This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
It's a light, and early, day for the NHL. There are three games on the slate. One starts at 3 p.m. ET, and the other two start at 6 p.m. ET. Here are my recommendations for your DFS lineups Sunday. You'll know how you did a few hours earlier than usual!
SLATE PREVIEW
The Kings are on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back, facing the Penguins. Also, the 3 p.m. ET game between the Islanders and Rangers is a Stadium Series game, which is to say it is outdoors.
GOALIE
Alexandar Georgiev, COL vs. ARI ($8,400): Georgiev hasn't been great, but he gets offensive support from a top-three team in goals per game. The Avalanche have also held opponents to 29.5 shots on net per contest. Arizona, meanwhile, has managed a paltry 26.7 shots on goal per game. Georgiev might only face 20 shots or so.
VALUE PLAY/ONE-OFF
Rickard Rakell, PIT vs. LOS ($4,200): With Jake Guentzel out, Rakell is on the top line with Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust. He's had brutal luck, as he has a 5.6 shooting percentage all the way here in February. That has to improve! The Kings are on the second leg of a back-to-back, and Cam Talbot has really fallen off after his hot start. He has an .860 save percentage across his last eight appearances.
FORWARD LINE STACK
Rangers at Islanders
Mika Zibanejad (C - $6,500), Chris Kreider (W - $6,900), Jimmy Vesey (W - $3,300)
This may be an outdoor game, but the matchup is still enticing, even with some atypical elements to such a contest. The Islanders rank 31st in shots on net allowed per game. Also, last in penalty-kill percentage. Two of these guys are key to the top power-play unit, so this stack works for me.
Zibanejad's power-play production has been down, and yet he still has 21 points with the extra man. His overall output has still been there, with 12 points in his last 12 contests. Recall two seasons ago, when Kreider tallied 26 power-play goals. He only has 10 this season, but he's also put 166 shots on net in 54 games. Vesey is up on the first line now with Blake Wheeler out. That's good for him, and he has four points in his last four outings.
DEFENSEMAN
Bowen Byram, COL vs. ARI ($3,000): Bryam has two points in each of his last two games. Can he sustain that? Well, Arizona has allowed 32.7 shots on net per contest, and Karel Vejmelka has a career .898 save percentage, so getting on the score sheet a third time in a row is highly plausible.
