Devon Levi, Joseph Woll and Ilya Sorokin Lead Monday's Projected NHL Starters as Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Thatcher Demko Headline the Injury Watch

Monday's NHL slate is only three games, all in Western Canada and California, and every crease carries a fantasy decision. Devon Levi projects to start for Edmonton against the New York Rangers, Joseph Woll is expected to finish Philadelphia's back-to-back in Vancouver, and Ilya Sorokin and Yaroslav Askarov project to meet in San Jose. None of the six starters had been officially confirmed by the teams at the time of writing, so the table below separates projections from confirmations.

On the injury side, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is the name to watch after taking a puck to the head Saturday, Thatcher Demko remains on injured reserve with a hip injury, and the Rangers are still deciding how to split the net between Dylan Garand and newly activated Joonas Korpisalo.

Monday's starting goalie board

Projections come from team previews, NHL.com notes and beat coverage. Confirmations typically arrive after morning skates and warmups, so check back before your league locks.

Rangers at Oilers: the McDavid problem and a goalie coin flip

The Rangers have not named a starter. Garand made 12 straight appearances (10 starts, two in relief) after Igor Shesterkin suffered a season-ending lower-body injury on Oct. 9, and Korpisalo finally took the net Saturday in Seattle, making 25 saves in a 4-3 win after missing time with a lower-body injury. Coach Mike Sullivan has said the team wants to share the workload. One Rangers outlet projects Korpisalo for Monday, while other previews still list Garand, so this is a true coin flip until warmups.

Edmonton activated Levi and Zach Hyman from injured reserve Saturday and loaned Matt Tomkins to Bakersfield of the AHL. Levi made 20 saves in a 4-2 win over Vancouver in his return, which pushes Tristan Jarry back to the backup role despite Jarry's two recent shutouts. Hyman had an assist and two shots in 20:56 in his first game back from a neck injury.

Nugent-Hopkins is the uncertain piece. He was struck in the side of the head by a shoot-in attempt from teammate Ryan Shea 45 seconds into the second period Saturday and did not return. Coach Mike Babcock said he did not expect Nugent-Hopkins to miss much time, but no diagnosis or Monday status had been announced.

Start/sit: Start every Oiler you normally start. Connor McDavid has a point in all 18 games this season and leads the NHL with 47 points, and his 18-game assist streak matches Adam Oates for the second-longest in league history. Levi is a start at home against a Rangers team that has struggled on the road. Whichever Rangers goalie draws the start is a sit in standard leagues against this matchup. ESPN listed Edmonton as a home favorite with a total of 6.5, which tells you how sportsbooks view the scoring environment.

Flyers at Canucks: Woll on the back end of a back-to-back

Philadelphia (4-10-5) lost 4-3 in overtime in Calgary on Sunday with Dan Vladar in net, and multiple Flyers outlets expect Woll to start in Vancouver. Coach Rick Tocchet has split the net closely and has said the schedule drives the rotation. The Flyers are without Rasmus Ristolainen and Nikita Grebenkin (both upper body). They are also playing their second game in two nights, which matters for skater legs as much as for the goalie choice.

Vancouver (3-15-1) has lost five straight and is 1-7-0 at home. Demko is on injured reserve after hip surgery, with the team hopeful he returns before Christmas. Filip Chytil, Akil Thomas and Mackenzie MacEachern are out, and defenseman Tom Willander is day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Brock Boeser blocked a shot off his foot Saturday but returned to the bench. Leevi Merilainen is the projected starter after making 26 saves at Edmonton.

Start/sit: This is the best streaming spot on the board for skaters. Matvei Michkov, who has 10 goals and three assists over the Flyers' past 10 games per the AP preview, is a must-start. Woll is a viable stream only in deep leagues; his season line has been rough, but Vancouver is scoring as little as anyone in the league. Sportsbooks listed the Flyers as road favorites with a total of 6.5. Merilainen is a sit.

Islanders at Sharks: Sorokin's workload and San Jose's injuries

The Islanders (7-6-3) open a three-game West Coast trip on a three-game winless stretch. Sorokin made 45 saves in Saturday's 5-4 overtime loss to New Jersey and projects to start again. Ryan Pulock is traveling but was listed out two to four weeks with an upper-body injury on Nov. 1. Mathew Barzal and Matias Maccelli are traveling and skated in regular jerseys at Saturday's optional skate, per the Islanders' team preview, so both are worth monitoring at Monday's morning skate. Matthew Schaefer and Bo Horvat share the team lead with 16 points.

San Jose (7-11-1) has lost five straight and has a minus-21 goal differential. Igor Chernyshov and Alexander Wennberg have been on injured reserve since Oct. 28, though one injury tracker lists Wennberg as possibly back Monday. Macklin Celebrini, who leads the Sharks with 21 points, has returned from a lower-body injury and is on a three-game point streak.

Start/sit: Sorokin is a start. Even on a heavy workload, the matchup against a team with one of the league's worst goal differentials is favorable. Start Celebrini as always, but Askarov is a sit given his .885 save percentage.

Injury watch beyond tonight

Two notes from that list matter most. Coach Jared Bednar expects Makar to make the four-game road trip, which reads as minor, but managers should check his status Tuesday before lineups lock. And the Devils announced Connor Hellebuyck will not start Tuesday in Winnipeg, with Jake Allen expected to go instead.

What to do in your league

If you need a Monday goalie, Sorokin and Levi are the safest projected starters on the board. If you need skaters, attack the Flyers-Canucks game and the Oilers' top unit. Keep a bench spot open for a Rangers goalie only if you know which one is starting; do not guess.

What's next

Confirmed starters typically surface after morning skates and again at warmups. The Nugent-Hopkins and Makar updates are the two injury calls most likely to move fantasy lineups this week. For the model's view of tonight's three games, see the NHL predictions page at /nhl/predictions.