The holiday weekend is over (unless you consider Cyber Monday a holiday, in which case an intervention may be required), but don’t fret. You have the NHL here for you to keep you entertained. Also, you have me to provide some players to target, and to avoid, for your DFS lineups. With six games on the slate, here are my recommendations.
GOALIE
Darcy Kuemper, WAS at SAN ($28): Three of the best teams in terms of goaltending, the Bruins, Rangers, and Golden Knights, all play Monday. They provide six goalies that have all played quite well. However, I’m leaping over all that high-level netminding to land on a matchup that is just too good to pass up. The Sharks have only managed 1.62 goals and 24.5 shots on net per game. They are also last in GAA. Kuemper has a .915 save percentage over the last five seasons. Even if he’s had a down, injury-hampered year thus far, I think the opportunity here is enticing to say the least.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TAM at COL ($35): The Lightning weathered the storm and now they have Vasilevskiy back. In his first start he made 22 saves on 24 shots in a win. This is going to be a real challenge for the Russian goalie, though, as the Avalanche have averaged 3.75 goals per game.
CENTER
Vincent Trocheck, NYR vs. BUF ($19): After a six-game point streak to begin his run as the second-line center for the Rangers, Trocheck went all of two games without a point before picking up an assist (and three shots on net) in his last outing. Buffalo’s usage of three goalies makes figuring out who will be in net ahead of time tricky, but the team has a 3.33 GAA and three mediocre goalies, so I’m not sweating who gets the call when it comes to Trocheck.
CENTER TO AVOID
Elias Lindholm, CGY vs. VGK ($17): This is where the top-level goaltending out there Monday starts to come into play. Lindholm has watched the Flames’ lineup change around him, but through it all he’s been the first-line center. His 9.4 shooting percentage may improve, but perhaps not in this matchup. Even if Logan Thompson is in net over Adil Hill with a game against the Oilers coming Tuesday, Thompson has a 2.32 GAA and .922 save percentage himself.
WING
Tom Wilson, WAS at SAN ($17): Wilson has nine points through 17 games, and his 8.7 shooting percentage should improve. He’s certainly trying to turn his puck luck around, having put 11 shots on target over his last two games. The Sharks allow plenty of pucks on goal, 37.0 per game in fact, which is a big reason why they have a 4.14 GAA.
James van Riemsdyk, BOS at CLM ($16): After missing the Detroit game, van Riemsdyk returned with two assists in Boston’s last game. That gives him 10 points across his last nine outings. The Blue Jackets are the one team on the second leg of a back-to-back Monday, and they are in the bottom 10 in GAA and shots on net allowed per game.
WINGS TO AVOID
Alex Tuch, BUF at NYR ($22): Tuch has managed without Tage Thompson as his center, but now he’s on the road facing the Rangers, which won’t be easy. Due to a couple off nights for the Bruins, the Rangers’ 2.32 GAA is lowest in the NHL. New York has also only allowed 29.1 shots on net per game and has a top-10 penalty kill as well.
Vladimir Tarasenko, OTT vs. FLA ($17): Tarasenko does have 13 points in 16 games with the Senators, but only three of those are goals. The Panthers have a 2.75 GAA and have given up a mere 28.1 shots on goal per contest. While Florida is middling on the penalty kill, Tarasenko is on the second power-play unit and only has three points with the extra man, so he’s not primed to take advantage of that.
DEFENSE
John Carlson, WAS at SAN ($23): When the worst defense in the NHL is taking the ice, it’s worth targeting it more than once. Carlson provides the only offensive upside from the Washington blue line. He’s tallied 11 points in 17 games. That’s with him only having one goal on 40 shots on net. His 2.5 shooting percentage should improve.
Aaron Ekblad, FLA at OTT ($18): It’s going to happen eventually. Ekblad doesn’t have a point since returning from injury, but he’s put 13 shots on net in four games (and blocked eight shots as well). Can’t one of his teammates at least help him pick up an assist? The Senators have a 3.38 GAA, and if Joonas Korpisalo is still out with injury, Anton Forsberg has an .850 save percentage.
DEFENSE TO AVOID
Victor Hedman, TAM at COL ($20): Hedman has rebounded nicely from a season that led some to wonder if his best days were behind him. However, his 10.8 shooting percentage is likely to dip. The Avalanche have only allowed 27.7 shots on net per game, and Alexandar Georgiev has a 2.34 GAA over his last six starts. Colorado also has a top 10 penalty kill, and eight of Hedman’s 22 points have come with the extra man.
Zach Werenski, CLM vs. BOS ($19): The Blue Jackets are the only team on the second leg of a back-to-back, for one. Second, though, there’s the matchup. Sure, a couple of leaky outings have raised Boston’s GAA, but only up to 2.50. It also still has a top-five penalty kill.
