Monday fantasy hockey tips - NHL picks, matchups, more

It's not the most glorious NHL schedule to kick off the final scoring period in fantasy hockey.

In weekly formats, today is the last time you will set your lineup, so keep in mind the extended scoring period. And don't forget the fantasy season ends on April 13 — not on April 14.

This three-game Monday slate doesn't pop by any means. It features some good defensive teams with the Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, Vegas Golden Knights and, though they haven't been showing it as much lately, the Dallas Stars. We could get surprised though as the Golden Knights, Predators and the Seattle Kraken also play on Tuesday. None of those three teams have an obviously lighter matchup on either day, so the goaltending choices are up in the air until we get some confirmations.

Resources: Goalie depth chart | Injuries | Schedule | How to watch on ESPN+ | Download the ESPN Fantasy App | Daily lines

All times Eastern.

8 p.m., Xcel Energy Center

Two solid offenses of late meet here, as the Golden Knights and Wild are tied for fourth in the league in five-on-five goals per 60 in the past month. The Wild have the edge with better numbers for goals against per 60, but the game does project to be more of a 2-1 or 3-2 affair. Jack Eichel and Matt Boldy are the players on either side to hitch your wagon to, so if you are streaming in options from this game it's Ivan Barbashev or Marcus Johansson at the top of the list. Vegas won a meeting between the clubs 4-1 on Saturday on home ice.

8:30 p.m., American Airlines Arena

The Stars will have home ice as they go for the four-game season sweep of the Predators. Jake Oettinger has all three of those wins while allowing just four total goals. Roope Hintz has four goals and two helpers in those