Halloween is capping this week off Friday, but Monday is here to kick off the typical work week. I, of course, am writing stuff all weekend, but that's not the norm. It's a light Monday, with only two games on the slate. The first game starts at 7 p.m. EDT.
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SLATE PREVIEW
None of these teams are on the second leg of a back-to-back, but they are all on the first leg of a back-to-back. Tuesday is the NHL's "Frozen Frenzy," which is the day when all 32 teams are in action and ESPN shows three of them on TV. That means all four of these teams will have goaltending decisions to make, since somebody is also going to have to start Tuesday.
GOALIE
Tristan Jarry, PIT vs. STL ($7,800): The Penguins' goaltending decision is fairly straightforward, as Jarry and Arturs Silovs have been alternating starts. Jarry's turn comes Monday. He's been surprising good, resurgent even, as he has a 2.52 GAA and .921 save percentage. None of these teams have been bad offensively, but the Blues have been the worst of the quartet. They have averaged 3.00 goals and 25.6 shots on net per game.
VALUE PLAY/ONE-OFF
Morgan Geekie, BOS at OTT ($5,500): Geekie has six goals through 10 games, and while that comes on 31.6 percent shooting, which is unsustainable, he did have a 22.0 percent mark last season when he scored 33 goals. Plus, Geekie doesn't have a single goal on the power play yet even though he's averaged 3:52 per game with the extra man. The Senators have a 3.89 GAA, but they also have the 31st-ranked penalty kill.
FORWARD LINE STACK TO CONSIDER
Penguins vs. Blues
Evgeni Malkin (C - $5,300), Anthony Mantha (W - $3,700), Justin Brazeau (W - $3,000)
Though the Senators have been quite poor defensively, the Blues actually have a higher GAA at 4.13 Plus, the Blues are on the road, while the Senators are at home. That tipped me over into stacking Penguins. Pittsburgh's second line has been playing well, and with Rickard Rakell now out a few weeks the unit has more stability than the top line. Even if the top line does have Sidney Crosby.
Malkin is once again teasing us with a hot start which he likely won't be able to sustain. However, the wear and tear of the season hasn't worn on him yet, and he has five multi-point efforts in nine games this year. That includes each of his last two outings. Mantha has had success in the past, so if he had a good season it won't be wholly surprising. He has four goals and four assists, and he's had one of each in two of his last three contests. Brazeau has been a real surprise for the Penguins, so much so he too will assuredly cool off. That being said, he has nine points in nine games, and it's not like he had some five-point game early in the season that is skewing his numbers. What's skewing his numbers is his 33.3 percent shooting, but this matchup is still worth targeting.
DEFENSEMAN
Mason Lohrei, BOS at OTT ($3,200): The abject inability of Hampus Lindholm to stay healthy opens the door for Lohrei to, once again, be the No. 2 defenseman in Boston behind Charlie McAvoy. Lohrei's averaged 18:02 per game in ice time, including 1:53 on the power play, but I could see both of those ticking up a bit. The Bruins are incentivized to do that in part because Lohrei has six points in his last six games. At one time Linus Ullmark won a Vezina as a Bruin, but since leaving Boston for Ottawa he has a .904 save percentage.
