This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
We have just a three-game slate in the NHL on Monday night; let's mine these six teams for FanDuel values to help you take home some cash.
GOALIE
Robin Lehner, BUF at NJD ($7,800): It has been another stellar season for the Buffalo goaltender, who is now sitting on a .923 save percentage. In a boost to his DFS value, the Sabres give up the most shots per game in the league; when a goalie sees so many shots and is saving so many of them, fantasy owners will benefit. The fact that he's priced under $8,000 makes him that much more appealing. Picking road goalies for cash games can be a dangerous proposition, but given the performance and cost, this selection seems obvious – especially against a weak New Jersey offense.
CENTER
Ryan O'Reilly, BUF at NJD ($5,700): There are seven centers on Monday's slate who have managed at least 11 FanDuel points per game this season, and O'Reilly is the cheapest of the six by $1,200. That kind of underpricing may indicate that a player is performing well above what's considered normal, but O'Reilly is actually behind his per-game paces in goals and assists from last season. This is all to say that nothing about O'Reilly's performance this year indicates an impending downturn in production, so we can safely assume the player he's been to this point of the season is the player he will continue to be. Using him is a matter of taking advantage of a mispriced player.
Ryan Strome, NYI vs. TOR ($4,300): While Strome hasn't continued progressing since his 50-point season a couple of years ago, he's been starting to see more ice time as this campaign's worn on – the young forward averaged just 14:12 through the end of December, but he's at 15:33 since. Crucially, the 23-year-old has been skating on the top power-play unit with John Tavares. The Leafs give up the 10th-most scoring chances and the seventh-most shot attempts per 60 minutes while shorthanded. That said, Strome is better suited for tournaments than cash games.
WING
William Nylander, TOR at NYI ($5,300): New Islanders coach Doug Weight has changed one philosophy from the previous coaching staff: He's largely stopped using top center John Tavares against the other team's top lines. The last time Toronto was in town, the first-line center was matched up often against Nazem Kadri's line. The hope is that is not the case Monday, as the good matchups for Toronto lie in avoiding the Islanders' top line. As long as the Tavares line is largely used against the Leafs' third and fourth unites, this will be a good matchup for Nylander.
Jaden Schwartz, STL at PHI ($5,400): The line of Schwartz, Jori Lehtera and Vladimir Tarasenko has been excellent this year in creating scoring chances, coming in at 9.5 per 60 minutes. That leads the Blues by a wide margin, indicating how well the three work together. Incidentally, the Flyers give up the eighth-most scoring chances in the league at even strength, and they have the fifth-lowest save percentage at even strength. This all makes the second line for the Blues a target, and those who want exposure to Tarasenko without paying a high price can just use his talented linemate instead.
Michael Raffl, PHI vs. STL ($3,600): The double-edged sword of using players against St. Louis is this: The Blues allow the third-fewest shot attempts per minute, indicative of an elite defensive team, but their goaltending has been horrific all season long, coming in with the lowest save percentage in the league. Rather than risk a big value loss with an expensive option like Claude Giroux or Jakub Voracek, using Raffl gets exposure to the top line without paying a high price. That way, if the Flyers cannot generate goals, it's easier to accept a $3,600 failing to reach value rather than players priced between $6,500 and $7,500.
Sam Reinhart, BUF at NJD ($5,100): This season, when Reinhart is skating alongside center Jack Eichel, the Sabres generate nearly 23 percent more shot attempts per minute than when Reinhart is not playing with his usual pivot. That's a significant jump in offense, and it shows just how much chemistry this duo has together. The young winger also plays on the top power-play unit for the Sabres, and New Jersey's penalty kill is mid-pack by most measurements.
DEFENSE
Nick Leddy, NYI vs. TOR ($5,100): One of the reasons that makes Strome is an option Monday is his power-play time, and that's also a reason to use Leddy. Beyond that, however, New York gives up lots of shots, leading to Leddy's career-high 1.49 blocked shots per game (his previous high was 1.07). He's also averaging a career-high 1.90 shots on goal per game. Aside from Pittsburgh, the Leafs are the only team in the league that both take and allow at least 32 shots per game, meaning Leddy's floor is high, and the man-advantage time gives him upside as well.
Colton Parayko, STL at PHI ($5,000): On a per-game basis, Parayko is averaging exactly four shots plus blocked shots (208 total in 52 games). That gives the young St. Louis blueliner a very solid floor to work with for cash-game purposes. His floor is so high, in fact, that he's averaging only half a FanDuel point less per game than Kevin Shattenkirk, who gets significantly more power-play minutes. For those looking to save money on the blue line while still using a player who can provide some security, Parayko is the target.
