This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
The NHL playoffs are here! We start with four games Monday, a couple of ESPN doubleheaders with staggered starts. Let's kick the postseason off with gusto! Onto the lineup recommendations!
SLATE PREVIEW
Well, it's the first day of the playoffs, so obviously teams have had a chance to rest. The back-to-backs are over. Teams have a chance to pick their top goalie and ride them the rest of the way, barring injury. Some teams do have questions in goal, but we don't have the answer to those questions yet.
GOALIES
Jake Oettinger, DAL vs. MIN ($7,900): Oettinger was one of the stars of the playoffs last year, and he followed that up with a 2.37 GAA and .919 save percentage this season. He actually enters the playoffs on fire as well, posting a 0.80 GAA and .964 save percentage over his last four starts. The Wild averaged 2.91 goals per game, which is actually the lowest of the 16 playoff teams.
Ilya Sorokin, NYI at CAR ($7,400): This is about the salary that Sorokin is commanding, because he's one of the best goalies in the NHL but has one of the lowest salaries among starters Monday. He had a 2.34 GAA and .924 save percentage this year. The Hurricanes finished 15th in goals per game, so by the standards of the postseason, this isn't a terrible matchup.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, EDM vs. LOS ($7,000): Nugent-Hopkins was one of three Oilers with over 100 points this season. Chalk that up to Edmonton's incredible power play, which is where RNH notched 53 of his points. The Kings had the 24th-ranked penalty kill, lowest of the playoff teams. That's right up the Oilers' alley.
Pavel Zacha, BOS vs. FLA ($4,000): Zacha had a career year upon joining the Bruins, tallying 21 goals and 36 assists, both career highs. There is also the chance he will center the first line, because Patrice Bergeron might miss Game 1. Alex Lyon brought some stability to the Panthers' net, posting a 2.89 GAA and .912 save percentage in 15 appearances. Of course, there is a reason why the 30-year-old had played in 24 total NHL games prior to this season.
FORWARD LINE STACK
Kings at Oilers
Phillip Danault (C - $4,400), Viktor Arvidsson (W - $5,800), Trevor Moore (W - $4,300)
The Oilers have an exciting offense, but their defense isn't quite on the same level. Stuart Skinner had a 2.75 GAA this year, but a .913 save percentage. That was the same save percentage he posted in 13 games last year. Edmonton also had the 20th-ranked penalty kill. Kevin Fiala and Gabriel Vilardi both are up in the air, but this is shaping up to be the look of the Kings' second line Monday.
Danault got cold down the stretch, but he finished the season with 18 goals and 54 points, a new career high in points. That include 20 points with the extra man. Arvidsson puts a lot of pucks on net, as he tallied 228 shots on net in 77 games. He heads into the playoffs having notched nine points in his last 10 outings, including six with the extra man. Moore is the inverse of Danault, as he had a down year but picked it up heading into the playoffs. Over his last five games he has three points and 16 shots on net.
DEFENSEMEN
Drew Doughty, LOS vs. EDM ($4,600): Doughty still has a lot of life left in his veteran legs. He actually averaged 26:14 per game in ice time, as much as anybody in the NHL. He also tallied 27 power-play points. As I noted, the Oilers had the 20th-ranked penalty kill.
Dmitry Orlov, BOS vs. FLA ($4,500): Orlov got out of Washington, joined Boston, and ended up paired with Charlie McAvoy on the top unit. That's an upgrade! The Russian responded with 17 points in 23 games. Lyon has a career .903 save percentage, so his time in net for the Panthers could be exceedingly finite.
