Daily Fantasy Hockey 2015: NHL DraftKings' Ideal Lineup Picks for March 23

Contrary to popular belief, "March Madness" is not exclusive to the sport of basketball, and Monday night's action is going to be some of the best of the week because of pending playoff implications. The NHL schedule features seven games and 14 teams, and there are a few matchups worth monitoring.

Game	Playoff Implication
Ottawa Senators vs. San Jose Sharks	OTT trails BOS by one point for final Wild Card Spot
Winnipeg Jets vs. Edmonton Oilers	WPG can maintain 4 point buffer with win and LAK loss.
Calgary Flames vs. Colorado Avalanche	CGY can gain 4 point buffer and negate one LAK game in hand with win and LAK loss.
Los Angeles Kings vs. New Jersey Devils	LAK loss with WPG win would put Kings in 6 point hole with 10 games to play.

The Senators can pull ahead of the Boston Bruins with a win, Calgary and Winnipeg can gain a buffer with victories and the Kings are in a must-win situation vs. the Devils. Desperation is certainly going to be a motivator for the players participating in these games, and that is an emotion worth harnessing.

There are certainly a number of players who combined could give you the desired results; here's the ideal concoction of talent for a March 23 edition of DraftKings fantasy hockey.

POS	PLAYER	OPP	FPPG	Stat To Note	SALARY
C	Jonathan Toews	Chi@Car	3.3	11.0 FPPG vs. CAR	$6,100
C	Joe Thornton	SJ@Ott	3.0	8.8 SAT REL%, (No. 2 in NHL)	$5,000
W	Thomas Vanek	Min@Tor	2.7	49 Career Points vs. TOR	$5,000
W	Marian Gaborik	LA@NJ	2.9	0.38 G/PG AVG in 14-15	$5,000
W	Jiri Hudler	Col@Cgy	3.3	16 P in last 10 GP	$5,400
D	Kris Russell	Col@Cgy	3.3	6.0 FPPG in last 10 GP	$5,200
D	Dennis Wideman	Col@Cgy	3.7	No. 8 in Defensemen Scoring	$5,400
G	Devan Dubnyk	Min@Tor	5.3	7-3-0 in last 10 GP	$8,600
UTIL	Mike Hoffman	SJ@Ott	3.0	No. 1 Goal Scorer Among Rookies	$4,200

Center: Jonathan Toews, ($6,100) and Joe Thornton ($5,000)

Jonathan Toews has been a force for the Chicago Blackhawks lately, and he's poised to have success against a bottom-dwelling Carolina Hurricanes squad. Toews has 10 points in his last 10 games, but more importantly he's had the Hurricanes' number in 2014-15.

On March 2, Toews manhandled the Carolina with two goals, an assist and four shots on goal, and he finished with 11 fantasy points. He's also been a dominant possession player keeping the puck on his stick, and he leads Blackhawks forwards with a 56.37 SAT percentage.

At 35 years old, Joe Thornton continues to silence his critics and doubters. "Jumbo Joe" has 62 points in 68 games, and 10 in his last 10.

In addition, Thornton has been one of the NHL's top possession players in a number of categories. According to NHL.com, he currently ranks ninth among forwards in SAT percentage and second among forwards for SAT REL percentage. 

These numbers only reinforce how historically underrated Thornton has been for the Sharks, despite not being put in a position to succeed, according to Stephen Burtch of Sportsnet.

Wingers: Thomas Vanek, ($5,000), Marian Gaborik ($5,000)

On the surface, Thomas Vanek has had an underwhelming season for the Minnesota Wild with only 47 points in 71 games, but he's stepped up his game lately. Vanek has five goals and eight points in his last nine games, and historically is a clutch player against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

According to Hockey-Reference, Vanek has 22 goals and 49 points lifetime against Toronto, and he should pad those stats with ease because of how inept the Maple Leafs' goaltending has been in recent weeks.

Marian Gaborik has played in only 58 games this season, but he has scored 22 goals, including five in his last 10 games. The Slovak sniper's goals-per-game average is 0.38, his highest total since he was a 19-year-old with the Minnesota Wild.

Current Total	Season Pace
22 Goals	26 Goals
17 Assists	20 Assists
39 Points	46 Points

Prior to that, Gaborik's highest total was 0.50 during his 2011-12 season with the New York Rangers, according to Hockey-Reference.

If you are still on the fence about taking Gaborik, you should know that the Kings' scorer has 11 goals and 23 points in 29 career games versus the Devils. A price tag of $5,000 really is a bargain, and history will give you some reassurance when it comes to investing in Gaby.

Defense: Dennis Wideman, ($5,400) and Kris Russell ($5,200)

The Calgary Flames' blue line has really stepped up in the absence of Mark Giordano, and Kris Russell and Dennis Wideman deserve some recognition.

Russell has 10 points in his last 10 games, and a fantasy points-per-game average of 6.3 against the Colorado Avalanche this season. Wideman has been just as good with nine points in his last 10 games, and he has a 4.5 fantasy points-per-game average vs. the Avs.

Look for these two to continue their hot play against Colorado, especially with the Flames 6-2-2 in their last 10 as they look to solidify a spot in the Western Conference playoffs.

Goalie: Devan Dubnyk ($8,600)

Devan Dubnyk is one of the "value" goalies in action, and it is surprising that he only costs $8,600. The Minnesota Wild netminder is is 7-3-0 with a 2.00 goals-against average and .933 save percentage in his last 10 starts, and those numbers should improve against the Maple Leafs.

Toronto's goal scoring has really dried up since a coaching change was made back in January, and for that reason you can put a lot of faith in Dubnyk to shut the door on Monday night.

Dubnyk is having a season for the ages, and if Carey Price weren't playing out of his mind, Dubnyk would be a viable contender for the Vezina Trophy.

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DraftKings stats and details per its official site. Outside statistics via Hockey-Reference, The Hockey News and NHL.com