This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
GOALIE
Cory Schneider, NJ vs. DET ($8,000) – Schneider practiced Sunday and he's expected to start Monday, and the Red Wings are 8-11-1 on the road and just 5-5-0 in their past 10 games. Despite having some speedy forwards, the Wings offense has only improved slightly from the previous season, and top scorer Dylan Larkin ranks outside the top 50. Schneider's career numbers against the Wings aren't good, but January has historically been one of his strongest months and he's 5-1-4 with a .925 save percentage against Atlantic Division teams this season, including a 31-save win against the Wings on Dec. 27.
CENTER
John Tavares, NYI at ARI ($7,800) – Expected starting goalie Antti Raanta has been playing much better recently with a win and two overtime losses, but the lottery-bound Coyotes should be no match for the speedy Islanders. Even with Niklas Hjalmarsson back in the lineup, they're a terrible defensive team with a minus-54 goal differential and just three wins in their past 10 games. Coach Rick Tocchet has looked overmatched this season, and he will have some tough decisions with Tavares and Mathew Barzal leading the attack for the Isles. Tavares has 14 points in 12 career games against the Coyotes.
Steven Stamkos, TB at CHI ($7,400) – The Lightning are going through a stretch where people are questioning their status as Cup contenders with three straight losses to teams in playoff position, and the rest of the league has caught up to Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov in the scoring race. However, a date against the reeling Blackhawks gives them a chance to right the ship. Chicago's missing its best player (Corey Crawford), their defense hasn't been reliable all season (Brent Seabrook was a healthy scratch at one point), and the secondary scoring just isn't there. After a hot start in October, Stamkos is still averaging a point per game and he's scored 11 goals and 18 points in 12 career games against the Blackhawks.
WING
Johnny Gaudreau, CGY vs. BUF ($7,600) – It's debatable whether the Sabres or Coyotes are worse, but there's no denying they're the two worst teams in the league. Gaudreau has a chance to feast on a defense that's banged up and a netminder (Robin Lehner) who's quickly dispelling notions he could be the team's franchise goalie. In five games against the Sabres, Gaudreau has scored five points and registered 14 shots on net. The Sabres tried to improve their team speed this offseason but those efforts have borne no fruit, and top defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen seems to look a little tired out there after anchoring the defense for the past three seasons.
Jordan Eberle, NYI at ARI ($5,900) – He's one of the season's best feel-good stories after being cast out by the Oilers and breathing new life into his young career with the Islanders. He's scored in two straight games, sitting just four goals away from notching his fifth straight 20-goal season, and he's on pace to have his best season since posting back-to-back 60-point campaigns with the Oilers. He's scored 22 points in 31 games against the Coyotes, and the Islanders offense should be able to have their way in the desert.
Andreas Athanasiou, DET at NJ ($5,600) – Schneider won't be easy to beat, but two things work in AA's favor: Schneider's career numbers against Detroit aren't pretty, and Athanasiou's been the Wings' best player over the past few weeks with eight points in seven games so far in January. His devastating speed is difficult for any defense to contain, and on open ice, his chances are as good as any top player in the league. He's got the hot hand right now and is finding his groove, playing over 20 minutes in three of his past six games after playing just 11:38 in his season debut.
DEFENSE
Mark Giordano, CGY vs. BUF ($5,700) – Buffalo's transition defense isn't very good because they're not particularly fast, and outside of Ryan O'Reilly, no other Sabres forward plays a strong two-way game. Giordano is the linchpin of the Calgary defense, and he's having yet another strong season. Dougie Hamilton is slightly cheaper ($5,600), but Buffalo doesn't take many penalties, which means his opportunities with the man advantage will be limited. Giordano has seven points in 13 career games against Buffalo.
Mikhail Sergachev, TB at CHI ($5,200) – With Victor Hedman on the shelf, it falls on Sergachev to keep the offense humming from the back end. He's averaged over 20 minutes in his past three games, and even though he's registered just one assist, he's getting first crack at the opportunities. Jeff Glass has been a nice story, but at the end of the day, he's a minor-league caliber goalie who is just trying to stay afloat in the deep end of the pool.
