This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
There are five games in the NHL on Monday, and all 10 teams are rested having last played on Saturday. The only lopsided matchup on the docket is between the Ducks and Blues in St. Louis, and there's also potential for a number of low-scoring games. A divisional matchup between the Hurricanes and Capitals in Washington is projected to be the highest scoring contest.
GOALIES
Jordan Binnington's ($8,400) high salary might not be prohibitive enough given Anaheim's road struggles this season. The Ducks are 6-14-2 with just 2.25 goals per hour away from the Honda Center this season, and they're also mired in a horrible 1-5-1 stretch with 13 total tallies. Binnington has won three straight outings with a .930 save percentage and is 29-5-3 with a .923 save percentage and 2.09 GAA at the Enterprise Center during his career. You can also load up Jake Allen ($8,200) confidently, if he receives the start.
The Flyers have allowed just six goals through their past five home games, and Carter Hart ($7,600) is 12-2-2, .947 save percentage and 1.49 GAA at Wells Fargo Center. Additionally, while the Bruins are an admirable opponent, Boston is just 9-5-6 with only 2.85 goals per hour since Dec. 1.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
The Islanders have cooled off and own an active 5-5-2 record with 3.16 goals against per game, so this could be a sneaky spot to turn to Artemi Panarin ($7,000). Especially considering he's probably underpriced. Panarin has rattled off 28 points -- 11 goals -- through his past 16 outings to climb a fourth-ranked 4.17 points per 60 minutes for the campaign.
Brayden Schenn ($4,900) is a cost-effective target Monday. He plays top minutes and has recorded three tallies and nine helpers through his past 11 outings. Additionally, the Ducks have been a defensive mess with 3.51 goals against per 60 minutes on the road this year.
With the Rangers allowing the most expected goals per hour in the league, Anders Lee ($5,100) checks out as a boom-or-bust flier. He's recorded 11 points -- six goals -- and 42 shots through his past 15 games, and probably still has positive regression ahead of his current 3.0 points per 60 minutes with the man advantage. Lee posted a 4.67 mark over the previous two seasons, after.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
The Hurricanes and Capitals have already played twice in the past two weeks, and there were 17 combined goals in those two meetings. Both clubs have oodles of offensive talent and inconsistent goaltending, so counting on another high-scoring contest and loading up players from both teams is definitely an option. Evgeny Kuznetsov ($5,900), Jakub Vrana ($5,300) and T.J. Oshie ($5,600) have been cruising of late with 5.44 goals per 60 minutes through the past 10 games, and both Alex Ovechkin ($8,200) and Nicklas Backstrom ($6,300) are also both in play as members of Washington's No. 1 power-play unit.
For the Hurricanes, there are a number of avenues to explore. Sebastian Aho ($6,200), Teuvo Teravainen ($5,800) and Nino Niederreiter ($4,000) have generated 12.86 high-danger scoring chances per hour over the past two years, but they've struggled to capitalize and statistical correction should be ahead of their 5.7 shooting percentage. Andrei Svechnikov ($6,600) has produced a high-end 3.37 points per hour this year, and rookie Martin Necas ($2,800) is a cheap option who's also produced solid numbers with 2.61 points per hour. Warren Foegele ($3,600) is worth mentioning, too. He's scored six times, added four helpers and registered 34 shots through his past 13 outings.
The Canadiens are reeling along a 2-8-1 stretch with 3.36 goals against per game, so look for Sean Monahan ($6,000), Johnny Gaudreau ($6,800) and Mikael Backlund ($4,200) to have a respectable showing. The trio have combined for 4.03 goals per hour at five-on-five this season, including 10 tallies and 13 helpers over the past 10 games.
A potential affordable stack with a good matchup to consider is the Islanders' top line of Mathew Barzal ($6,500), Anthony Beauvillier ($4,500) and Josh Bailey ($3,700). They've generated 11.01 high-danger scoring chances per hour this season at five-on-five but combined for an unsustainably low 5.1 shooting percentage.
DEFENSEMEN
At the top of the salary list, John Carlson ($7,300) and Dougie Hamilton ($7,000) are both candidates to include in a stack of their respective teams with the potential of the Washington-Carolina tilt turning into a high-scoring game. Carlson paces the NHL in points per hour among regular defensemen and Hamilton ranks seventh, after all.
A notch down the salary list, Alex Pietrangelo ($6,000) lands in the noted soft matchup and has recorded five tallies, eight helpers, six multi-point showings, 34 shots and 15 blocks through his past 10 games.
Sticking with high-scoring blueliners, Anthony DeAngelo ($4,700) ranks second among regular defensemen with 2.59 points per 60 minutes, so he's an obvious value at this salary. He quarterbacks the No. 1 power-play unit for the Rangers, and as noted, the Islanders haven't been as stout defensively of late.
Similarly, Torey Krug ($5,100) has an assist in five consecutive games and is affordable. Just keep in mind that the Flyers have been stingy on home ice over the past few weeks. On the opposite side of the Boston-Philadelphia matchup, Ivan Provorov ($5,300) has recorded just a single goal and assist over his past 10 outings and is a candidate for positive regression considering his role as the power-play quarterback of Philly's No. 1 unit. The Russian has also averaged a hefty 25:16 of ice time per game during that span.
