This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Sure, Sunday is the final day of the NFL regular season, but, well, a lot of those games don't really count for much. Are you really jazzed to watch Carson Wentz under center for Kansas City? Sunday is in the thick of the middle of the NHL season, though. We have four games starting at 6:00 p.m. ET or later. Here are my NHL DFS recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
Four teams are on the second leg of a back-to-back, and they all play a rested team. That's a tough break. However, three of those teams are at home. Those teams are the Bruins, Maple Leafs and Hurricanes. Only the Lightning are on the road, and they are facing Anaheim after a visit to Los Angeles on Saturday. That's not terrible, tough, as far as these things go.
GOALIES
Jonas Johansson, TBL at ANA ($8,200): If Johansson sees the ice, it's because the Lightning are playing a back-to-back. He's played four times since Thanksgiving, though he picked up a win in three of those games. It helps that the Lightning lead the NHL in goals per game. It also helps that the Ducks are 31st in goals per game. With only eight teams in action, and four of those teams closing out a back-to-back, Johansson is worth a shot.
Ilya Sorokin, NYI at BOS ($7,400): Sorokin has surprisingly struggled this year, but he's only allowed two goals in each of his last two starts. This is a battle between two teams in the bottom six in goals per game, but there is a clear advantage for Sorokin. Namely, the Bruins are the team in this one on the second leg of a back-to-back.
VALUE PLAY/ONE-OFF
Seth Jarvis, CAR vs. PIT ($5,900): Yes, the Hurricanes are the team on the second leg of a back-to-back here, but the Penguins are in the bottom five in GAA and shots on net allowed per contest. Jarvis has 10 points in his last 14 games, and he's put 36 shots on net in that time. In addition to skating on the first line, Jarvis is on the top power-play unit. Those minutes are easier to handle closing out a back-to-back (and are also, of course, conducive to offensive success).
FORWARD LINE STACK TO CONSIDER
Flyers at Maple Leafs
Ryan Poehling (C - $2,900), Travis Konecny (W - $6,300), Owen Tippett (W - $4,700)
When Toronto had both Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll healthy, it was not a great matchup, even on the second day of a back-to-back. Stolarz is hurt, though, and Woll started Saturday. That leaves rookie Dennis Hildeby serving as the backup for the Leafs. He's made three NHL starts and has posted a .875 save percentage. This is the current look of Philly's first line, though that could always change. John Tortorella is… mercurial is perhaps a generous way to say it.
Poehling was playing fourth-line minutes, but then he tallied five points in eight games. Now he's getting to skate between Konecny and Tippett, and that's a good place to be. Konecny has been a 30-goal scorer each of the last two seasons, and he has 43 points through 39 games this year. He has a goal in each of his last two games, giving him 18 on the season, and he's been seeing more time on the power play. That fact is also reliant on the whims of Tortorella, though. Tippett has 13 points in his last 15 contests. A prolific shooter of the puck by nature, he's tallied 101 shots on net through 39 games, which bodes well against an inexperienced goalie behind a tired defense.
DEFENSEMEN
Noah Dobson, NYI at BOS ($5,900): Sure, it's a step down from 70 points last season, but it would not be fair to frame Dobson as "only" having 20 points in 39 contests. That's still impressive for a defenseman, and he's put a whopping 120 shots on target already as well. The Bruins will have Joonas Korpisalo in goal Sunday to close out this back-to-back. He has a .895 save percentage this season.
Jackson LaCombe, ANA vs. TBL ($4,100): Yes, the Ducks have a poor offense, so much so that I would roll the dice on Johansson in goal. However, what if, say, a team many fans don't pay close attention to had a young defenseman who had emerged as of late as an offensive force? I would be willing to roster such a player at home against a team on the second night of a back-to-back. That player is LaCombe. Since the start of December, he has 11 points and 35 shots on net in 15 games. Anaheim's coaching staff now gives him top-pairing minutes and first-unit power-play time. LaCombe is the future of this rebuilding club.
