This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
The NHL schedule is jam packed with 26 teams hitting the ice Monday. FanDuel's main contests are comprised of the 11 evening games beginning at 7 p.m. EST. There aren't many sizeable favorites on the docket with just the Flyers, Islanders, Lightning and Blackhawks receiving notable chalk. The Rangers, Coyotes and Golden Knights are also the only three teams playing the second leg of a back-to-back set.
GOALIES
The Oilers head to Vancouver with an active 4-8-1 record while scoring just 2.3 goals per 60 minutes, so this sets up as a favorable matchup for Jacob Markstrom ($7,500). The veteran netminder has topped 30 FanDuel points in consecutive games and boasts a respectable .916 save percentage for the campaign.
Even with an active 4-1-1 stretch, there's little to be excited about with Pekka Rinne ($7,500), as he owns a disappointing .895 save percentage and 2.98 GAA for the campaign. However, a favorable home date with the low-scoring Coyotes (2.7 goals per road game) could be a prime matchup to target the veteran Finn. As noted, this will also be Arizona's second road game in as many nights after topping Detroit 5-2 Sunday.
Look for St. Louis to take care of business against the Kings on Monday. The Blues have allowed the sixth fewest goals per hour at five-on-five this season (2.11), whereas Los Angeles has scored the sixth fewest with just 2.2. Jake Allen ($7,800) is more affordably priced, but Jordan Binnington ($8,600) is also in play, if he receives the starting nod.
The Blackhawks draw a soft matchup on home ice against the Devils, so the Chicago starter is worth considering. New Jersey has scored the fewest goals (1.71 per hour) in the league since Nov. 30, and Robin Lehner ($8,000) has won three straight starts and owns an elite .928 save percentage dating back to last season. Corey Crawford ($7,400) offers more cap relief, if he receives the start.
The RotoWire Lineup Optimizer is bullish on Linus Ullmark ($7,200), and with a 5-2-1 record, .918 save percentage and 2.63 GAA in December, his recent success also warrants attention. However, the Sens have been solid on home ice this season (10-5-1 with 3.27 goals per 60 minutes), so Ullmark is more of a contrarian option.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
It's been a strong stretch for Pierre-Luc Dubois ($5,000) with two tallies and five helpers through his past five outings, and after a spending time down the lineup, the 21-year-old center is back atop the depth chart in all offensive situations. It's worth noting, the usually ddefensively stout Islanders have surrendered 15 goals through their past three contests, too.
Considering the Lightning have struggled defensively for a prolonged stretch and won just five of their past 13 games while allowing 3.23 per contest, Jonathan Huberdeau ($7,100) and Aleksander Barkov ($7,500) have manageable salaries. Huberdeau has 10 points -- two goals -- through his past three games, and Barkov has a tally and three helpers during the same stretch. They're both candidates to plug in lineups from their price range, or even as a potential mini stack of Florida's No. 1 power-play unit.
This is a reasonable salary to take a chance on Taylor Hall ($7,300) continuing his strong start as a Coyote. He's marked the scoresheet in three consecutive games and rattled off nine shots through his past two showings. He's a potential standalone option with the Predators surrendering 3.27 goals against per 60 minutes since Nov. 1.
Jakub Voracek ($5,700) boasts a three-game point streak consisting of two tallies and two helpers, so with New York allowing the most expected goals per 60 minutes in the league, the matchup checks out for the veteran winger. Additionally, he's skating down the lineup with rookie center Morgan Frost ($3,500), and the duo should see soft five-on-five matchups and check out as a cost-effective, mini stack.
Alexander Nylander ($3,500) is a low-priced flier to consider. He's a game removed from a two-point showing and has clicked with projected linemates Patrick Kane ($8,500) and Dylan Strome ($5,000) for an impressive 5.48 goals per hour this season. The Devils are also a favorable matchup with just six road wins and 3.68 goals against per 60 minutes away from New Jersey.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
The Panthers are allowing 3.42 goals per hour with the fifth worst team save percentage on the road this season, so expect a solid offensive showing from the Lightning. Brayden Point ($6,900), Nikita Kucherov ($8,200) and Ondrej Palat ($4,800) have combined for 5.75 goals per hour while driving possession with a 62.1 Corsi For percentage at five-on-five over the past two seasons. They've also been solid of late with six tallies and eight helpers through the past five contests.
Not only have the Oilers struggled offensively during their noted underwhelming stretch, they've also surrendered 3.61 goals per hour, so it should be a favorable matchup for Vancouver's top scorers. Elias Pettersson ($7,500), Brock Boeser ($7,400) and J.T. Miller ($5,900) have combined for 5.54 goals per 60 minutes and driven possession with an elite 62.1 Corsi For percentage at even strength this season, and the trio has also combined for five goals and five assists over the past two games.
Winnipeg's top line has been surging of late, as Mark Scheifele ($7,400), Kyle Connor ($6,500) and Patrik Laine ($7,500) have clicked for 22 tallies and 21 helpers through the past 12 games to improve to 4.95 goals per hour this season. The three skate together in all situations, and the Montreal penalty kill is worth targeting. The Habs rank 27th in the league with a 75.5 penalty-kill percentage.
DEFENSEMEN
Victor Hedman's ($6,300) recent dip in production -- just two helpers through his past seven contests -- has his salary down, and with the noted favorable matchup against Florida, he's definitely in play. Even with his current slump, Hedman owns a fifth-ranked 2.38 points per hour for the campaign, and he's shown an uptick in shot volume with nine through the past two games.
With the Lightning-Panther tilt likely to be high scoring, Keith Yandle ($5,700) is also in play. He's collected eight points, including four with the man advantage through the past six games to climb to an impressive, third-ranked 2.49 points per 60 minutes among regular defensemen this season. The salary doesn't match the production, either.
Another Canuck to consider in a potential stack is Quinn Hughes ($4,300). The Oilers have struggled shorthanded with a 72.0 penalty-kill percentage in December, and the rookie defenseman is ripe for a breakout performance after recording just three assists through his past nine games.
Another player the Lineup Optimizer likes is Oliver Ekman-Larsson ($4,900). The veteran defensemen is up to two tallies and three helpers through three games with Taylor Hall ($7,400) around, and Ekman-Larsson has been on the ice for nearly half of Hall's minutes with the Coyotes. There's been instant chemistry, as the duo have combined for 14.49 high-danger scoring chances per hour, and it's not a coincidence that Ekman-Larsson's best offensive stretch of the campaign has been since Hall joined Arizona.
Quarterbacking the No. 1 power-play unit has been a huge boon to Neal Pionk's ($3,900) fantasy value, and he's tremendously underpriced Monday. The 24-year-old defenseman has recorded a goal, nine assists and seven power-play points through the past 12 games and is an excellent addition to a Winnipeg stack.
