This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Carolina staved off the sweep Saturday, which means we have two NHL games Monday. The first puck drops at 7 p.m. ET. We might lose a team from the playoffs Monday – though of course we might not – but you will hopefully win thanks, in part, to these DFS recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
Frederik Andersen was not the star of the show in Game 4's crucial win, but the Canes did win, so he'll probably be in net again. In terms of injuries, nobody of note seems likely to return (sorry, Filip Chytil).
GOALIE
Jake Oettinger, DAL at COL ($7,600): I decided to go with the option that would save me salary over Igor Shesterkin, the best play in a vacuum. Shesterkin's salary is $8,200. Oettinger has the lowest salary of any potential starting goalie Monday. That's even though he has a 1.94 GAA and .924 save percentage over his last 14 starts. Yes, the matchup isn't easy, but none of these matchups are. Don't worry too much about "Otter" being on the road, either. Including playoffs and regular season, he has a 2.48 GAA and .918 save percentage in away outings.
VALUE PLAY/ONE-OFF
Alexis Lafreniere, NYR vs. CAR ($5,100): This was between Lafreniere and Jack Roslovic ($3,800). Both guys have great linemates, and Roslovic's salary is decidedly lower. The difference is that Lafreniere is, you know, actually good. He had 28 goals this season, only two of them coming on the power play, and he has at least one point in all but one playoff game. In that game, he put five shots on net. I mentioned Andersen not playing a significant part in Carolina's Game 4 win, and indeed, it was the sixth time in seven games he allowed three or more goals.
FORWARD LINE STACK TO CONSIDER
Stars at Avalanche
Roope Hintz (C - $5,700), Jason Robertson (W - $6,100), Logan Stankoven (W - $3,900)
When Mason Marchment returned to the lineup, he was reunited with Matt Duchene and Tyler Seguin, which made all the sense in the world. Then, the Stars also decided to move Joe Pavelski down to the third line and slot in 21-year-old rookie Stankoven on the top line with Hintz and Robertson. That…was more of a surprise. However, as I will get into, it also seems to have clicked. Meanwhile, over on the Avalanche side of things, Alexandar Georgiev had a .897 save percentage during the regular season. He has a .888 save percentage in the playoffs.
Hintz had over 30 goals and 30 assists for the third season in a row, but he was struggling in the playoffs. Then, this line got put together and suddenly he's popped off for five points in two games. Sure, two of them have come on the power play, but that still stands out. Colorado has kept Robertson from getting many pucks on net, which is a surprise given he had 231 shots on goal this season, but it hasn't shut him down. Instead, Robertson has an assist in every game of this series. Interestingly, Stankoven has put exactly three shots on target in each of his last four outings. Two of those shots ended up in the net in Game 3. Was that anomalous? Perhaps, but at this salary, I'm willing to find out.
DEFENSEMAN
Adam Fox, NYR vs. CAR ($5,500): Among the "big three" defensemen in line to play Monday, Fox has the lowest salary. He has an excellent opportunity, though. Fox's game is all about the power play. He had 33 points with the extra man this season, and that was in 72 games. It was the second time in three years he hit that exact number. Struggling on the penalty kill in the playoffs is not a recipe for success. Indeed, Carolina ranks 10th in penalty-kill percentage in the postseason, the lowest of the teams that made it into the second round.
