This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
It's President's Day, so we get a day full of NHL action. That is pretty much literal, as there are 10 games, and the first starts at 12:30 p.m. ET. DraftKings has decided to make its main contest lineup that full 10-game slate, so you need to get your lineups in early. Here are my recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
There are some lopsided matchups – Vegas versus San Jose sticks out – and some that look exciting on paper. We only have one team on the second leg of a back-to-back, but it is an enticing one. The Coyotes may be at home, but they are facing the Oilers.
GOALIES
Adin Hill, VGK at SAN ($8,400): Hill's return from injury was impressive, but he has slipped the last couple times out. Even so, he still has a .931 save percentage this season, and a .914 save percentage in his career. The Sharks have crawled out of being last in goals per game. Congratulations! They have still averaged 2.13 goals per game, though, which is woeful.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, BUF vs. ANA ($8,200): Luukkonen wasn't able to be a stabilizing force for the Sabres last season, but he's done that this year, especially recently. In fact, he has a .943 save percentage in 12 appearances in 2024. That's straight-up excellent! The Ducks are far from home, and they have managed only 2.56 goals per game.
Thatcher Demko, VAN at MIN ($7,800): The odds that Demko gets a win Monday makes me like him at this salary. His performance has gotten spottier in 2024, but he still has a 2.45 GAA and .918 save percentage. The Wild are 19th in goals per game, while the Canucks are third. As I said, this is as much a bet on a road win as anything, but Demko isn't facing a terrible matchup by any means.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, EDM at ARI ($5,500): It's hard to stack Oilers, because the salary outlay required is so onerous. However, this is clearly a matchup to get a piece of. Nugent-Hopkins picked up 104 points last year, and while his shooting percentage has regressed toward the mean, he still has 49 points in 51 games, and he's on a three-game point streak. The Coyotes, as I noted, are on the second leg of a back-to-back. Not only that, but Matt Villalta is in line to make his first NHL start. That leads me to wonder why it has taken the 24-year-old so long to get a shot, given the goaltending situation for Arizona.
Martin Necas, CAR vs. CHI ($5,100): Since missing five games, Necas has looked like a new player. He has seven goals and five assists in 11 games, and having put 45 shots on net, his 15.6 shooting percentage isn't even terribly fluky. The Blackhawks have the sixth-highest GAA, and have allowed the sixth-most shots on net per game. That paints them as…let me check my math…a bottom-six defensive team.
Anthony Cirelli, TAM vs. OTT ($4,800): Cirelli has 14 points in his last 12 games. He's picked up at least one point in 10 of those outings. His wing Brandon Hagel is on a nine-game point streak, which has certainly helped. You know what should also help? Facing an Ottawa team with a 3.61 GAA.
FORWARD LINE STACKS TO CONSIDER
Golden Knights at Sharks
Nicolas Roy (C - $4,500), Jonathan Marchessault (W - $7,300), Ivan Barbashev (W - $4,000)
The Sharks have gotten better goaltending recently, but my trust in Mackenzie Blackwood and Kaapo Kahkonen is, shall we say, limited. There's a reason why they have a 3.76 GAA, highest in the NHL. Part of that is the fact they have allowed 35.6 shots on goal per game and have the 29th-ranked penalty kill. With Jack Eichel nearing, but not primed for, his return, this is the top line for the Golden Knights for now.
Getting the gig as fill-in first-line center been a coup for Roy. He has at least one point in 10 of his last 11 games. Marchessault excels at getting pucks on target, so this matchup is right up his alley. His 28 goals have come on 187 shots on net through 54 games. Barbashev's first full season with Vegas started slowly, but he's rounded into form. He's tallied 13 points in his last 10 games. Yeah, this line is red hot.
Sabres vs. Ducks
Casey Mittelstadt (C - $4,200), Dylan Cozens (W - $5,000), Jordan Greenway (W - $3,000)
The Ducks don't have impressive defensive numbers by any means. They have a 3.52 GAA, have allowed 32.8 shots on net per game, and rank 25th on the penalty kill. All that, though, is paired with the fact John Gibson started the season playing well. Over his last 25 games he has an .887 save percentage. Buffalo's second line hasn't been together all year, but it is playing well right now.
Mittelstadt is more playmaker than scorer, but he is good at dishing the puck. He had 44 assists last year and he has 31 through 54 games this year. Mittelstadt has nine points over his last 11 games as well. Cozens played some center earlier this season, but maybe the wing is where he belongs. Over his last nine games he has nine points and 29 shots on net. Greenway has always been a complementary forward, but he's doing well in his current role. He has four goals and three assists over his last 10 outings.
DEFENSEMEN
Victor Hedman, TAM vs. OTT ($6,000): Hedman has averaged a point per game this season. Yes, his power-play work has been key, as he has 24 points with the extra man. However, the Senators rank 30th on the penalty kill, so there is no reason to worry about that. If anything, Hedman's power-play acumen is an asset.
Jakob Chychrun, OTT at TAM ($5,500): The flipside of this matchup is also enticing. Chychrun has been playing better than Thomas Chabot recently. He only has three points in his last eight games, but he's put 24 shots on net as well. That's robust for a defenseman. Andrei Vasilevskiy has never found his form, and at this point I'm thinking that he won't. He has an .899 save percentage in 31 appearances.
Filip Hronek, VAN at MIN ($4,600): Hronek's production hit a wall after a torrid start to the season, but he's popped up here and there recently with some fodder for the score sheet. He has two multipoint games in his last five outings. Hronek will see some power-play time against the Wild's 28th-ranked penalty kill. He also may see Filip Gustavsson, who have an .885 save percentage in his last 10 games.
