olofsson (W - $3,800), Tanner Pearson (W - $2,500)
With a couple of Golden Knights day-to-day, there is potential for a shift in the lineup here. The most likely scenario would be Ivan Barbashev returning and pushing Pearson off this line, which would be beneficial from a DFS perspective. For now, though, this is the line, and this is a matchup I like. The Ducks are on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back and sit in the bottom six in shots on net allowed per game and penalty-kill percentage. Lukas Dostal started Sunday, leaving John Gibson for this one. You know, the guy with a .900 save percentage over the last six seasons.
Karlsson is on a three-game point streak. He's also put at least four shots on net in four of his last seven games and now faces one of the handful of teams allowing over 30 shots on net per contest. It took a couple of games, but Olofsson has rounded into form after returning from injury. He has four goals and three assists over his last seven outings. Pearson has tallied 12 points in 33 games. While he has not been in form, he did have an assist in his last contest.
Flyers at Penguins
Noah Cates (C - $2,500), Bobby Brink (W - $3,000), Tyson Foerster (W - $2,900)
I will note that I took a shot on Philadelphia's third line in its last game, but it paid off against the Blue Jackets, so I am doubling down. Columbus is bad defensively, but Pittsburgh is one of the few teams that is worse. The Penguins have a 3.66 GAA, the highest in the league. They have allowed 31.7 shots on net per contest, which is in the bottom five. At these salaries, if this line stays in form, it will once again prove quite fruitful to DFS players.
Cates is on a three-game goal streak, and he added an assist in his last game. He now has a point in five of his last six contests. Brink didn't get in on the fun against the Jackets, but he has 14 points through 31 games with an 8.9 percent shooting rate. He had a 13.6 percent shooting rate last year, so there's room for improvement. Foerster is not just on a three-game point streak. He's had multiple points in each of his last two outings.
DEFENSEMEN
Erik Karlsson, PIT vs. PHI ($4,700): The Penguins didn't realize how swiftly the window was shutting when they dealt for Karlsson, but at least the Swedish defenseman has been getting on the score sheet. He has 11 points and 31 shots on net over his last 13 games. Though the Penguins have been worse defensively, the Flyers have not covered themselves in glory. They have a 3.56 GAA, the third-highest in the NHL.
Lane Hutson, MON at CBJ ($4,400): The rookie Hutson is happy to help out. He's been in a Christmas-y, gift-giving mood for a while. Hutson has at least one point in 11 of his last 12 games, totaling 13 assists and one goal. Seven of those helpers have come with the extra man. The Blue Jackets have fallen to 31st in GAA. They are in the bottom 10 on the penalty kill, to boot.
Noah Hanifin, VGK vs. ANA ($3,900): The addition of Hanifin to a defensive corps already featuring Shea Theodore and Alex Pietrangelo was a luxury move, but that move has allowed a quality defender to fly under the radar. He has 16 points, 59 shots on net and 52 blocked shots over 33 games. That includes four points in his last four contests. Though Hanifin won't see much of the Ducks' penalty kill, he'll see plenty of a porous defense on the second night of a back-to-back and a goalie in John Gibson who has flailed for half a decade at this point.
