This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Sunday is busy for the NHL, perhaps owing to Monday night being the night of the men's March Madness finals, an event other sports leagues tend to try to avoid. However, being a Sunday, there's a lot of early starts. We've got six games on the slate starting at 6 p.m. ET or later. Here are my lineup recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
Unsurprisingly, a few teams are on the second leg of a back-to-back. The Devils and Predators are both in that scenario, with the Devils at home. San Jose is at home for both games, but also, it's San Jose. Meanwhile, the Canadiens, Blues, Senators, and Stars are all on the road against rested squads.
GOALIES
Igor Shesterkin, NYR vs. MON ($8,500): It's been unexpectedly difficult for Shesterkin to stay in form this season, leaving him with a .910 save percentage all in all. The Russian does have a 2.65 GAA, though, which is certainly above average this season. Montreal is 27th in goals per game, and also on the road for the second game of a back-to-back. This is a good chance for Shesterkin to have a strong start with the playoffs looming.
Connor Ingram, ARI at SAN ($8,200): It's Ingram's turn in the Arizona goalie rotation, and fortune smiled on him in that sense. The Sharks are the NHL's worst offense, and also the NHL's worst defense. Plus, they are on the second leg of a back-to-back. Ingram has been inconsistent, but a goalie with a .909 save percentage is good enough for this matchup.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Artturi Lehkonen, COL vs. DAL ($4,500): Lehkonen is on a four-game point streak. Over his last 13 games, surrounding a two-game absence, he has five goals and five assists. The Stars are above average in GAA, but they are also on the road for the second night of a back-to-back. Though Dallas wisely saved Jake Oettinger for this one, the Avalanche being rested is enough for me to go with a player like Lehkonen, though a line stack might be a bit overly ambitious.
Hendrix Lapierre, WAS vs. OTT ($3,000): Lapierre has five points in his last eight games, but what is just as notable to me is the fact he's averaged 2:43 per contest on the power play in that time. Playing on the top power-play unit has really picked up Lapierre's fantasy upside. The Senators, one of the teams on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back, have a bottom-five penalty kill.
FORWARD LINE STACK TO CONSIDER
Rangers vs. Canadiens
Vincent Trocheck (C - $7,500), Artemi Panarin (W - $8,500), Alexis Lafreniere (W - $4,900)
While the third player on the Rangers' top line has been a rotating cast of characters, their elite second line has been rock solid by and large. The Canadiens have allowed the third-most shots on net per game in the NHL, and they aren't likely going to be locking it down on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back. Plus, Cayden Primeau is in line for the start, and he has a career .890 save percentage.
With 75 points in 77 games, Trocheck is one point away from setting a new personal high. While he hasn't notched a point in his last three outings, prior to that he had a six-game point streak wherein he tallied 11 points. Panarin is the Rangers' best player. He just happens to be on their second line. He's set career highs across the board, be it 45 goals, 66 assists, or 281 shots on net. "The Bread Man" also has 40 power-play points, and the Canadiens have a bottom-10 penalty kill. I was high on Lafreniere last season, and now I imagine more and more people feel the same way, as this is the year he's really shown why he was a first-overall pick. He has 26 goals and 28 assists, and he does it with basically no power-play time. Lafreniere has also already put 205 shots on net. His previous career high was only 135.
DEFENSEMEN
Sean Durzi, ARI at SAN ($5,000): Durzi got a larger role with the Coyotes than with the Kings, but his production hasn't necessarily ticked up. That being said, he has 36 points in 70 games, and he's tallied 15 power-play points. While the Sharks don't rank last in penalty-kill percentage. They do rank last in GAA and shots on net allowed per game. There's still time for Durzi to secure his first 40-point season, and the Sharks could help on that front.
Scott Perunovich, STL at ANA ($2,500): Though the Blues, not the Ducks, are the team on the second leg of a back-to-back, I'm still recommending Perunovich. St. Louis said Torey Krug out Saturday, and Justin Faulk got hurt. Perunovich, returning to the lineup, picked up an assist and played a whopping 5:18 on the power play. Even a rested Ducks team is a favorable matchup. Anaheim has a 3.60 GAA and the 31st-ranked penalty kill.
