This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
The first Monday in March features a multitude of options for your NHL DFS lineups. There are six games on the slate, with the typical opening to the night happening at 7 p.m. ET. Here are my recommendations for your contest lineups. Good luck!
SLATE PREVIEW
No teams are on the second leg of a back-to-back Monday, but several are on the first leg. That could lead to an unexpected starter or two in net, which would change the DFS landscape. Of course, all I can do is work with the best information I have on that front. Plus, it doesn't matter with a team like, say, the Blue Jackets.
GOALIES
Alexandar Georgiev, COL vs. CHI ($8,500): Georgiev has been inconsistent, but on the year he has a .908 save percentage and 2.53 GAA at home. Mostly, though, this is about the matchup. Chicago has managed a mere 2.03 goals per game, which is last in the NHL, and the team in 30th, Washington, is closer to 14th than Chicago is to it. Clearly, this is the best matchup available for goalies.
Samuel Ersson, PHI vs. STL ($8,100): Ersson has a 2.62 GAA, mostly because the Flyers have only allowed 27.7 shots on net per game. Meanwhile, the Blues have only managed 28.9 shots on goal per contest. There's a good chance Ersson won't be very busy, boosting his chances of not allowing more than a goal or two and getting the home win.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Owen Tippett, PHI vs. STL ($6,600): Twice in his last seven games Tippett has put 10 shots on net, which is remarkable. Across 58 games this season he's tallied 222 shots on target. The Blues have allowed 32.0 shots on goal per game, which is in the bottom 10. If Jordan Binnington is in net, he has a .910 save percentage, which is solid, but not imposing when it comes to somebody as prolific as Tippett.
Artturi Lehkonen, COL vs. CHI ($5,400): When Lehkonen returned from injury he was slated onto the top line next to Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen. He has 11 points over his last 12 games, including four with the extra man. The Blackhawks have a 3.56 GAA, bottom five in the NHL, and they have a bottom-10 penalty kill as well.
FORWARD LINE STACK TO CONSIDER
Golden Knights at Blue Jackets
Chandler Stephenson (C - $4,300), Ivan Barbashev (W - $3,500), Michael Amadio (W - $3,300)
Now, Jack Eichel is aiming to return for this game, which could change the lineup for the Golden Knights. However, prediction wise, if Eichel returns, I imagine William Karlsson dropping from the first line to the third line, and the second line staying together. Regardless, the Blue Jackets have a 3.65 GAA and have allowed 33.3 shots on net per game. These three are worth stacking, even if there is a possibility they will be split up (with, in theory, Karlsson swapping in for Stephenson).
Stephenson doesn't shoot a ton, but he still has 13 goals to go with 23 assists in 57 games. He also has five goals and five helpers over his last 11 outings. Barbashev shoots less than Stephenson, but he's picked up plenty of assists from the wing. In fact, he has 11 assists (plus five goals) over his last 17 contests. Amadio has had a larger role since returning from injury (with Mark Stone's absence playing a role in that). He has six points over his last nine games, and he's averaged 2:30 per contest with the extra man in that time as well.
DEFENSEMEN
Shea Theodore, VGK at CLM ($6,300): Theodore has been on fire since returning from injury, as he's notched nine assists across six games. He doesn't have a goal in that time, but as a defenseman with a career 5.8 shooting percentage, things should improve on that front. Facing the Jackets could help. They have a 3.65 GAA, which is 31st in the NHL.
Charlie McAvoy, BOS at TOR ($6,200): McAvoy has nine points in his last 10 games. On the year he's averaged 3:18 a night with the extra man, and he has 13 power-play points. Toronto is just outside the bottom 10 on the penalty kill, and even with Joseph Woll returning and possibly starting, I still like McAvoy given his outsized role with the extra man.
