This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Because Monday is MLK Day in the United States, there's a lot of afternoon action for the NHL. There are eight games on the slate, but only three have evening puck drops. For the purposes of this DFS article, I will be focusing on the night slate, which starts at 7:30 p.m. EST. Enjoy your afternoon, and then consider these recommendations for your DFS lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
There was only one NHL game Sunday, and it featured two teams that had also played Saturday. As such, there are no teams on a back-to-back Monday.
GOALIE
Ilya Sorokin, NYI vs. PHI ($8,100): Sorokin hasn't gotten much offensive support, but he's doing his best for the Islanders. He has a 2.43 GAA and .925 save percentage. The Flyers rank 26th in the NHL with a 2.54 goals per game average. On top of that, Philly is on a seven-game slide, so Sorokin is catching them at a favorable time.
Carter Hart, PHI at NYI ($7,300): Hey, somebody is going to win this game. Also, it's definitely the game featuring the offenses that pack the least punch. Hart has scuffled at times this season, and his .911 save percentage is middling. That being said, the Islanders have only averaged 2.23 goals and 28.2 shots on net per contest. I'm expecting a low-scoring game here.
VALUE PLAYS
Matt Duchene, NAS at STL ($6,800): The hope here is that the Blues continue to not realize that Ville Husso should be starting the majority of their games instead of Jordan Binnington. Binnington may have backstopped the franchise to its first Stanley Cup, but this year he has a 3.05 GAA and .906 save percentage. It took Duchene a few games to get going offensively after returning from a four-game absence, but over his last five games he has four goals on 16 shots on net.
Oliver Wahlstrom, NYI vs. PHI ($3,900): The Islanders don't have much going on offensively, but the Flyers have given up a whopping 35.9 shots on net per game. I'd still be willing to take a shot on Hart in this matchup, but with only six teams in action and with a lack of questionable defensive teams playing, I was also willing to take a shot on an Islander. What does Wahlstrom have going for him? He leads the Islanders with 76 shots on goal in 28 games.
LINE STACK TO CONSIDER
Penguins at Golden Knights: Evgeni Malkin (C - $6,400), Jeff Carter (W - $5,100), Kasperi Kapanen (W - $3,400)
Most of the teams in action Monday are in the top third of the league in GAA. The Golden Knights, though, are middling with a 2.97 GAA. Robin Lehner has a 2.91 GAA himself, but with a .905 save percentage. When shots are getting on him, they are going in a fair amount. With Malkin back in action, this is the makeup of Pittsburgh's second line, a line with a lot of upside in this matchup.
Malkin returned to action with two goals and an assist in his first game of the season. He hasn't tallied another point yet, but he's looked up to snuff. Plus, last year he had 28 points in 33 games. Carter moved from the center to the wing when Malkin returned, and in those three games he has two goals and 10 shots on net. On the season, the former King has 11 goals on 100 shots on goal in 31 contests. Kapanen rounds things out with eight goals, 12 assists, and 74 shots on net in 36 outings.
DEFENSE
Roman Josi, NAS at STL ($8,400): If you want to use a Predators defenseman, you pretty much have to go with Josi. Fortunately, in spite of his lofty salary, he's almost always worth it. We're talking a defenseman with 13 goals and 26 assists in 37 games. He's tallied 20 power-play points and 140 shots on net as well. Over his last five contests, the Swiss blue liner has nine points and 25 shots on net. I trust him in any matchup, and if the Blues trot out Binnington, it really bodes well.
John Marino, PIT at VGK ($2,700): Marino has only managed one goal this season, but that's with a 2.4 shooting percentage even though his career percentage is 6.3. He's also added 15 assists in 37 games, so he's providing offense. As I noted, Lehner has a .905 save percentage for Vegas.
