This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
The NHL is off Friday through Sunday, which means they are stuffing the schedule this week. Monday, for example, features eight games. Here are some DFS lineup recommendations, in case you need a little cash to pick up those final Christmas presents.
SLATE PREVIEW
We've got no teams on the second night of a back-to-back Monday. However, we also have two games between teams ranked in the bottom 10 in GAA. The Coyotes host the Canadiens, and in the real enticing matchup, the Blues visit the Canucks.
GOALIES
Jake Oettinger, DAL at CLM ($8,500): Oettinger is back in the groove with a 2.21 GAA and .926 save percentage over his last seven outings. That gives him a 2.42 GAA and .920 save percentage on the year. The Blue Jackets have averaged 2.77 goals per contest, and since their defense is so bad the odds of Oettinger getting a win is strong.
Charlie Lindgren, WAS vs. DET ($8,400): Lindgren wasn't supposed to be playing so much this year, but it's worked out for the Capitals. Over his last seven starts he has an 1.87 GAA and .938 save percentage. These two teams have been headed in opposite directions offensively, and Detroit is down to having averaged 2.90 goals and 29.4 shots on goal per game.
Stuart Skinner, EDM at NAS ($8,000): Skinner has a .915 save percentage, and while he's often had to face a lot of shots, that may not be the case Monday. The Predators are 29th in goals scored, having averaged 2.41 goals per contest, and they've only put 29.7 shots on net per contest.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Cole Caufield, MON at ARI ($6,900): Caufield has potted 18 goals already, but he's also put a whopping 105 shots on net through 31 contests. That's what I like best heading into this matchup. The Coyotes have allowed a hefty 35.3 shots on net per game.
J.T. Miller, VAN vs. STL ($5,800): Miller has slowed down a bit, but that means he only has three assists over his last seven games. On the year, he's averaged 3:55 per contest on the power play, notching 14 points with the extra man in 30 games. The Blues, for their part, have the 30th-ranked penalty kill.
Nick Bjugstad, ARI vs. MON ($2,900): Bjugstad has a goal in two of his last three games. Also, while he was not playing on the power play at all, he's averaged over 4:30 minutes with the extra man across his last two contests. Will that change of pace continue? The Canadiens have a middling penalty kill, but Jake Allen still has a 3.33 GAA and .897 save percentage.
FORWARD LINE STACK
Stars at Blue Jackets
Roope Hintz (C - $6,500), Jason Robertson (W - $8,300), Joe Pavelski (W - $5,800)
This is a high-salary stack, but the Stars left me with no choice. They don't have another line that is really worth a stack, and this matchup is too good to pass up. The Blue Jackets have a 4.07 GAA and have allowed 35.4 shots on net per contest, both 31st in the NHL. This is a circumstance where I will grab one of the NHL's elite lines and work around it salary wise elsewhere.
Hintz broke through with 72 points and 213 shots on net last year, and he has 35 points and 72 shots on net through 31 games this season. He has 11 points in his last nine games, putting 27 shots on goal in that time. Robertson is now one of the top players in the NHL, and he has 23 goals and 23 assists. He hasn't scored a goal in his last seven games, but he has five assists in that time. At this point, we know the goals will come eventually with Robertson. Pavelski has a point in each of his last two games, both on the power play. All in all, he has 11 points with the extra man, and the Blue Jackets are mediocre on the penalty kill, unsurprisingly.
Blues at Canucks
Brayden Schenn (C - $4,200), Vladimir Tarasenko (W - $5,600), Pavel Buchnevich (W - $5,500)
I wanted a line with the most power-play upside, and this is it. The Canucks rank 31st on the penalty kill after ranking last in the prior season. That's partially why they have a 3.87 GAA. Another part of it is the fact Spencer Martin has an .889 save percentage.
Schenn plays the least on the power play of this trio, typically appearing on the second unit, but he has five power-play points. However, even without a sizable role with the extra man, Schenn has seven points in his last seven games. Usually more of a goal scorer, Tarasenko has 13 assists to nine goals this year. Five of those goals have come in his last 11 outings, though, and he's put 74 shots on net this season in total. Buchnevich has three points in two games since returning from injury. On the season, he's tallied nine power-play points in 22 contests as well.
DEFENSEMEN
Miro Heiskanen, DAL at CLM ($5,200): Heiskanen has averaged a whopping 25:25 per game in ice time, and he has 25 points in 29 contests as well. The Finn has taking on a huge role for the Stars with John Klingberg having moved on, and it's paying off. It often pays off to face Columbus, given that it has a 4.07 GAA and has ceded 35.4 shots on goal per contest.
Shayne Gostisbehere, ARI vs. MON ($5,000): Jakob Chychrun's play since returning from injury has gotten the attention (to the extent the Coyotes ever get attention), but he's been the rising tide that has lifted Gostisbehere's boat as well. Chychrun's defensive partner has 13 points of his own over his last 12 games. Now Gostisbehere faces a Canadiens team with a 3.55 GAA and has allowed 32.8 shots on net per contest.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson, VAN vs. STL ($3,300): Ekman-Larsson has three points in his last four games, giving him 14 this season. That's with an 1.9 shooting percentage that is likely to improve. Jordan Binnington has literally gotten worse ever season of his career, and indeed this year he has a 3.21 GAA and .894 save percentage.
