This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
The World Series doesn't start until Tuesday, so you can dedicate Monday to NHL hockey. There are four games on the slate, and here are the players I would recommend for your daily fantasy lineup.
GOALIE
Connor Hellebuyck, WPG vs. STL ($8,400): I do not like the cheaper goalie options at all Monday, so I would suggest playing it safe with Hellebuyck. He has a 2.66 GAA and .914 save percentage to start the season, but over the bigger sample size of last year he had a much more robust 2.36 GAA and .924 save percentage. The Blues, meanwhile, only scored 2.72 goals per game last season.
CENTER
Sebastian Aho, CAR at DET ($6,600): Aho is off to a scorching-hot start, as he has 13 points in his first eight games. He may not keep that pace up, but he did have 29 goals and 65 points last year, so he's not a fluke. You know what else doesn't feel like a fluke? The Red Wings' 4.38 GAA to start the season, highest in the NHL.
Alex Kerfoot, COL at PHI ($4,400): Kerfoot has six points in eight games to start the year, including three on the power play. He only has a 6.7 shooting percentage, so this is not necessarily a result of puck luck either. Last season, the 24-year-old started 54.4 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, third highest among Colorado forwards. Brian Elliott is likely to get the start for the Flyers, and he had a .909 save percentage last year (and he has an .878 save percentage to start this season).
WING
Gabriel Landeskog, COL at PHI ($6,400): Landeskog regained his form last season by notching 62 points, including 17 on the power play. He's carried that into this year, as he already has seven goals, three coming with the extra man. The Flyers had the 29th-ranked penalty kill last year, so this is the kind of matchup the Swede can take advantage of.
Gustav Nyquist, DET vs. CAR ($5,700): Nyquist put 213 shots on net last year, but only managed 21 goals thanks to a less-than-great shooting percentage. He's put 20 shots on goal this year, and has only lit the lamp once, but that's a shooting percentage bound to improve. Plus, he's supplemented that goal with six assists. The Hurricanes have a 3.13 GAA, but that's while only giving up an unsustainably low 24.9 shots on net per game. Regression should help Goose, and hurt the Canes.
Kyle Connor, WPG vs. STL ($5,300): As you likely know, Connor scored 31 goals as a rookie last year. He's off to a fine start to this season, as he's notched four goals on 24 shots through eight games. That's a level of activity you hope he keeps up. Jake Allen is trying to bounce back from last season, when he had a 2.75 GAA and .906 save percentage. So far, it hasn't worked out (3.44 GAA, .886 save percentage).
DEFENSE
Dougie Hamilton, CAR at DET ($5,400): The move to Carolina has worked out for Hamilton thus far. Though he only has three points, all assists, he's put 35 shots on net though eight games. The goals will come. Goals have been plentiful against the Wings this year, and even last season they had a 3.10 GAA.
Erik Johnson, COL at PHI ($4,600): In an injury-shortened year, which has admittedly been an issue for Johnson in his career, the first overall pick from 2006 had nine goals, 16 assists, and 168 shots in 62 games. He's healthy now, and he's got five points and 19 shots through his first eight games. The Flyers, on the other hand, have a 4.13 GAA through their first eight contests.
