This article is part of our FantasyDraft NHL series.
I hope you enjoyed your holiday weekend. You may be back to work now, but fret not — there are five NHL games to get you through Monday. Here are some players to consider for your lineup…
GOALIE
Winnipeg Jets, WPG vs. MIN ($15,900):Connor Hellebuyck has continued to play quite well in net, posting a 2.33 GAA and a .929 save percentage to this point. The Jets are 7-2-1 at home, and 7-3-0 in their last 10 contests. The Wild, meanwhile, are 5-6-1 on the road. Minnesota has also only put 29.7 shots on net per game.
CENTER
Sean Couturier, PHI at PIT ($13,500): Couturier has 25 points through 23 games, and that's not just owed to a hot start. In his last five contests, he's notched five points and 19 shots on net. The Penguins have struggled defensively, as they have a team GAA of 3.40 and a team save percentage of .892.
Vincent Trocheck, FLA at NJD ($12,100): Trocheck has notched 22 points through 22 games, including six on the power play. He's averaged a whopping 3:54 a night with the extra man, which bodes well for his fantasy success. The Devils have a team GAA of 3.00, and they've allowed 34.2 shots on net per contest. Trocheck should get plenty of pucks on goal, as he has 63 shots thus far.
WING
Taylor Hall, NJD vs. FLA ($14,200): The Panthers have allowed 35.9 shots on net per contest, so this game should likely involve a ton of pucks on goal. Hall certainly can help on that front, as he's tallied 81 shots. On top of that, Hall has eight power-play points, and Florida has the league's worst penalty kill.
Brandon Saad, CHI vs. ANA ($12,000): Saad has started 68.5 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, most of any Blackhawk. He's also registered 73 shots on net through 22 games, which bodes well heading into this matchup. The Ducks have allowed a league-high 36.6 shots on goal per contest, which should mean more shots for Saad.
Nino Niederreiter, MIN at WPG ($11,400): Niederreiter has tallied nine goals through 17 games, including five on the power play. While the Jets have done well at goal prevention, their penalty kill has been mediocre. Winnipeg has also given up 33.7 shots on net per tilt, so there are some things to like about this matchup.
DEFENSEMEN
Will Butcher, NJD vs. FLA ($10,100): Butcher doesn't take a ton of shots, so he may not take advantage of Florida's penchant for allowing pucks on net. However, there are still reasons to pick him in this matchup. The Panthers have a team GAA of 3.45, and their penalty kill is the worst in the league. Butcher has 18 points through 23 games, so if this is a high-scoring game he could be a part of that. This is especially true since 10 of Butcher's points have come with the extra man.
Zach Werenski, CLM at MON ($9,900): Yes, Carey Price is back for the Canadiens, and he will likely start playing better, but the Habs still have a team GAA of 3.29 at the moment. Their penalty kill also ranks 27th. It's not like Werenski needs a great matchup to excel, anyway — he had 47 points (21 on the power play) last year as a rookie. This season, he has 12 points through 23 games, including three with the extra man.
