This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
This Sunday is free of afternoon games in the NHL. Maybe the league was worried people would be thrown off by gaining that extra hour. Whatever the reason, the first of the five games taking place is at 6 p.m. EST. Let's get to my recommendations!
SLATE PREVIEW
Vegas and Detroit are both on the second leg of a back-to-back, and with both teams ranking in the bottom five in shots on net allowed per game, that could be a busy one. The Islanders and Wild are in a similar situation. However, this means no team with at least a day of rest gets the advantage of playing a team on a back-to-back.
GOALIES
Jordan Binnington, STL at ANA ($8,200): Binnington is giving me vibes of his rookie campaign so far. He's got a .929 save percentage with a 2.42 GAA. The Ducks have surprisingly scored 3.17 goals per game, but just last season they ranked last in goals. Could they be better this year? Sure, but looking at the roster I don't expect them to remain this good this season.
Thatcher Demko, VAN vs. DAL ($7,800): Demko had a 2.85 GAA last season, but blame the defense for that as he had a .915 save percentage. He's facing fewer shots this season and playing even better himself, as he has a .920 save percentage to go with a 2.55 GAA. The Stars have only managed 2.10 goals per contest, so they aren't providing much of a threat.
VALUE PLAYS
David Perron, STL at ANA ($6,700): Perron has notched six goals and four assists in nine games, and now he gets Ryan O'Reilly back at center after a COVID-19 absence. He's a proven point-a-game player, having notched 58 points in 56 contests last year. John Gibson missed Anaheim's last game with an illness, and Anthony Stolarz could be in net. The 27-year-old has played in all of 38 NHL games in his career and has a .913 save percentage in that time.
Anthony Beauvillier, NYI at MIN ($6,300): Beauvillier is a fine secondary scorer for the Islanders, as his 15 goals in 47 games last year indicates. This year, he has seven points in nine games, and he's started a higher percentage of his shifts in the offensive zone than any Islanders player. Minnesota has done its best to avoid using Kaapo Kahkonen in net, but with a back-to-back this weekend it likely has no choice. In his one start this year, Kahkonen allowed five goals on 29 shots.
Matt Duchene, NAS at CHI ($5,400): Duchene has been moved to the wing this season, and he's thriving in that role. He's tallied five goals and five assists in 11 contests with a whopping 37 shots on net already. Not only is Duchene hot, but his 13.5 shooting percentage is totally sustainable. What was perhaps not sustainable is Marc-Andre Fleury's Vezina-winning performance last season. Now with the Blackhawks, he's posted a 4.11 GAA and .881 save percentage.
LINE STACK TO CONSIDER
Golden Knights at Red Wings: Nicolas Roy (C - $3,700), Jonathan Marchessault (W - $5,700), Reilly Smith (W - $5,100)
The Red Wings are in the bottom five in GAA and shots allowed per contest. Even though the Golden Knights are on the road for the second game of a back-to-back, the Wings were in Buffalo on Saturday, as well. Due to injuries, this line currently sits atop the Vegas depth chart, and all three are getting power-play time, as well.
Roy is the unproven commodity of this trio, but he's getting the most opportunities of his career, and he has six points in nine games. Marchessault had four seasons in a row with at least 22 goals before he had 18 in only 55 games last year. He also has six points in his last five outings. Smith had a bit of a down campaign last year, but he had 27 goals two seasons ago and has six points in 11 games this season.
DEFENSE
Roman Josi, NAS at CHI ($7,900): High salary or not, Josi is well worth having in your lineup against a Blackhawks team with a 3.92 GAA. You can count on him to play 24-25 minutes a night, and he's averaged over three minutes per game on the power play the last three seasons. The Finn is on fire to start this campaign with 12 points and 39 shots on net in 11 games. Try and save some salary elsewhere, because Josi is a fine pillar for a DFS lineup.
Moritz Seider, DET vs. VGK ($4,800): Seider has 10 points in 12 games, including five with the extra man. He also just scored his first goal of his NHL career Saturday. The Golden Knights are on the road for the second day of a back-to-back, and with Fleury gone, their goaltending duo is bow Robin Lehner and Laurent Brossoit, the latter of whom has a career .908 save percentage.
Noah Dobson, NYI at MIN ($3,400): The Islanders' defensive corps hasn't provided a ton of offense yet, but Dobson does have three points. He's also started the highest percentage of his shifts in the offensive zone among New York defensemen and is on the top power-play unit. If anybody is going to provide sustained offense from the Islanders' blue line this season, my bet is on the 21-year-old. Perhaps some of that offense will come against the Wild, especially with Kahkonen likely to be in net.
