This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
We're halfway through November, but there's a lot of time left in the NHL season. It's early enough that some hot or cold starts are going to level off, while some will be proven legitimate. We've got five games starting at 7 p.m. EST or later, and those are the games I will be tackling this Sunday.
SLATE PREVIEW
Since Saturdays are so busy for the NHL, Sundays tend to feature a decent amount of teams on the second leg of a back-to-back. This Sunday is no different. Montreal, Pittsburgh, and Vancouver are all on the road for the second day in a row. The Penguins actually traveled from one capital city, Ottawa, to another in Washington D.C. I feel like crossing a border just adds to the difficulty of traveling and getting ready to play. The Rangers, Blues, and Bruins are all swapping from being on the road to being at home. New Jersey, meanwhile, are going from home to being on the road, though they are only heading to New York to play the Rangers, which is a stone's throw away. Also, the Bruins and Devils played at 1 p.m. EST on Saturday, which means a little extra travel and recovery time.
GOALIE
Linus Ullmark, BOS vs. MON ($8,200): Finding a second goalie to recommend Sunday was not easy. Ullmark is off to a slow start to the season. However, he has a career .912 save percentage, which is not good necessarily but to be fair he spent his entire career before this year with the Sabres. The Canadiens are on the road for the second game of a back-to-back, and they are in the bottom five in goals scored per game. On a day lacking for enticing options, that makes Ullmark worth a shot.
John Gibson, ANA vs. VAN ($7,900): It's been an up-and-down start to the season for Gibson, but ultimately he stands there today with a 2.49 GAA and .921 save percentage, numbers you can't quibble with. Plus, he gets to be at home against a Canucks team on the road for their second game in as many days. The Canucks are also in the bottom 10 in goals per game.
VALUE PLAYS
Jesse Puljujarvi, EDM at STL ($5,300): Puljujarvi started the season off with a six-game point streak, and while that level of production wasn't sustainable he still has five points in his last seven games. Jordan Binnington has been having a good season, but he can't start for the Blues every day. His backup Ville Husso has only played in one game this year – partially due to COVID-19 protocols – and had an .893 save percentage last season.
Dawson Mercer, NJD at NYR ($3,800): Jack Hughes' injury has perhaps led to the unexpected emergence of Mercer. The rookie has 10 points and 31 shots on goal in 13 games, and he's started 61.0 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, which is second highest on the Devils. New York has been allowing a lot of shots on net, and while Igor Shesterkin has been up to the task, Alexandar Georgiev has not. Georgiev has a 4.26 GAA and .862 save percentage.
LINE STACKS TO CONSIDER
Ducks vs. Canucks: Ryan Getzlaf (C - $5,400), Troy Terry (W - $5,600), Adam Henrique (W - $5,800)
I didn't expect to be recommending a line stack for the Ducks heading into this season, yet here we are. Anaheim's top line is red hot, and the Canucks' defense is not. That's especially true of the penalty kill, which is down in the bottom five. Add in the fact Vancouver is on the road for the second game of a back-to-back and things are looking good for this Ducks trio.
Getzlaf is shooting more than he has in a while, with 44 shots on net in 15 games. Oddly, only one of those shots has gone in, giving him a 2.3 shooting percentage. Getzlaf isn't exactly a sniper, but basically no forward has puck luck that bad over a full campaign. Plus, he's added 14 assists already. Terry is on the opposite end of things. His 33.3 shooting percentage is unsustainable. That being said, he has a point in every game this season save for the opener, including five power-play points. Henrique's performance features fewer outlying numbers. His 11.4 shooting percentage is totally reasonable, but he still has 12 points in 15 contests.
Bruins vs. Canadiens: Charlie Coyle (C - $3,900), Taylor Hall (W - $4,600), Nick Foligno (W - $2,500)
Jake Allen started Saturday, and Carey Price isn't ready to return to the ice yet. That likely means Samuel Montembeault in net, and he has a career .891 save percentage. Boston's top line commands some hefty salaries, so I decided to focus on the second line, even if they are somewhat underachieving thus far. This is the kind of matchup that can change that.
Coyle is replacing David Krejci as the second-line center, and so far he has six points in 12 games. Just a couple seasons ago he had 16 goals and 21 assists in 70 games, though. Hall was red hot once he joined the Bruins last year, and while he hasn't kept that pace up he does have seven points, and he's averaged over three minutes per game on the power play. On top of everything else Montreal has a bottom-five penalty kill. Foligno has only played in three games this season, so his numbers this year don't mean much. However, he tallied over 30 points in each of the last three NHL seasons that went over 56 games.
DEFENSE
Kevin Shattenkirk, ANA vs. VAN ($6,100): What Ducks defenseman is best positioned to take advantage of Vancouver's questionable penalty kill? That would be Shattenkirk. Seven of his 13 points have come with the extra man. He's a few seasons removed from his peak, but back when Shattenkirk was regularly playing heavy power-play minutes with the Blues he would routinely rack up over 20 power-play points in a campaign.
P.K. Subban, NJD at NYR ($5,400): Perhaps owing to Dougie Hamilton arriving to shoulder the load, Subban seems at least somewhat revitalized this season. He has six points and 26 shots on net in 13 games. This includes three points over his last three contests. Catching Georgiev in net for the Rangers will help as well.
