This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Night owls need not apply for Sunday's NHL games. Not a single game starts later than 7:30 p.m. EDT. The main slate of contests at DraftKings covers the six matchups starting at 4 p.m. EDT or later. These are my recommendations to help you put together your DFS lineups.
SLATE PREVIEW
We have three teams on the second leg of a back-to-back. Ottawa is flipping from being on the road Saturday to being at home Sunday, but that still bodes well for the Jets, who will be visiting. The Stars are doing the reverse. They were at home, but now they are in Chicago. Meanwhile, the Ducks, who have been reeling, are on the road for the second time in as many days, taking on the Hurricanes. That's the one to really keep an eye on.
GOALIES
Frederik Andersen, CAR vs. ANA ($8,500): I do wonder if the Hurricanes will see the Ducks, a team that sold at the deadline and have won only a couple games since, and go with Antti Raanta in net. That wouldn't be a bad thing, as he has a 2.42 GAA and .914 save percentage. I would happily take the Finn in my DFS lineup Sunday. The Ducks have averaged 2.77 goals and 29.7 shots on net per game this season, and the makeup of the roster is decidedly different now.
Connor Hellebuyck, WPG at OTT ($7,900): It's been an up-and-down season for Hellebuyck, but oftentimes that has come down to how busy he has been in net. For example, over his last 10 games he has a .926 save percentage but a 2.69 GAA. How often do you see those numbers go together? It's possible the American goalie will be shouldering less of a load Sunday. The Senators rank 26th in goals per game and are on the second leg of a back-to-back.
VALUE PLAYS
Dylan Strome, CHI vs. DAL ($5,300): The Blackhawks have two good players on the wing, Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat. Strome happens to get to center the line featuring both of them. Perhaps it isn't a surprise then that he has 21 points in his last 16 games. The Stars are on a back-to-back, and Scott Wedgewood will presumably be in net. He has a .908 save percentage this season.
Ross Colton, TAM vs. BUF ($3,400): The Lightning have done a little line juggling recently, and who is to say what sticks, but right now Colton is on the second line with Steven Stamkos as his center, and he's also on the second power-play unit. In his first full NHL campaign he has 31 points in 68 games, but nine of those have come in his last 16 outings. The Sabres have a 3.51 GAA, which is the highest of any team in action Sunday.
LINE STACKS TO CONSIDER
Jets at Senators: Mark Scheifele (C -$6,100), Nikolaj Ehlers (W - $6,600), Paul Stastny (W -$3,600)
Granted, this is a makeshift line that only got put together because Blake Wheeler is out with an undiclosed issue and thus had to cede his spot on the top line. That bumped Ehlers up, which bumped Evgeny Svechnikov to the second line, and thus I am going with this version of the first line. It's entirely possible Wheeler will be back. What really matters is that Anton Forsberg started Saturday for the Senators, which means that with Matt Murray out Mads Sogaard – a 20-year-old rookie with one NHL game to his name – may be in net.
In seven of his last 12 games Scheifele has notched multiple points. Also, he's averaged 3:31 per game with the extra man this year and has 19 power-play points. Ehlers has been scorching hot recently. Over his last 14 games he has 10 goals on 60 shots on net to go with seven assists. Stastny is providing steady veteran play with 18 goals and 19 assists in 61 games. That includes five points in his last six contests.
Hurricanes vs. Ducks: Vincent Trocheck (C -$4,400), Teuvo Teravainen (W - $5,100), Max Domi (W -$2,500)
The Canes aren't just getting the Ducks on the second leg of a back-to-back. They are getting John Gibson as well. Gibson has been going through an extended brutal stretch of play. Over his last 17 games he has a 4.59 GAA and .865 save percentage. It's almost hard to put up numbers that bad over that period of time. Everything's looking good for Carolina's second line.
Trocheck just broke a five-game pointless streak, but on the season he has 47 points in 72 games. He's also averaged 2:57 per contest with the extra man. Speaking of the power play, Teravainen has a whopping 29 power-play points. The Finn has also put 181 shots on net in 61 outings. Domi has three points in nine games since joining the Hurricanes, but he's only recently gotten moved up to the second line. That should benefit him.
DEFENSE
Josh Morrissey, WPG at OTT ($5,000): Morrissey is involved all over the ice for the Jets. He's averaged 23:31 in ice time and 2:32 on the power play. The 27-year-old has 32 points, 158 shots on net, and 92 blocked shots. Ottawa is in the bottom 10 in GAA and shots on net allowed per game, and it will also likely be relying on an unproven third-string goalie.
Jaccob Slavin, CAR vs. ANA ($4,600): Slavin had a bit of a dry patch, but he has eight assists in his last 13 games, so it's all good now. His 2.1 shooting percentage is a career low, so maybe he could get a little more puck luck down the stretch. You don't need much luck against the Ducks these days, especially with Gibson in net. Again, he has a 4.59 GAA over his last 17 games.
