This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Sunday gave us afternoon hockey, and Monday is doing that as well. There are five games on the docket, three of them in the afternoon. Here are some recommendations for your lineup. The first game starts at 1 p.m. EST.
SLATE PREVIEW
Two teams are on the second leg of a back-to-back. One is the Hurricanes, who are on the road. However, they are also one of the best defensive teams in the league, and Antti Raanta started Sunday, meaning Frederik Andersen is in net Monday. I'm not turning to any Flyers as a result. Then, there's the Canadiens. The team with the highest GAA in the NHL on a back-to-back? I'll see you in the line stacks for that one.
GOALIES
Petr Mrazek, TOR at MON ($8,500): Jack Campbell has been struggling, so the Maple Leafs are turning to Mrazek. Luckily for him, there is no better matchup possible. Montreal is the worst team in the NHL and on the second leg of a back-to-back. Mrazek is almost a lock to pick up a win. Plus, the Habs are last in goals per game as well.
Darcy Kuemper, COL at BOS ($8,300): Kuemper is the inverse of Campbell, as he's been stellar in 2022. In the new year he's 12-0-2 with an 1.94 GAA and .936 save percentage in 16 games. While the Bruins have put 35.0 shots on net per game, they have only managed 2.84 goals per contest off that. Also, Brad Marchand is currently out with a suspension.
VALUE PLAYS
Jared McCann, SEA at VAN ($4,300): McCann has been the top center and lead point producer for the Kraken this season. He also has 12 points with the extra man to lead the team. That bodes well in this matchup, as the Canucks have the league's worst penalty kill.
Mikael Backlund, CGY vs. WPG ($4,200): Backlund has 21 points this season, but he's put 126 shots on net. His 5.6 shooting percentage seems bound to improve, as his career shooting percentage is 8.7. Connor Hellebuyck has had an off campaign with a 2.82 GAA and .913 save percentage. Over his last 15 games, he has a 3.07 GAA and .907 save percentage.
LINE STACKS TO CONSIDER
Maple Leafs at Canadiens: John Tavares (C - $7,300), William Nylander (W - $6,700), Alex Kerfoot (W - $3,200)
The Canadiens are bottom five in GAA, shots on net allowed per game, and penalty-kill percentage. Samuel Montembault has a 3.81 GAA and .895 save percentage. Then, throw in the fact the Habs are on a back-to-back. The Maple Leafs are the team to target. Now, their lineup is stacked with some high-salary players, but sometimes it's worth it. Still, I'm going with the second line to try and save you at least a bit of salary.
Tavares has a point in five of his last six games, giving him 46 points in 47 contests. He also has 15 power-play points. Nylander has been incredible with the extra man, notching 20 power-play points. He's also put 161 shots on goal in 48 games. Kerfoot only has seven goals, but he's added 27 assists. Playing with guys like Tavares and Nylander helps there.
Canucks vs. Kraken: Elias Pettersson (C -$4,400), Conor Garland (W - $4,300), Tanner Pearson (W - $3,300)
The Kraken have a 3.51 GAA and a bottom-10 penalty kill. Philipp Grubauer has an .887 save percentage. Chris Driedger has an .890 save percentage. Basically, the goaltending has been bad. Vancouver gets to host Seattle here, and I am going with its second line for a stack.
Pettersson started his season slow, but he's now got the kind of numbers I expect. He's tallied eight goals and seven assists over his last 14 games. The Swede also has 13 points with the extra man in 51 outings. Garland has a point in four of his last five contests, giving him 29 points in 46 contests. Pearson's 6.9 shooting percentage is holding his numbers down, but some puck luck could come his way. He also has six points in his last 10 contests.
DEFENSE
Mark Giordano, SEA at VAN ($5,400): Giordano recently had a three-game assist streak, and he has 10 assists over his last 15 games. The veteran defenseman has also averaged 2:57 per game with the extra man, tallying eight power-play points. As I mentioned previously, the Canucks have the league's worst penalty kill.
T.J. Brodie, TOR at MON ($2,500): I wanted to find a Toronto defenseman other than Morgan Rielly to try and save you some salary. This is a matchup to target, though, obviously. Brodie has a point in each of his last two games. He's also currently skating on Toronto's top pair with Rielly right now, meaning plenty of minutes for Brodie against the lowly Habs
