This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
For the second day in a row, there are only three matchups on the NHL schedule. Monday has three fairly-intriguing games, though, and with the baseball season over, and a middling NFL matchup on the docket, you can focus your attention on that most glorious of sports, hockey. Here are some DFS recommendations to start the work week off right.
SLATE PREVIEW
Everybody should be well rested for Monday. Zero teams are playing the second leg of a back-to-back. We also have a game between the highest-scoring and the lowest-scoring team in the NHL. That's where I shall begin.
GOALIES
Linus Ullmark, BOS vs. STL ($8,300): The Bruins are the team averaged the most goals per game, and the Blues are the ones bringing up the rear on that front. Of course, while Boston's offense supplies support for Ullmark that increases his chances of winning, he hasn't needed much help. The Swede has a 2.16 GAA and .929 save percentage.
Ilya Sorokin, NYI vs. CGY ($7,600): Finding a second goalie was a little tricky, but I ended up going with skill over matchup. The Flames are arguably unlucky to be 16th in goals per game, given that they have put 36.2 shots on net per contest. That being said, Sorokin has a 2.12 GAA and .933 save percentage. In his career, he has a .924 save percentage. The Russian can handle his business.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Oliver Wahlstrom, NYI vs. CGY ($4,500): Wahlstrom is getting to skate on the Islanders' top line, and getting a lot of favorable ice time. He's started 78.7 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, second only to his center Mathew Barzal. Wahlstrom has four goals and three assists through 11 games, and maybe this is the year the 11th-overall pick in 2018 lifts his game. Jacob Markstrom impressed last year, but this season he has a 2.84 GAA and .900 save percentage.
Dylan Strome, WAS vs. EDM ($3,600): Strome has nine points in 13 games, but what entices me the most is the fact he's averaged 4:01 per contest on the power play. The Oilers have the 27th-ranked penalty kill, and also a 3.50 GAA.
FORWARD LINE STACK
Bruins vs. Blues
David Krejci (C - $5,100), David Pastrnak (W - $8,600), Taylor Hall (W - $4,000)
The Blues have more issues than a punchless offense. Their situation in net is fairly bleak as well. Jordan Binnington looked good for a few games, but now has a 3.40 GAA and .879 save percentage. His backup is Thomas Greiss, a 36-year-old journeyman with a career .912 save percentage. Boston, meanwhile, is healthy and now has its top-two lines rolling, including this trio.
Krejci's return to the NHL has gone well, aside from a three-game absence. He has eight points in nine games, including four on the power play. Pastrnak has, as per usual, been an elite offensive force in the NHL. He's tallied eight goals on 62 shots on net and added 11 assists already. Hall doesn't normally shoot this well, but he has five goals through 12 games to start the season. He's added four assists, and he's done this while not clicking on the power play yet. Last year, he had 15 points with the extra man.
DEFENSEMEN
Noah Dobson, NYI vs. CGY ($6,100): Dobson made his name last season with 51 points, including 13 goals on 190 shots on net. He had 22 power-play points as well, and this season his power-play time is up to 3:32 per game. As I mentioned earlier, Markstrom has a .900 save percentage, and while he was excellent last year, the season prior he had a .904 save percentage.
Hampus Lindholm, BOS vs. STL ($5,700): Lindholm's 18.2 shooting percentage is going to regress, but the 24:07 per game in ice time he's averaged is huge, and the 3:38 he's averaged on the power play is a whole new world for him. The Swede has four points with the extra man already. St. Louis has the 22nd-ranked penalty kill, but Binnington's downturn in play raises concern on that front.
