This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
It's Sunday. Before the week is out, the NHL regular season will be over. There will still be DFS contests throughout the playoffs, of course. For now, though, Sunday night is a light slate. In fact, there are only two games Sunday evening (after a TNT doubleheader in the afternoon). The first puck drops at 6 p.m. ET. Here are my lineup recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
Here's a rarity: We have zero teams on the first or second leg of a back-to-back. Three of the teams in action are out of the playoffs, though, which could impact lineup decisions.
GOALIE
Jacob Markstrom, CGY vs. ARI ($8,000): It's been a better, but decidedly not good, season for Markstrom. He has a 2.75 GAA and .906 save percentage on the year. The Coyotes have averaged 3.05 goals per game, but their 27.7 shots on net per contest ranks in the bottom six in the NHL. Also, um, Coyotes players may have stuff other than this hockey game on their minds.
VALUE PLAY/ONE-OFF
Yegor Sharangovich, CGY vs. ARI ($5,400): Quietly, Sharangovich has potted 30 goals for the Flames. He's ending the year well, with seven points in his last seven outings. The Coyotes have a 3.33 GAA and rank 27th on the power play. Six of those seven points for Sharangovich? They've come with the extra man.
FORWARD LINE STACK TO CONSIDER
Hurricanes at Blackhawks
Jesperi Kotkaniemi (C - $2,600), Andrei Svechnikov (W - $5,500), Jordan Martinook ($3,600)
The Blackhawks have been defined by its offensive futility, but defensively they have only been a smidge better. They are in the bottom five in GAA and shots on net allowed per game, and in the bottom 10 in penalty-kill percentage. With nothing left to play for, it's also possible Arvid Soderblom will be in net, though by this point the idea that he is the "future" in goal for Chicago is probably decided. He does have an .883 save percentage through 49 appearances, after all. To try and save some salary, I opted for Carolina's second line.
The only reason I hesitated with going with the Hurricanes' second line is Kotkaniemi currently serving as center. His offensive output has really dropped this year after he broke through with 43 points last season. However, the Finn does have 25 points, and he is centering the second line, so there's that. Svechnikov is the offensive star of this trio. He has 19 goals on 142 shots on net, plus 31 assists, in 58 games. Additionally, Svechnikov is the one of the three on the first power-play unit. Martinook has 14 goals on 147 shots on target with 17 assists as well, but he's also seemingly in form. He's notched a point in each of his last three games.
DEFENSEMAN
Jaccob Slavin, CAR at CHI ($4,400): Slavin has long been praised for his defensive acumen. With Brent Burns another year older, though, Slavin has had to pick up a larger offensive role, even if he still doesn't play on the power play. The 29-year-old has notched 37 points, but notably three times in his last four games he's tallied two points. On the flip side, Chicago has a 3.51 GAA, fourth highest in the NHL.
