This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
With football season in the rear-view mirror, we have reached the time in the NHL season where Sundays become a day for afternoon hockey. Oftentimes in the past, DraftKings would never run a full-day slate in a situation like that. You had to choose between the afternoon and the evening. Not this time. DraftKings' featured slate of contests features all eight games. Sure, you'll have to get your lineup in by 1 p.m. EAT, but if you do that, you're good to go…and hopefully rostering some of these players.
SLATE PREVIEW
We have the three teams with the highest GAAs in action Sunday. Now aren't you glad the full-day slate is being featured? There are three teams at home on the second leg of a back-to-back in Ottawa, Arizona, and Edmonton. Then, the Sabres are on the road on a back-to-back as well.
GOALIE
Jake Oettinger, DAL at ARI ($8,400): Oettinger's last two games have been great, as he's made 80 saves on 81 shot. Sure, that's only two games, but they've pushed him to a 2.35 GAA and .921 save percentage. The Coyotes are 31st in goals per contest, and like I said the Coyotes are finishing off a back-to-back.
Sergei Bobrovsky, FLA at CHI ($8,300): "Bob" gets a lot of goal support, but he hasn't always needed it. The Russian has a 2.52 GAA and .919 save percentage. Chicago has only managed 2.37 goals per game, 30th in the league.
VALUE PLAYS
Patrik Laine, CLM vs. BUF ($5,700): Oh yeah, Laine used to be quite good at scoring goals. He's reminded us of the guy who scored 110 goals over his first three seasons recently. The Finn has 10 goals in his last seven outings. Buffalo has allowed 34.6 shots on net per contest and are on a back-to-back, so Laine should have plenty of opportunity Sunday.
Kevin Fiala, MIN at EDM ($5,600): How bad was Fiala's puck luck to start this season? He has eight goals over his last 16 games but still has a 9.9 shooting percentage. On the second day of their back-to-back, the Oilers will be starting the 39-year-old Mike Smith. He has a 3.31 GAA and .904 save percentage.
Alexis Lafreniere, NYR at OTT ($2,700): Lafreniere hasn't panned out just yet, but right now he's skating on New York's top line. He's also got two goals in his last four games. The Senators are playing the second leg of a back-to-back, and Matt Murray isn't available due to injury. That leaves Filip Gustavsson with his .892 save percentage in net.
LINE STACKS TO CONSIDER
Stars at Coyotes: Roope Hintz (C - $7,300), Joe Pavelski (W - $7,900), Jason Robertson (W - $6,400)
OK with spending big on one line and going cheap elsewhere? Then this is the line to stack. The Coyotes have a 3.69 GAA, have allowed 34.3 shots on net per contest, and have the 31st-ranked penalty kill. Oh, and they are on a back-to-back as well. All three of these guys aren't just on the first line for the Stars, they are also all on the top power-play unit.
Hintz had 18 power-play points in only 41 games last year, and this season he has 16 in 46 games. He's also put 131 shots on net, already a career high. Pavelski recently ended a pointless streak with a four-point game that included two power-play goals. Overall, he has 52 points in 48 games. Robertson scored 45 points as a rookie, and has 46 in 40 games this year. That includes 14 points in his last 12 contests.
Islanders vs. Canadiens: Mathew Barzal (C - $5,300), Anders Lee (W - $3,500), Josh Bailey (W - $2,500)
Here's a first line you can stack that won't take as much salary. The Canadiens are terrible defensively. They have a 3.94 GAA. Arizona's 3.69 GAA is the second highest in the league. Samuel Montembault has an .895 save percentage. Defenses don't get much more porous than this.
Barzal has a three-game point streak. He also has 10 power-play points, and Montreal has the 30th-ranked penalty kill. Lee has two two-point games in his last five outings, and he has 13 goals in 39 games. Bailey only has three goals (and a 7.5 shooting percentage that should improve), but he has 18 assists. Also, I want to note these three are the top three on the Islanders in terms of starting play in the offensive zone.
DEFENSE
Noah Dobson, NYI vs. MON ($5,400): Everything I said about the Canadiens previously? Still true. Dobson has tallied seven points in his last eight games. That includes a three-game point streak. I can see it becoming four Sunday.
Miro Heiskanen, DAL at ARI ($4,500): Heiskanen hasn't notched a point in his last five games, but I can envision that changing. He's done plenty of scoring this year, with 27 points in 47 contests. The Finn has also notched 101 shots on goal and blocked 64 shots. Arizona will likely be starting Scott Wedgewood fresh off a chest injury. He has a .900 save percentage.
Gustav Forsling, FLA at CHI ($3,300): Forsling has 21 points in 40 games, even though he only has two goals. His 2.8 shooting percentage is lower than his career 4.2 average. The Swede has also averaged 21:18 in ice time, a personal high. Meanwhile, the Blackhawks have a 3.31 GAA.
