This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
It's Monday, and how does the work week start? With three NHL games, at the very least. Almost every team in the league has played at least 10 games now, so sample sizes are getting more useful. Let's dig into the slate a little deeper…
SLATE PREVIEW
There are no teams on a back-to-back Monday, but the Panthers will be playing the second leg of a back-to-back Tuesday. Since Sergei Bobrovsky is day-to-day with an injury, that likely means Spencer Knight starting Monday, with the hope theoretically being that Bob will be ready for Tuesday.
GOALIE
Spencer Knight, FLA at NYR ($7,600): I just mentioned Knight, so let's roll right into this recommendation. He impressed in four regular-season games last year, and then in the playoffs. This year he's posted a 2.52 GAA and .918 save percentage in five starts. The Rangers have struggled offensively out of the gate, as they've averaged 2.42 goals and 26.3 shots on net per contest.
Jack Campbell, TOR vs. LOS ($8,000): Poor play from Campbell's backup Petr Mrazek has skewed Toronto's overall numbers, because Campbell has a 1.88 GAA with a .936 save percentage. The Kings have actually put 35.1 shots on net per contest, but they've only scored 2.64 goals per game. Some regression is likely coming one way or another, but my assumption is it will be the shot totals dropping.
VALUE PLAYS
William Nylander, TOR vs. LOS ($7,300): Nylander is off to a hot start with 10 points in 10 games. Also, he's averaged 3:09 per game with the extra man and tallied four power-play points. The Kings are down in the bottom 10 in penalty-kill percentage, which could benefit Nylander.
Tage Thompson, BUF at WAS ($5,700): Thompson has a three-game point streak, giving him seven points in 11 games. He's moved up to being the first-line center for the Sabres, and he's averaged 17:49 in ice time, including 2:41 with the extra man. Meanwhile, Vitek Vanecek has a .908 save percentage, which is the same save percentage he put up last year.
LINE STACK TO CONSIDER
Capitals vs. Sabres
Evgeny Kuznetsov (C - $7,500), Alex Ovechkin (W - $9,200), Tom Wilson (W - $5,400)
Washington's theoretical second line – Nicklas Backstrom, T.J. Oshie, and Anthony Mantha – are all out with injury right now. As such, I really could only go with the first line for the Capitals. The Sabres have a 2.82 GAA and have allowed 32.4 shots on net per contest, both middling numbers. However, that's with 40-year-old Craig Anderson posting a .921 save percentage and journeyman goalie Dustin Tokarski having a .915 save percentage, compared to his career .908 save percentage. Basically, I think Buffalo's defensive numbers are likely to start dropping, perhaps quite a bit.
Ovechkin is justifying his salary thus far, with 10 goals on 54 shots on net, with eight assists to boot. Somebody has Wayne Gretzky's career goal total on his mind. Last season was rough for Kuznetsov, but this year he's already notched 13 points in 11 games. Wilson has been benefiting from playing on this line, as he has seven assists. He may only have one goal, but his 4.8 shooting percentage will improve soon enough.
DEFENSE
Aaron Ekblad, FLA at NYR ($6,500): The Rangers have allowed 32.9 shots on net per game. Enter Ekblad. He's put 34 shots on net in 11 contests. No Panther has more shots on goal. He also has 10 points in 11 games, for good measure.
Rasmus Dahlin, BUF at WAS ($5,000): With a point in each of his last two games, Dahlin now has six points in 11 contests. He's averaged 22:57 per game in ice time and started a whopping 65.6 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone. Vanecek has a .908 save percentage, and if Ilya Samsonov is in net he has an .893 save percentage himself.
