This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
You'll probably be tuned into watching the Capitals-Islanders game at 12:30 p.m. ET on Sunday to see if Alex Ovechkin breaks Wayne Gretzky's goal-scoring record. I mean, personally, I turned off the movie I was watching Friday night to put Capitals-Blackhawks on after I saw Ovechkin had tied the record. So, before that game starts, or just after, you'll want to get your NHL DFS lineups handled. There are six games on the docket, and the first start at 5 p.m. ET. Here are my recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
Sunday is quite packed with teams on the second day of a back-to-back. Ottawa and Columbus, Boston and Buffalo, as well as Vancouver and Vegas, play one another. The Penguins and Canadiens are playing rested teams, but their opponents are the Blackhawks and Predators respectively. You know, two of the worst offenses in the NHL. Only Florida, visiting the Red Wings, has it particularly tough.
GOALIES
Cam Talbot, DET vs. FLA ($7,500): As the Red Wings cling to their playoff hopes, Talbot has been doing his best. He's started the last four games for Detroit and has an 1.91 GAA and .938 save percentage. Not only are the Panthers on the second leg of a back-to-back, but with Matthew Tkachuk out the team has fallen to 12th in goals per game.
Joonas Korpisalo, BOS at BUF ($6,900): It's a bad day for goalies. As such, I went down the salary list to find the goalie with the lowest salary I thought had even a modicum of viability. Both of these teams are on the second leg of a back-to-back. Both are also utterly wayward right now. Buffalo is in the top 10 in goals per game, but the bottom 10 in shots on net per contest. Korpisalo might grab a win, and at this salary he's worth a roll of the dice.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Filip Forsberg, NAS vs. MON ($7,700): Of course, the inverse of a day that is bad for goalies is that offensive options abound. Forsberg has done his level best to keep the Predators from being utterly futile offensively. He has 29 goals on 267 shots on net and will get to 30 goals for the team that is going to finish last in goals per game. The Swede could easily get there Sunday. Montreal, on the second leg of a back-to-back, will be starting Jakub Dobes in goal. The rookie has an .897 save percentage.
Morgan Geekie, BOS at BUF ($5,400): Geekie has picked up six goals and nine assists over his last nine games, though five of those points arrived on Saturday. He also has a spot on the top power-play unit these days. The Sabres have a below-average penalty kill, but more to the point are in the bottom four in GAA.
FORWARD LINE STACKS TO CONSIDER
Blackhawks vs. Penguins
Connor Bedard (C - $6,600), Ryan Donato (W - $6,500), Ilya Mikheyev (W - $5,000)
Sure, the Penguins played early on Saturday, but they are still on the road for the second day of a back-to-back against a rested team. Also, they are still one of the teams in the bottom four in both GAA and shots on net allowed per contest. Granted, Chicago is also one of those teams, but it's the team that is rested, and it's first line is good enough for a stack.
Bedard hasn't been as good as in his rookie season, but he still has 20 goals and 39 assists for a team in the early stages of a rebuild. He remains undeterred as well, as he has seven points in his last nine outings. Given the biggest role of his career as veteran presence for Bedard to lean on, Donato has had his best campaign. He has 29 goals and 30 assists through 74 contests. Donato also has six multi-point games since the start of March. Others were expected to play on Bedard's wing, and others have, but Mikheyev has earned that spot with his recent play. He has three goals, three assists, and 18 shots on net over his last seven games.
Red Wings vs. Panthers
Marco Kasper (C - $4,400), Lucas Raymond (W - $5,500), Elmer Soderblom (W - $3,100)
Had the Panthers saved Sergei Bobrovky for Sunday, I might have eschewed a stack here. However, with Spencer Knight now in Chicago, Vitek Vanecek is the backup to "Bob." He has a career .902 save percentage, and an .883 save percentage this season. At present, this is Detroit's second line, and it has some intriguing upside.
The 20-year-old rookie Kasper has 16 goals and 15 assists through 70 contests. That includes six games in his last 11 outings. Raymond is the one proven commodity on this line, even though he is still only 23, and he's having his best campaign yet. He has 74 points in 75 games, and he's put four shots on net in three of his last five games. Soderblom has spent a lot of time down in the AHL this season, but recently he scored a goal, missed four games with an injury, and then locked in upon his return. Playing against the Hurricanes, the Swede had an assist and four shots on net.
DEFENSEMEN
Jake Sanderson, OTT vs. CLM ($6,300): Sanderson has played a sizable role in the Senators emerging to grab a playoff spot. He has four goals in his last five games, giving him 11 on the season among his 53 points. Both of these teams are on the second leg of a back-to-back, but Ottawa gets to be at home for both legs, and it also played Saturday afternoon, giving the likes of Sanderson a bit more rest. Oh, and the Blue Jackets are bad defensively, in the bottom 10 in GAA, shots on net allowed per game, and penalty-kill percentage.
Sam Rinzel, CHI vs. PIT ($2,600): Rinzel's college career ended, the Blackhawks signed him to his entry-level deal, and then he immediately was thrust into a significant role. The 20-year-old has been dropped right onto the top pairing, and first power-play unit. Rinzel has even put multiple shots on net every time he's taken the ice with Chicago. The Penguins, in the bottom four in GAA and shots on net allowed per contest, will give Rinzel his best chance so far at this first NHL point.
