This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Friday and Saturday were packed with NHL action. Unsurprisingly, that makes for a lighter Sunday. You can't have teams on a back-to-back-to-back, after all. We have four games on the DFS docket, but the first pucks drop at 3:00 p.m. ET, so you'll have to get your Sunday lineup in a bit early. Here are my lineup recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
There are two teams on the second leg of a back-to-back. The Senators have made the trek from Los Angeles to Anaheim, while the Canadiens are visiting the Bruins. There are a couple of teams on the first leg of a back-to-back as well, but Chicago has already named Petr Mrazek the starter for Sunday.
GOALIE
Elvis Merzlikins, CBJ at CHI ($7,400): Boston has the most conducive matchup, but I have saved $1,000 in salary by eschewing a Boston netminder for Merzlikins. He's been all over the place from a performance perspective, but he does have five wins in his last six outings. Merzlikins also has a good matchup here, as Chicago has averaged a mere 2.48 goals and 25.8 shots on net per game, putting it in the running for the NHL's worst offense.
VALUE PLAY/ONE-OFF
Frank Vatrano, ANA vs. OTT ($5,500): Vatrano has two goals in his last three games, hopefully a sign his puck luck is starting to stabilize. Even with those goals he has a 5.7 percent shooting rate on the season. Vatrano shoots too much (and sees too much power-play time) not to improve. Speaking of the power play, the Senators are hovering around the fringes of the bottom 10 in penalty-kill percentage. Note they are on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back.
FORWARD LINE STACK TO CONSIDER
Bruins vs. Canadiens
Elias Lindholm (C - $4,800), Brad Marchand (W - $5,300), Justin Brazeau (W - $2,900)
Though the Bruins have been one of the worst offensive teams in the NHL, this matchup is too good to ignore. Not only is Montreal on the road for the second day of a back-to-back, but Cayden Primeau is also in line to start. He has a 4.37 GAA and a .846 save percentage over nine appearances. Primeau now has a career .887 save percentage, so when he's in line to be in goal, a stack is always a possibility.
Lindholm only has three goals with the Bruins. Unfortunately, his 8.6 percent shooting rate is right in line with his 8.7 percent shooting rate from last year. However, he does have 10 assists and has averaged 4:01 per game with the extra man. Marchand is one of only a few Bruins who have produced offense as expected, with eight goals on 75 shots on net and nine assists. He's tallied six points on the power play, and a tired penalty kill from the Habs would be to his benefit. Looking for answers, the Bruins (across two coaching staffs now) have given Brazeau more ice time and more opportunity. He's responded with five goals and five assists. He has three points over his last six games.
DEFENSEMAN
Dante Fabbro, CBJ at CHI ($3,200): "One man's trash is another man's treasure" is a bit harsh for discussing, you know, a human being, but the Predators gave up on Fabbro and it has been to Columbus' benefit. Nashville waived the defenseman and the Jackets swept in, claimed him and started playing him next to the red-hot Zach Werenski as the top unit. Now, Fabbro has averaged 22:02 per game in ice time with two goals and three assists in eight outings with his new team. Though Mrazek does have a .911 save percentage this season, over the prior three seasons, he had a .900 save percentage, so that may not be sustained.
