DraftKings NHL: Sunday Breakdown

DraftKings NHL: Sunday Breakdown

This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.

SLATE PREVIEW

There are six games firing up Sunday. The 12 p.m. EST matchup between the Bruins and Rangers is only offered as a showdown in DraftKings, so we'll be focusing on the later five games starting at 3 p.m. EST. 

All of these teams played each other Saturday, so the goalies should be pretty much locked in. MacKenzie Blackwood and Joonas Korpisalo could play both games, but most teams likely will steer toward a fresh netminder.

GOALIES

Kevin Lankinen, CHI vs. DET ($8,300): Lankinen gets the starting nod on the second half of back-to-back games. The 25-year-old has been a fantastic surprise for the Blackhawks this year with a .921 save percentage and a 2.59 GAA. Up against the bottom-dwelling Red Wings, Lankinen is an elite start Sunday. 

Carter Hart, PHI at BUF ($8,000): Hart's struggles have been well-documented, but he's not going to stay down forever. The 22-year-old was a blue-chip prospect that was superb over his first two seasons in the league. He draws a strong bounce-back opportunity, as the Sabres have recorded just 0.98 GF/60 at even strength in February. Jack Eichel (lower body) could be out, too.

Pekka Rinne, NAS vs. CLM ($7,800): The Blue Jackets will either play Joonas Korpisalo for a second straight day or Veini Vehvilainen for his NHL debut. Either way, the Predators should be favored, especially with the way Rinne is playing, as the 38-year-old sports a .928 save percentage and a 2.15 GAA across eight appearances in February. 

VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS

Brock Nelson, NYI at PIT ($4,500): Casey DeSmith played his way out of Pittsburgh's starting job with an .885 save percentage through six games. He'll likely get the nod on the second half of back-to-back games. Nelson provides a bargain to target DeSmith, as he scored four goals (24 shots) and dished out three assists over the past 10 games in a second-line role. 

Pavel Zacha, NJ vs. WAS ($4,400): Zacha's on a nine-game point streak where he registered four goals and 11 points. Even if he loses linemate Nico Hischier (face), Zacha should be fine, as his streak started before Hischier returned from IR. There's a major ceiling for Zacha, too, especially if Craig Anderson starts for the Capitals. 

Robby Fabbri, DET at CHI ($4,300): Fabbri is a natural center, and he'll get that opportunity on the first line with Dylan Larkin (lower body) out of the lineup. He capitalized on the situation last night, and he'll look to keep it rolling, even against a sturdier netminder.

Jared McCann, PIT vs. NYI ($2,500): McCann returned from injured reserve Saturday and was placed on the second line with Evgeni Malkin. In his own right, McCann maintains decent offensive upside after posting 35 points over 66 games last year. Teaming up with Malkin against rookie Ilya Sorokin adds to McCann's ceiling.

LINE STACKS

Flyers at Sabres  

Sean Couturier (C - $6,100), James van Riemsdyk (W - $6,900), Joel Farabee (W - $6,000)

Van Riemsdyk is on a career pace in his age-31 season thanks to his current surge that has produced 14 points over the past eight games. Meanwhile, Farabee is breaking out with 10 points in that stretch, and Couturier has tallied nine points in five games. The trio capitalized against Carter Hutton on Saturday, and they could draw an inexperienced Jonas Johansson in his season debut Sunday. 

Capitals at Devils

Nicklas Backstrom (C - $6,500), Tom Wilson (W - $5,000), Jakub Vrana (W - $4,200)

With Evgeny Kuznetsov (upper body) likely out of the lineup, the second line is a strong option against the Devils for the two teams' second matchup of the weekend. Backstrom leads the Capitals in goals (nine) and points (24), while Vrana and Wilson have combined for 13 goals. Although MacKenzie Blackwood could make another start, it will be more appealing if Aaron Dell or Scott Wedgewood get the nod. The Devils let up plenty of chances anyway, giving up 2.42 xG/60 at even strength -- the fourth-most in the league.

DEFENSEMEN

John Carlson, WAS at NJ ($6,700): Carlson added two assists to his ledger in Saturday's win over the Devils, extending his current point streak to four games. The 31-year-old does his best work on the power play, though, having posted at least 25 points with the man advantage over the previous three seasons. He'll target the league's last-ranked PK (60.0 percent) on Sunday.

Ryan Ellis, NSH vs. CLM ($5,400): Ellis has been a consistent offensive contributor in February, ringing up seven points through 12 games. He keeps his fantasy floor propped up with a steady shot volume and a willingness to block shots, and his power-play time provides continuous opportunities to convert.

Ty Smith, NJ vs. WAS ($4,200): The rookie's ice time is ramping up. He certainly looks the part, undeterred by the NHL speed and stacking up 11 points through 16 games. Only three of those points came with the man advantage, but Washington's 17th-ranked PK (79.1 percent) is still an appealing target at a low cost Sunday.

Mattias Ekholm, NSH vs. CLS ($3,300): Ekholm returned to the lineup and made an immediate impact in Saturday's 2-1 win over the Blue Jackets, scoring both of the team's goals. He started the year slow with just three points through 12 games, but he produced 30-plus points in the three previous seasons. His salary will only stay this low for so long.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Jordan Mazzara plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: Mazz30 Yahoo: Mazz30 DraftKings: Mazz30.
RotoWire Community
Join Our Subscriber-Only NHL Chat
Chat with our writers and other RotoWire NHL fans for all the pre-game info and in-game banter.
Join The Discussion
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jordan Mazzara
Jordan has produced NFL and NHL content for RotoWire since 2017. He's the beat writer for the St. Louis Blues and Seattle Seahawks.
Frozen Fantasy: Is the Chase Back On?
Frozen Fantasy: Is the Chase Back On?
The Week Ahead: Fowler to St. Louis
The Week Ahead: Fowler to St. Louis
NHL DFS Picks: FanDuel Plays and Strategy for Sunday, December 15
NHL DFS Picks: FanDuel Plays and Strategy for Sunday, December 15
NHL Best Bets Today: Expert Picks for Sunday, December 15
NHL Best Bets Today: Expert Picks for Sunday, December 15
NHL DFS Picks: DraftKings Plays and Strategy for Sunday, December 15
NHL DFS Picks: DraftKings Plays and Strategy for Sunday, December 15
NHL Best Bets Today: Expert Picks for Saturday, December 14
NHL Best Bets Today: Expert Picks for Saturday, December 14