This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
After a busy weekend of hockey, Monday is a bit of a breather. There are two games, both hosted by Canadian teams. Well, north of the border they likely have less interest in watching UConn play Purdue. The action starts at 7 p.m. ET. Now, onto the DFS recommendations!
SLATE PREVIEW
None of these teams is on the second leg of a back-to-back. The Maple Leafs are on the first day of one, but Ilya Samsonov and Joseph Woll are not so different in terms of quality for it to make a considerable difference. What does matter there is you might want the Toronto netminder considering the four teams in action, so be sure to keep an eye on who draws the start.
GOALIE
Logan Thompson, VGK at VAN ($7,600): Thompson's last start was a disaster, but even with that, he has a 2.05 GAA and .931 save percentage over his last eight outings. While the Canucks have averaged 3.42 goals per game, and the Penguins 3.03, the former has been dropping down the rankings while the latter has been climbing. Part of that? Vancouver has averaged 28.5 shots on net per game, which is in the bottom 10, while Pittsburgh has managed 32.6 shots on goal per contest, which in the top eight. Thus, I'll go with Thompson.
VALUE PLAY/ONE-OFF
Max Domi, TOR vs. PIT ($3,700): Domi's first season with his father's former team has been slow going at times, with a 7.0 shooting percentage playing a role in that. However, he has tallied 16 points in his last 21 outings, and recently he's even moved to the wing next to Auston Matthews. Alex Nedeljkovic has taken over as the number-one goalie for the Penguins, but his .907 save percentage is not terribly imposing, especially given that is directly in line with his career number.
FORWARD LINE STACK TO CONSIDER
Golden Knights at Canucks
Jack Eichel (C - $8,400), Jonathan Marchessault (W - $6,400), Ivan Barbashev (W - $3,600)
All three of these guys are on the top power-play unit for the Golden Knights. The Canucks have the 18th-ranked penalty kill, decidedly middling, but the landscape is different with Casey DeSmith in net. Thatcher Demko had a .917 save percentage at the time of his injury. After allowing six goals in both of his last two starts, DeSmith has an .891 save percentage on the year.
Eichel has been absolutely on fire since returning from injury. He has eight goals, eight assists, and a whopping 78 shots on net in his last 15 games. Eichel has also averaged 3:27 per contest with the extra man in that time. With 251 shots on net through 76 games, Marchessault could potentially set a new personal best in terms of putting pucks on goal. However, he's already blown past his previous high in goals, having tallied 41 of them, including three in his last six games. Barbashev is new to the top power-play unit, so the fact he only has five points with the extra man doesn't mean a ton. What is notable is that he has six points in his last seven outings.
DEFENSEMAN
Erik Karlsson, PIT at TOR ($5,300): Karlsson has not been the force on the power play the Penguins hoped, but he's averaged 3:29 per contest with the extra man and tallied 15 power-play points in 77 games. The Swede is also on a three-game point streak. Toronto has the 22nd-ranked penalty kill, worst of these four teams, so Karlsson feels like the way to go.
