This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
It's understandable if Monday you are preoccupied with the college football championship game. However, that doesn't mean you can't play daily fantasy hockey too. There are five games on the NHL docket. None of them may be as exciting as Alabama against Clemson, but it should still be a good day of hockey. Here are my lineup recommendations.
GOALIE
Martin Jones, SAN vs. LOS ($8,200): This isn't so much about the performance of Jones himself. However, the Sharks are fourth in goals per game, and have only allowed 28.2 shots on net per contest. In both those ways they will support Jones. On top of that, the Kings have only scored 2.26 goals per game. Jones doesn't need to be having a good season for this to be a great matchup.
CENTER
Sean Couturier, PHI vs. STL ($5,700): Couturier isn't producing like last season when he had 76 points in a breakout campaign, but he still has 29 points in 39 contests. Plus, he's averaged 3:26 per game with the extra man, so he should be able to find some power-play success. The Blues are right in the middle of the league in penalty-kill percentage, but Jake Allen does have a 3.21 GAA and .884 save percentage in his last 12 outings.
Brayden Schenn, STL at PHI ($5,500): Let's flip to the other side of that Flyers-Blues matchup. Schenn has started 58.2 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, third most on the Blues. He's struggled a bit offensively this year, but just last season he had 28 goals and 70 points. Perhaps this matchup will help him find his footing. The Flyers have a 3.61 GAA, second highest in the NHL.
WING
Matthew Tkachuk, CGY at CHI ($6,900): Tkachuk already has 49 points in 43 games, which ties the career high he set last season. He's been helped by the fact he's averaging 3:20 per game with the extra man and has notched 18 points with the man advantage. The Blackhawks have the league's worst penalty kill, and on top of that they are playing the second night of a back-to-back.
Tomas Hertl, SAN vs. LOS ($5,900): The team with the second-worst penalty kill? That would be the Kings. Hertl has averaged 2:49 per game on the power play, notching seven power-play points in 38 games. Overall, he has 33 points in 38 contests. In addition to their penalty-kill woes, the Kings have allowed 33.0 shots on net per contest on the road.
Travis Konecny, PHI vs. STL ($4,800): Konecny broke a lengthy goal drought in his last game, giving him points in back-to-back contests. The 21-year-old is currently on the Flyers' top line with Claude Giroux and Couturier, which certainly helps his fantasy potential. As for the Blues, they have a 3.28 GAA, which is eight highest in the league.
DEFENSE
Mark Giordano, CGY at CHI ($6,300): Giordano is crushing it with 39 points in 41 games, including 14 with the extra man. This is despite the fact his 5.5 percent shooting is decidedly lower than his career average. The Blackhawks, as previously noted, have the 31st-ranked penalty kill. They also had a 3.60 GAA heading into Sunday, and will be playing their second game in as many nights.
Alex Pietrangelo, STL at PHI ($5,200): Pietrangelo has been active since returning from injury. He only has two points in four games, but he's put 14 shots on net. The Flyers have a 3.61 GAA and the 29th-ranked penalty kill. You may be thinking Carter Hart has improved things, but so far he's only posted a .901 save percentage.
