This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
We're into April and close to the NHL playoffs. Monday is a light night for the NHL, with only three games on the docket. Also, the first game doesn't start until 8 p.m. ET, so you have an extra hour to get your lineups in. Speaking of your lineups, here are my recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
Sunday was packed to the brim with teams on the second leg of a back-to-back, so it may not be surprising that no team is on the second leg of a back-to-back Monday. Seattle and Vegas are on the first days of a back-to-back, but neither team has a goaltending situation where that is relevant.
GOALIES
Martin Jones, SEA vs. ARI ($8,500): Jones and Philipp Grubauer will both play over the next two days, it is just a matter of who plays Monday and who is saved for Tuesday. Either way, I'll take the goalie getting the start Monday against the Coyotes. Arizona has managed a league-low 25.7 shots on net per contest. Seattle has only allowed 27.2 shots on goal per game. Jones hasn't even faced 20 shots in either of his last two starts. That could easily happen again.
Jake Oettinger, DAL vs. NAS ($8,100): Oettinger has posted a 2.47 GAA and .917 save percentage, and he just played both games of a back-to-back, so clearly the Stars are primed to ride their number-one goalie into the postseason. The Predators are technically in the playoff race, but they've averaged a mere 2.76 goals per game. They also seem totally cool with keeping Matt Duchene and Roman Josi on the sidelines down the stretch with their injuries.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Roope Hintz, DAL vs. NAS ($7,300): Hintz does get to center a line with Jason Robertson and Joe Pavelski, but you don't rack up 34 goals and 35 assists in 68 games without having talent yourself. Juuse Saros has a .918 save percentage, but a 2.72 GAA because the Predators have allowed 33.3 shots on net per game, and the current lineup is worse defensively to be sure. Nashville having a top-10 penalty kill doesn't worry me either. Hintz has 13 points over his last 14 games, none of which have come on the power play.
Marcus Johansson, MIN vs. VGK ($3,600): Johansson was dealt to the Wild and has been playing on the second line for a while now. He's notched 11 points over his last 11 games and put 22 shots on net. Whether it is Jonathan Quick or Laurent Brossoit in net for the Golden Knights, neither worries me. Brossoit has been the better of the two this season, but even he has a career .906 save percentage.
FORWARD LINE STACK
Kraken vs. Coyotes
Matty Beniers (C - $5,000), Jared McCann (W - $6,100), Jordan Eberle (W - $5,100)
The Coyotes have a 3.51 GAA, which is better than many expected heading into the season, myself included. It is also still bottom-10 in the NHL. On top of that, Arizona has given up 35.3 shots on net per game, putting its goalies under a lot of pressure. The Kraken's top line can take advantage of that at home.
Beniers doesn't shoot a ton, but his Calder resume includes 21 goals and 31 assists in 73 games. He also has 10 points in his last 15 contests, even though he has an 8.0 shooting percentage in that time. Beniers doesn't need the goals, though, because he has Jared McCann on his wing. For the second year in a row, McCann has set Seattle's franchise record in goals, this time with 35. He has 15 power-play points as well, and the Coyotes have a bottom-10 penalty kill. Eberle has 16 goals and 39 assists in 75 games. That's with a 9.7 shooting percentage on the year, well below his career 12.8 number.
DEFENSEMEN
Jared Spurgeon, MIN vs. VGK ($5,800): Spurgeon's role has changed this season in Minnesota. He's been relied on more defensively, and as a result his power-play minutes have dropped, but he's blocked 175 shots in 75 games. However, he's still also racked up 10 goals on 140 shots on net, plus 23 assists. He'll be active at home against the Golden Knights, and he'll get a below-average goalie to matchup with either way.
Vince Dunn, SEA vs. ARI ($5,300): Dunn has been the cornerstone of the blue line for the Kraken. He's notched 13 goals and 48 assists in 75 games. The defenseman also has shot a lot more recently, putting 27 shots on net in his last 11 outings. Arizona, as I noted, have allowed 35.3 shots on goal per game.
