This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
As we head toward the heart of December, we have six NHL games on the slate starting at 7 p.m. EST or later. That means you'll have a few more options than usual for a Sunday. Here are my recommendations for your DFS lineups.
SLATE PREVIEW
We have several teams on the second day of a back-to-back. Chicago faces Washington where the former gets to be home for both games. Rangers-Kings and Canadiens-Predators are also matchups between teams in that scenario. Seattle will be at home for both, but faces a rested Minnesota squad. Vegas also doesn't have to travel and gets to face San Jose, so the matchup isn't imposing.
GOALIES
Connor Hellebuyck, WPG at ANA ($8,400): Hellebuyck has put a slow start behind him with a 1.91 GAA and .935 save percentage over 10 starts. The Ducks aren't the kind of team likely to break through as they've only averaged 2.62 goals and 29.9 shots per game.
Juuse Saros, NAS at MON ($8,000): Saros's turnaround hasn't occurred over as large a sample size as Hellebuyck's, though he's posted a 2.34 GAA and .926 save percentage across his last seven outings. Both teams played Saturday, but the Canadiens' offensive is the lesser of the two as they're in the bottom-six in goals and shots.
VALUE PLAYS
Jonathan Marchessault, VGK vs. SAN ($6,900): Marchessault has notched four points from his last five games and is still prolific at putting pucks on goal with 88 shots through 28 appearances. Shots and goals against the Sharks have been easy to come by as they rank last in both GAA and shots allowed.
Alexis Lafreniere, NYR vs. LOS ($5,600): Lafreniere has picked up eight goals and eight assists in 25 games. The Kings sit first in GAA, though Cam Talbot has played a big role in that. He started Saturday, leaving Pheonix Copley and his .873 save percentage as the projected goalie for Sunday. Lafreniere doesn't really play on the power play, so the Kings' top-five penalty kill (which isn't all Talbot) won't be an issue.
FORWARD LINE STACK
Capitals at Blackhawks
Dylan Strome (C - $5,400), Alex Ovechkin (W - $6,800), Tom Wilson (W - $5,700)
These are two lackluster offenses, though Chicago is also lacking defensively in a major way in the bottom-10 in shots allowed and penalty-kill percentage. And Arvid Soderblom is slated to be in net Sunday with his career .887 save percentage. Washington's top line has underperformed, but eventually improvements should come.
Strome has picked up 10 goals, including two Thursday against Dallas. He strangely only has three assists, yet racked up 42 last year. Ovechkin has struggled through the worst puck luck of his career. I know he's 38, but he's only registered five goals on 88 shots. That can't continue. Wilson has produced six points over his last five games and has mainly avoiding slumps as he's also contributed six assists to go with nine goals on 69 shots.
DEFENSEMEN
Josh Morrissey, WPG at ANA ($7,100): Morrissey has been the only Jets defender to really produce this season with 22 points and 59 shots, and eight of his points coming with the extra man. The Ducks list an average penalty kill, but that may start to decline with how John Gibson has been playing after a hot start as he's struggled to a 3.60 GAA and .877 save percentage across eight outings.
Brock Faber, MIN at SEA ($4,400): Faber has become a first-pairing defenseman for the Wild. The rookie has averaged 23:26 in ice time and has tallied 12 points, including four in his last four. The Kraken are on the second leg of a back-to-back, and Joey Daccord enters with a career .889 save percentage.
