This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
There's a solid selection of NHL games on Monday night. We're being treated to six games on the docket, with the first starting at 7:00 p.m. ET. Onto the DFS recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
The Capitals are the sole team on the second leg of a back-to-back. They are visiting the Utah Hockey Club. Lukas Dostal's slipped recently, but he's still a better goalie than John Gibson. If I were to hazard a guess, though, Dostal will face Dallas on Monday, saving Gibson for Tuesday's game in Chicago.
GOALIES
Cam Talbot, DET at SJS ($8,000): Two of the NHL's worst offenses are squaring off in San Jose, but I find it more likely the Sharks stay in that range. They have averaged 2.37 goals per game compared to the Red Wings' 2.47. Of course, the Sharks are building up from being a fully futile offense last season. The Kings moved on from Talbot even though he had a 2.50 GAA and .913 save percentage last year. That's to the benefit of Detroit, as Talbot has a 2.42 GAA and a .927 save percentage.
Elvis Merzlikins, CBJ at BOS ($7,200): Since returning from injury, Merzlikins has a 2.71 GAA and .908 save percentage, and that's with a tough night against the Jets, the NHL's top team to start the season. After struggling to suppress shots last year, the Blue Jackets have only allowed 28.6 shots on net per game this season. That's middling, but it's also a major improvement. The Bruins, well, they've surprisingly scuffled out of the gate. They've only managed 2.49 goals and 26.9 shots on net per contest.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Artturi Lehkonen, COL at PHI ($5,800): The Avalanche are starting to get healthy, and that includes Lehkonen. Slated next to Nathan MacKinnon – a great place to find oneself – the Finn has three multi-point games out of the six he has played in. Ivan Fedotov just made 23 saves on 25 shots. Good for him. He now has a career 3.98 GAA and a .856 save percentage.
Nick Schmaltz, UTA vs. WAS ($4,600): The time has come. Schmaltz has contributed 12 points in 17 games, but that's with zero of his 35 shots on net going in. He came into this season with a career 14.2 percent shooting rate, and even the least efficient shooters don't fail to score entirely. While Washington has been good defensively, it is also the only team on the second leg of a back-to-back and they are on the road. The Capitals are too good to stack against, but not for a one-off.
FORWARD LINE STACK TO CONSIDER
Stars vs. Ducks
Matt Duchene (C - $5,800), Tyler Seguin (W - $5,200), Mason Marchment (W - $4,400)
This trio soared when put together last season, and Dallas has wisely kept these guys together as one of the best second lines in hockey. The Ducks have allowed 34.9 shots on net per game, the highest in the NHL, and have relied on Dostal having some remarkable performances to only have a 3.13 GAA. Dostal has a career .905 save percentage, though, and he's allowed at least three goals in each of his last four starts.
Duchene has tallied 20 points through 16 games with seven multi-point outings already. His 30 percent shooting rate will regress, but he has 11 assists this season and two 40-assist seasons in his last three campaigns. Seguin has missed some time, so his seven goals and seven assists have come in only 12 outings. In five of his last six games he's put at least three shots on net. Marchment has been the hottest of this trio, which is saying something. He has three multi-point games in a row.
DEFENSEMEN
Mike Matheson, MON vs. EDM ($5,900): Matheson finally lit the lamp in his last game, but his 3.6 percent shooting rate still has room for improvement based on past results. That goal came on the power play. He's tallied seven points with the extra man. This is encouraging, as the Oilers are last in penalty-kill percentage, having allowed a goal on one-third of their kills.
Mattias Ekholm, EDM at MON ($5,100): The flip side of this matchup is also quite enticing. Though he's not Evan Bouchard, Ekholm has 10 points in 18 games. He had 45 points last season. He's also put 49 shots on net, showing more activity than in the past. Montreal has allowed 30.8 shots on net per game, which is below-average for this season, but it also has a 3.89 GAA, bottom-five in the NHL.
