This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
The NFL season came to a close in exciting fashion Sunday. Congrats to the Rams! Now, there's no excuse for not turning all your attention to the NHL. We have four games on the slate Monday, and the earliest is at 8 p.m. EST, so you get an hour more than usual to get your lineups in.
SLATE PREVIEW
No back-to-backs Monday. There are a few mismatches, though, and there are definitely opportunities here.
GOALIES
Kaapo Kahkonen, MIN vs. DET ($8,100): Since Cam Talbot got healthy again, he and Kahkonen have been swapping starts. If that continues, it will be Kahkonen's turn in net. That sounds good to me, as he has a 2.44 GAA and .924 save percentage. Detroit is 22nd in goals scored, while Minnesota is third in goals scored, so I like the Wild's chances of picking up a win for whoever is in goal.
Connor Hellebuyck, WPG vs. CHI ($7,800): It's been a middling season for Hellebuyck, as he has a 2.83 GAA and .913 save percentage. That being said, he's at home against a poor Blackhawks team. Chicago has scored a mere 2.38 goals per game, 30th in the NHL.
VALUE PLAYS
Kevin Fiala, MIN vs. DET ($5,500): Fiala started the season cold, but he's put that well behind him. He's notched at least one point in 13 of his last 14 games, and he has 10 goals in that time. Detroit has played some high-scoring games this year, but oftentimes it ends up on the losing end because it has a 3.39 GAA and has allowed 32.8 shots on net per game.
Logan Couture, SAN vs. EDM ($): Couture has notched 14 goals and 20 assists in 42 games. Since returning from a three-game absence he has five points in 10 games, but he also has 26 shots on net in that time. Since returning from a lengthy absence of his own, 39-year-old goalie Mike Smith has allowed four goals in two of his three starts.
LINE STACKS TO CONSIDER
Maple Leafs at Kraken: John Tavares (C - $6,500), William Nylander (W - $5,600), Alex Kerfoot (W - $2,700)
The Kraken have a 3.46 GAA. Looking for why that is the case? Look no further than Philipp Grubauer's .887 save percentage and Chris Driedger's .895 mark. The goaltending has been poor. Toronto's top line will cost you a pretty penny in salary, but the second line is quite good as well, and not quite as hard to build a lineup around.
Thanks to a three-game point streak, Tavares now has 44 points in 44 games. He's also tallied 46 shots on net in his last 11 outings. Nylander has been stellar this season, but especially on the power play. He's tallied 19 of his 43 points with the extra man. Kerfoot has done a fair amount of playmaking this year. While he has only six goals, he has 25 assists in 45 games.
DEFENSE
Brent Burns, SAN vs. EDM ($4,900): Burns remains one of the most prolific shooters on the blue line in the NHL. He's put 124 shots on net in 46 games. The Oilers, on the other hand have allowed 32.3 shots on goal per contest. Burns should be able to be his usual active self here.
Neal Pionk, WPG vs. CHI ($4,400): Pionk has taken a bit of a step back this year, but he has 19 points in 41 games. He has averaged 2:55 with the extra man, though, and has seven power-play points. The Blackhawks have a 3.35 GAA, so Pionk may be able to pick it up here, especially if he gets some power-play time.
