Sunday features a few big NFL matchups (including my Lions against the Eagles), but don't forget about getting your NHL DFS lineups in with four games on the slate and the first one at 5 p.m. EST. These are my recommendations for your lineup decision making.
SLATE PREVIEW
Saturday was busy, so we have five teams on the second leg of a back-to-back. The Rangers and Red Wings along with the Wild and Golden Knights face each other. Avalanche-Islanders features two rested teams while the Lightning host the Canucks after playing Saturday afternoon.
GOALIES
Kevin Lankinen, VAN at TAM ($7,300): At this salary, I figure why not take a shot on Lankinen? The Canucks are the only rested team versus one that skated on Saturday, after all. Tampa has also been middling in terms of goals per game. Lankinen hasn't had a great season, but has posted a career .903 save percentage. That also isn't outstanding, though it means he should improve and this matchup could be to his benefit.
Ilya Sorokin, NYI at COL ($7,000): This is also all about salary considerations. I didn't love any of Sunday's netminding situations and Sorokin has a 2.32 GAA and .917 save percentage over his last eight starts along with a career .915 save percentage. I know Colorado leads the league in offense, but Sorokin is hot while coming in at literally the lowest salary of any available goalie. And you never know what'll happen in a single game.
VALUE PLAY/ONE-OFF
Pavel Dorofeyev, VGK at MIN ($5,900): Dorofeyev isn't going to be able to maintain his pace of 10 goals from 17 outings, yet did score 35 times last season. He's also registered six power-play goals after 13 last year while his man-advantage minutes are way up. That's relevant here as the Wild list a bottom-8 penalty kill and skating on the power play tends to be easier on the legs, especially after playing on Saturday.
FORWARD LINE STACK TO CONSIDER
Canucks at Lightning
Elias Pettersson (C - $5,800), Conor Garland (W - $5,300), Evander Kane (W - $5,000)
I'm going back to this well even though the Lightning get to be at home for a second straight day. Tampa's set to start Jonas Johansson and his .913 save percentage on Sunday, and that's in four starts and one relief appearance. In his two previous seasons as the backup to Andrei Vasilevskiy, he posted a 3.27 GAA and .892 save percentage. Vancouver's first line should take advantage of the situation.
Pettersson was hoping to bounce back from a tough campaign, and then he started slow again. Things may be turning around as he's notched three multi-point efforts across his last six games. Garland missed a few marchups, but still has 13 points and 40 shots while averaging 3:24 with the extra man and that works well against a tired penalty kill. Kane has managed nine points, though has also been quite unlucky by directing 60 shots on net while producing a 5.0 shooting percentage that's bound to improve.
DEFENSEMEN
Zeev Buium, MIN vs. VGK ($3,300): With so many teams on the second leg of a back-to-back, I do wonder about the viability of defenseman for DFS purposes in that scenario. For Buium, at least he's only 19 and a rookie who also logs a lot of time on the power play where he's tallied seven points. Vegas is below-average in terms of killing penalties, and projected starter Carl Lindbom has an .869 save percentage through four career NHL starts.
Tyler Myers, VAN at TAM ($3,000): Quinn Hughes and Filip Hronek are both banged up. They could also both return, but maybe just one of them returns or neither does. The Canucks already trust Myers as he's averaged 20:48 and recorded 24 points in 71 games last year. And he's currently at 26 shots while blocking 41. I'm willing to select Myers in this matchup with the potential for added minutes and more offensive opportunity.
