This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Since there is only one game Monday, Washington versus Pittsburgh, the Monday daily fantasy hockey slate includes Tuesday's two contests. That's a rare opportunity to choose from six teams worth of players this time of the year, although these are still all playoff teams, so there are no cupcake opponents to take advantage of. With that in mind, here are some players to target for your lineup Monday.
GOALIE
Pekka Rinne, NAS vs. STL ($8,200): Rinne is the priciest goalie Monday, but he's earned it. He led the postseason in GAA and save percentage heading into Sunday's Game 3, and that has not changed thanks to his 22 saves on 23 shots. Nashville also has not lost at home yet in these playoffs, and the Preds went 24-9-8 at home during the regular season. Plus, for all of St. Louis' virtues, its offense didn't pack a punch this year. The Blues only averaged 28.4 shots on net per game this season.
CENTER
Kyle Turris, OTT at NYR ($5,200): Henrik Lundqvist allowed six goals in his last game, and while that's just one outing, the King had a down season (2.74 GAA, .910 save percentage). On top of that, the Rangers were unusually bad defensively at home, giving up 2.90 goals per contest. Turris started 35.3 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, and he averaged 3:12 a night with the extra man. After the All-Star break the Rangers had the 26th-ranked penalty kill, so that bodes well for Turris, who has a three-game point streak.
Nick Bonino, PIT vs. WAS ($4,300): Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are the big names, but they are also the expensive names. Bonino is a bargain option by comparison, but he's got more going for him than his relatively cheap price. He tallied 18 goals and 19 assists in 80 games, including 11 power-play points. As you may have noticed, the Capitals have been unusually bad defensively in the playoffs, as they've allowed 3.13 goals per game. Braden Holtby even got pulled in Game 2. That certain makes Bonino more interesting than I would have thought heading into this series. Additionally, he blocked 99 shots during the regular season, a high number for a forward.
WING
Jake Guentzel, PIT vs. WAS ($6,400): There's no need for caveats with Guentzel, who leads the postseason with seven goals. Perhaps that's a bit surprising, but he did notch 16 goals in 40 games this year. He's also been hot for quite some time. In his last 21 games he's tallied 28 points. Meanwhile, Holtby has a 2.62 GAA and a .911 save percentage in the playoffs, so unless he finds his regular season form (on the road in Pittsburgh, mind you), things are looking up for Guentzel.
Marcus Johansson, WAS at PIT ($5,000): Marc-Andre Fleury is sort of the inverse of Holtby. He had a 3.02 GAA and a .909 save percentage during the regular season, but he's been much better in the postseason. However, the sample size of the regular season is larger, so there is still reason for some concern. Plus, Fleury has been kept quite busy, as he's faced 37.9 shots on net per game in the playoffs. That comes after a regular season wherein the Penguins gave up 32.6 shots on goal per contest. Johansson has five points in the playoffs, and during the regular season he notched 58 points, including 19 on the power play.
Chris Kreider, NYR vs. OTT ($4,900): Kreider notched his first goal of the playoffs in Game 2 of this series but he's been busy, as he has 20 shots on goal in the postseason (including nine in this series). He started 35.3 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, which was the most of any Rangers forward. Kreider made the most of that, tallying a career-high 28 goals in 75 games. The Senators allowed 2.80 goals per game on the road, and they also had the 27th-ranked penalty kill after the All-Star break.
DEFENSE
Justin Schultz, PIT vs. WAS ($5,100): After a breakout regular season, Schultz finds himself as Pittsburgh's top defenseman with Kris Letang out of commission. After ending the regular season with a three-game point streak, he's added four more points in the playoffs. Every single one of his postseason points has come with the extra man, and he's averaged 3:16 per game on the power play. Washington had a really good penalty kill during the regular season, although it only ranked 11th after the All-Star break. With Holtby's struggles, the penalty kill is even less foreboding in the postseason.
Brady Skjei, NYR vs. OTT ($3,600): Yes, Skjei scored two goals in Game 2, which is great, but it's only one game. However, he does have two more goals in this postseason, and he's tallied 13 shots on goal in the playoffs. Just as important, he started 38.6 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, second most on the Rangers. Clearly, he has offensive skill, and he gets a lot of offensive opportunity. At this price, considering Skjei's upside, there is real potential for him to end up being a steal.
