This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
When you think of sports on a Monday in October, your mind may go to football or playoff baseball. However, that doesn't mean there aren't four NHL games on the slate today, with players who are particularly worth targeting for your DFS roster.
GOALIE
Martin Jones, SAN at NYR ($7,800): There's not a lot of delineation between the goalies available Monday, unless you want to roll the dice on Calvin Pickard ($7,200) against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Jones still doesn't have a ton of starts under his belt, but he had a .918 save percentage last year and he's been good so far this year. Let's see if he can keep his hot start to the season going.
CENTER
Kyle Turris, OTT at DET ($5,600): Turris is one of those "good when healthy" players, as he showed in Ottawa's season opener when he scored two goals. He's the Senators' top center, and he gets to go up against a Detroit team that has surrendered 10 goals in its first two games. Getting a top line center for $5,600 is usually a good bet.
Nick Bonino, PIT vs. COL ($4,500): Bonino hasn't notched a point yet this season, but he's taken eight shots on goal so far and he's playing more minutes with Sidney Crosby out. As previously mentioned, Pickard is likely starting for the Avalanche, and they let in five goals in their season opener. There's a decent chance Bonino will get on the scoresheet, and getting him for $4,500 will let you splurge elsewhere.
WING
Chris Kreider, NYR vs. SAN ($4,900): Since Jones was the choice in the goalie section, why is Kreider one of the selection at wing? Well, it's the price. In the last two seasons, Kreider has scored more than 20 goals and played more than two minutes a night on the power play. This year, he has four points in two games and he's taken 14 shots on goal. For $4,900, why not grab him?
Patric Hornqvist, PIT vs. COL ($6,200): This is the same argument as the one posited for Bonino, only Hornqvist has an even better track record. He'll also cost you a little more than Bonino, but he's still worth the price. In each of the last two seasons, he's had exactly 51 points and exactly 15 power play points. He also has two points with the extra man this season. It's rarely a bad bet to load up on Penguins, but this matchup is particularly good.
Nikolaj Ehlers, WPG vs. BOS ($5,000): Ehlers isn't off to a fast start, but it's only two games so the sample size is minuscule. The 20-year-old is certainly getting more opportunity this season, and he has the skill to make good on it. The Bruins have given up seven goals in their two games, including four to Toronto. Tuukka Rask is also dealing with an injury. Ehlers is worth a shot at his price.
DEFENSEMEN
Dustin Byfuglien, WPG vs. BOS ($6,500): There aren't a lot of good mid-tier defenseman playing Monday. Byfuglien is the fourth-most expensive one available, but he'll cost you must less than Erik Karlsson ($8,300) and Brent Burns ($8,200). Byfuglien's track record as a fantasy producer is well-established at this point, and he's off to a respectable start to the season. You can get a reliable player without completely breaking the bank here.
Mike Green, DET vs. OTT ($4,800): If you want to use a slightly cheaper option though, Green may be the guy to take. It seems like forever ago that he scored 31 goals in a season, but he's a top pair defenseman for the Wings who still knows how to run the point offensively. This could be a very high scoring game, given how these two teams have been playing and given how many goals Ottawa gave up last year. That bodes well for Green.
