This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
First, Happy Mother's Day! Second, the NHL is taking it easy this Sunday. There are only two games on the slate. The three teams that didn't play Saturday are in action, with the Ottawa Senators pulling double duty. You may be able to guess where my recommendations are largely going to lie.
GOALIES
Jacob Markstrom, CGY vs. OTT ($8,300): This is matchup-based, of course. The Senators are on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back. It's really that simple. That being said, Markstrom does have an 1.93 GAA and .920 save percentage over his last 11 starts as well.
Anton Khudobin, DAL at CHI ($8,000): Which other goalie might you consider going with? The Blackhawks and Stars have scored roughly the same number of goals per game. Chicago is at 2.80, while Dallas is at 2.76. However, while the Blackhawks give up 33.3 shots on net per contest, the Stars give up a mere 27.2 shots on goal per game. Thus, I am going with Khudobin here.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Drake Batherson, OTT at CGY ($4,900): If you want a Senator in your lineup, I'd go with Batherson. He's tallied eight points in his last 10 games, giving him 33 on the season. That includes 15 points with the extra man. Additionally, the 23-year-old has started the second-most shifts in the offensive zone for Ottawa. The Flames do have a middling penalty kill. Maybe Batherson will strike.
Pius Suter, CHI vs. DAL ($4,200): Suter has started 58.0 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, tied for the most among Blackhawks forward. Also, right now he's centering Chicago's top line, which means having Patrick Kane on his wing. Kane has notched 64 points in 54 games, so I am hoping that Suter can make use of his linemate to grab a point or two in this one.
LINE STACKS TO CONSIDER
Flames vs. Senators: Elias Lindholm (C - $6,400), Johnny Gaudreau (W - $5,100), Matthew Tkachuk (W - $5,800)
As I mentioned, the Senators are the sole team on the second night of a back-to-back here. They also have a 3.33 GAA, fourth highest in the NHL. Calgary's top line, all three of whom are also on the top power-play unit, could strike it big in this one. Lindholm has 12 points in his last 12 games, including eight goals The Swede has also averaged a career-high 3:13 on the power play, tallying 16 points with the extra man. Gaudreau saw his shooting percentage jump from 8.6 last season to 18.0 this season, and as such he has 18 goals in 51 games. Johnny Hockey hasn't slowed down on lighting the lamp either, as he has five goals in his last 12 contests. Tkachuk, on the other hand, seems to have inherited Gaudreau's bad puck luck. His 7.4 shooting percentage is well below his career average. That being said, he's put 136 shots on goal in 51 games and has contributed 24 assists, so he's still a key cog in this offense.
Stars at Blackhawks: Jamie Benn (C - $5,500), Tyler Seguin (W - $6,600), Joel Kiviranta (W - $2,800)
If you want a line stack that won't take up as much of your salary cap, consider the Stars' second line. The Blackhawks have given up 33.3 shots on goal per game, and ever since Kevin Lankinen stopped looking like a Calder candidate the goals have piled up. Over his last 10 starts Lankinen has a 4.00 GAA and .872 save percentage, and third-string goalie Collin Delia (.903 save percentage) has gotten the last three starts for Chicago. It's been a tough year for Benn, but perhaps having Seguin and Kiviranta both back in the lineup and on his wing will help. He recently snapped a five-game point drought, and he did have a stretch in April where he had 10 points in eight games. Seguin has looked no worse for the wear since getting in the lineup, as he has two goals on eight shots on net in three contests. Kiviranta also returned quite recently, and he had two points in Dallas' last game. That gives him three points in five games since returning.
DEFENSE
Miro Heiskanen, DAL at CHI ($5,400): The Blackhawks have given up 33.3 shots on net per contest, and Heiskanen has tallied 113 shots on goal in 53 games. That's more than any other Dallas defenseman. Chicago also has a bottom-five penalty kill, and 10 of the Finnish defenseman's points have come on the power play. The Blackhawks have a 3.28 GAA, and I don't fear any of their goalies at this moment.
Rasmus Andersson, CGY vs. OTT ($4,000): Andersson hasn't been that much less productive than Mark Giordano this season. He's notched 19 points in 51 games and put 88 shots on net. The Swede has also averaged 2:49 per game on the power play with six of his points coming with the extra man. Ottawa's penalty kill may rank 18th, but don't forget they are on the road for the second game of a back-to-back.
