This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
Need to buy some last-minute Halloween candy? A DFS win Monday could pay for that! There are nine NHL games taking place Monday night, starting at 7 p.m. ET or later. Maybe with these DFS recommendations you can buy some full-sized candy bars to hang out.
SLATE PREVIEW
There are no teams on the second leg of a back-to-back Monday, and also no teams on the first leg of a back-to-back for good measure. Notably, a few teams will became the first to hit double-digit games on the season, so we're starting to get some notable statistical data for teams and players.
GOALIES
Jonas Johansson, TAM vs. SEA ($8,300): Johansson, stepping in for the injured Andrei Vasilevskiy, started slowly. Now, he has two shutouts in a row. That level of play is not going to last, Johansson has no track record of that, but he's in form, and he's facing a Kraken team a long way from home. Seattle's offense hasn't gotten going, as it has scored 2.22 goals per game.
Jake Oettinger, DAL vs. CLM ($8,000): The Stars have played only six games, the fewest in the NHL, so Oettinger has only made four starts. However, he has yet to allow more than two goals in any of those starts and has a .952 save percentage. Columbus has averaged 2.50 goals per contest, a number that will likely rise as the season goes on, but it is indicative of a slow start when it comes to scoring.
Connor Ingram, ARI vs. CHI ($7,200): The Coyotes have been rotating starts, which would mean Ingram in net. Getting his first real NHL action last season, Ingram posted a .907 save percentage, which isn't good, but not a bad first foray into a steady gig. His first two starts this year went well, but his last outing was admittedly disastrous. However, as exciting as Connor Bedard is, the Blackhawks still have a bad offense it would seem. They've averaged 2.25 goals and 25.9 shots on net per contest.
VALUE PLAYS
Joe Pavelski, DAL vs. CLM ($8,100): You never know who is going to become one of those ageless hockey players, but Pavelski has proven to be just that. Last season he had 77 points, and here he is with six points in six games at the age of 39. Even if the Blue Jackets start Spencer Martin over Elvis Merzlikins because he's had a couple good starts in a row, Martin has a career .889 save percentage, so I don't expect that to continue.
Nick Schmaltz, ARI vs. CHI ($6,200): Schmaltz has gotten the largest role of his career thus far, having averaged 20:32 in ice time, with 4:33 of that coming with the extra man. That's helped him post eight points in seven games, even with a 12.5 shooting percentage lower than his number in either of the prior two campaigns. Petr Mrazek has a 3.00 GAA, even with his .918 save percentage. Given his .893 save percentage over the previous two seasons, I don't think he continues to perform that well.
Kyle Palmieri, NYI vs. DET ($5,800): Palmieri has provided some vital secondary scoring for the Islanders, having at least one point in six of his seven games. The Red Wings have been pumping in goals, which has been important because Ville Husso has a 3.33 GAA and .894 save percentage.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Golden Knights vs. Canadiens
Jack Eichel (C - $8,600), Jonathan Marchessault (W - $6,300), Ivan Barbashev (W - $4,300)
The Canadiens have been a sieve defensively. They've allowed a whopping 36.5 shots on net per game. Jake Allen has managed a .930 save percentage to bolster Montreal's GAA, and that won't continue. He had a .900 save percentage over the prior three seasons, after all. If you want shots on target from the Golden Knights, you go with the first line.
A healthy Eichel has nine points in nine games. He's put a whopping 41 shots on net, and his 7.3 shooting percentage is bound to improve. Of course, Eichel can rack up points just feeding pucks to Marchessault. He's had at least 28 goals and 230 shots on net in each of his last two seasons, and this year he has three goals with 28 pucks on target. Barbashev's first full season with Vegas has been tough, as he only has two points, though both are goals. He did have 45 points last year, though, so he has produced in the past.
Penguins vs. Ducks
Evgeni Malkin (C - $7,700), Reilly Smith (W - $5,500), Rickard Rakell (W - $5,500)
Last year, the Ducks were last in GAA and shots on net allowed per contest. They aren't that bad this season, but they aren't good. John Gibson is in line for a start, and he has a 2.81 GAA with a .905 save percentage, numbers that represent improvement for the veteran goalie. Over the prior four seasons he had a 3.32 GAA and .902 save percentage. Pittsburgh has two elite veteran centers, meaning both of its top two lines are well set up when it comes to stacks.
Malkin is still one of the top offensive players in the NHL, as he has four goals and five assists through eight games. That's with him "only" having played 2:55 per game on the power play due to the Penguins' opportunity with the extra man so far. That would be the lowest average power-play time for Malkin since his sophomore season. After having 26 goals with the Golden Knights last year, Smith has taken to his new team. The freshly-minted Penguin has four goals and two assists. Rakell is off to a slow start, as he only has one assist, but he had 28 goals and 32 assists last year. He's also put 18 shots on net, and eventually a puck will go in the net.
DEFENSEMEN
Charlie McAvoy, BOS vs. FLA ($6,400): McAvoy has been a 50-point guy each of the last two seasons, but with his biggest role yet, it seems like he might up the ante offensively. The defenseman has seven points through eight contests. "Sergei Bobrovsky, Playoff Hero" has been replaced by "Sergei Bobrovsky, Below-Average Goalie" once again. He has a .906 save percentage, a reminder that he has a .905 save percentage since signing with the Panthers.
Mikhail Sergachev, TAM vs. SEA ($5,700): Sergachev got off to a slow start, but he's turned it around recently. The Russian blue liner has four assists over his last three games. That comes after he had 54 assists last season. Seattle has given the net over to Joey Daccord, and while he has a .912 save percentage he has a 2.88 GAA, because his team has allowed 32.1 shots on net per contest.
Sean Durzi, ARI vs. CHI ($5,200): Durzi was perceived as having the potential to pick up his offensive numbers on account of moving from Los Angeles to Arizona. Indeed, now ostensibly the number-one defenseman in the desert, Durzi has five points through seven games, and he's averaged 23:23 per game in ice time, including 4:41 with the extra man. Chicago has a 3.00 GAA and has allowed 34.4 shots on net per contest, so Durzi could stay hot.
