This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Sunday is often a day for afternoon hockey. Indeed, there are three NHL games Sunday afternoon. However, there are also five games in the evening, which is high. Hey, the NHL no longer needs to fear the NFL in March. Time for the recommendations!
SLATE PREVIEW
Like many Sundays, we're heavy on teams on the second leg of a back-to-back. Chicago is swapping the road for a home game, while San Jose is on the road after being at home Saturday. Both Seattle and Ottawa are on the road for the second day in a row as well.
GOALIE
Robin Lehner, VGK vs. OTT ($8,300): It's been a tough campaign for Lehner, though he does have a 2.48 GAA and .910 save percentage in 12 games since the start of the new year. I'm more interested in the matchup. Lehner is catching the Senators on the road for the second game of a back-to-back. On top of that, the Sens are bottom eight in goals per game.
Frederik Andersen, CAR vs. SEA ($8,200): Want to spend your salary on something approaching a sure thing? That's where Andersen comes in. He has a 2.08 GAA and .928 save percentage playing behind a defense that has only allowed 29.0 shots on net per contest. The Kraken are a bottom-six team in goals per game that is on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back. Andersen should earn his salary under these circumstances.
VALUE PLAYS
Alex Killorn, TAM at CHI ($4,900): Killorn has averaged 19:06 in ice time and 3:15 on the power play. That's helped him tally 45 points in 54 games. The Blackhawks saved Marc-Andre Fleury for this matchup, but Fleury has been spotty this season. He has a 2.84 GAA and .911 save percentage.
Nicolas Roy, VGK vs. OTT ($2,800): With Mark Stone on long-term IR so they can park his salary until the playoffs the Golden Knights are trying things out on the top line. Roy was moved to that spot prior to Vegas' last game, and he responded with two goals. The Senators have allowed 33.9 shots on net per game, and being on the road for the second game of a back-to-back won't help that.
LINE STACKS TO CONSIDER
Hurricanes vs. Kraken: Jordan Staal (C - $2,700), Nino Niederreiter (W - $2,900), Jesper Fast (W - $2,500)
The Kraken have a bottom-seven GAA. Why? Well, having two goalies with sub-.900 save percentages is a pretty clear reason. Being on the second night of a back-to-back isn't going to help either. The Hurricanes have a great top line, but they command a lot of salary. Right now, though, the third line is playing well, and provide potential bang for your buck.
Staal has kicked it into gear recently. He has six goals and four assists over his last 12 games. Niederreiter has been better over the course of the season, with 16 goals and 14 assists in 49 games. That includes nine points over his last 13 outings. Fast, meanwhile, has four points in his last seven outings.
Ducks vs. Sharks: Trevor Zegras (C - $5,500), Sonny Milano (W - $3,300), Rickard Rakell (W - $4,600)
You can't really look at San Jose's overall defensive numbers right now. Why? Because James Reimer and Adin Hill are both injured. That leaves them fielding rookie Zach Sawchenko and the newly-acquired Alex Stalock in net. Not only that, they are on the second leg of a back-to-back. That has me intrigued by Anaheim's second line.
Zegras has three points over his last two games, all on the power play. He also has 12 points over his last 12 contests. Milano has 29 points in 44 games. He's also started 73.3 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, a hefty number and second most on the Ducks (behind Zegras). After a slow start and some bad puck luck, Rakell has seven goals over his last 11 games.
DEFENSE
Shea Theodore, VGK vs. OTT ($5,400): Theodore's power-play production has slowed down, but he still has 10 points with the extra man. His overall production also hasn't been bad, as he has 10 points in his last 16 contests. As I noted, the Senators have given up 33.9 shots on net per contest and are on the road for the second night of a back-to-back.
Mikhail Sergachev, TAM at CHI ($5,100): Sergachev only has four goals this season, but two of them have come in his last three games. He also has 24 assists in 50 outings this season. Fleury has a .911 save percentage, and he also will be behind a team on the second leg of a back-to-back.
