This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
Sunday's a bit of an odd day of NHL action, as the day's slate is split evenly between early and late games. As a result, FanDuel is running two kinds of tournaments – one set that's only using the three afternoon games, and a much more expansive set that concerns itself exclusively with the three evening games. Because the main event's at night, I'm going to focus on those games for the purposes of this article, but I'll include a bonus pick from the early slate at every position.
GOALIE
Anthony Stolarz, PHI vs. CGY ($7,100): As far as I'm concerned, there are only two goalies in the evening set worth building a lineup around: Henrik Lundqvist and Stolarz. Yes, Stolarz will be making his first NHL appearance, so there's certainly room for variance in what we can expect from him, but he draws a Johnny Gaudreau-free Calgary team that's only scored more than two goals in one game this entire month. The hulking New Jersey native has performed wonderfully at AHL Lehigh Valley this year, posting a 6-2 record with a 2.39 GAA and .927 save percentage. For the early games, you may want to take note of the fact that Mike Smith ($8,300) is 14-1-1 against the Oilers in his career, including Friday's 32-save overtime win.
CENTER
Kevin Hayes, NYR vs. OTT ($5,600): This is quite a modest price to pay for the guy currently occupying the role of No. 1 center in the Rangers' league-best offense, and it comes in an advantageous matchup against a Senators team that has been playing over its head and is starting backup goalie Mike Condon. Over his last 14 games, Hayes has racked up eight goals and eight assists; you could ask for more in the shots column, but he shouldn't have too much trouble getting pucks on net against the Sens, as they've given up the ninth-most shots per game (30.7) in the NHL.
Derick Brassard, OTT vs. NYR ($5,000): The revenge game is a real thing, in my view, and Brassard should be motivated to find the scoresheet Sunday against the Rangers, who picked him up from Columbus and watched him develop into a complete player over three-plus seasons on Broadway, only to ship him to Ottawa for Mika Zibanejad over the offseason. So far, the deal's looked better for the Rangers, but Zibanejad's hurt right now; for Brassard's part, he's still scuffling along with just nine points in 21 games. But he's often risen to big moments and he's taken a ton of practice shots on Henrik Lundqvist over the last few years, so I expect the 29-year-old pivot to make an emotional and productive return to Madison Square Garden – even if it's in a losing effort. As for the early games, they aren't exactly knee-deep in value centers, but I like David Krejci at $5,700 and Christian Dvorak makes for an interesting bottom-dollar add at $3,600.
WING
Brayden Schenn, PHI vs. CGY ($5,600): Long one of my favorite young players in the league, the 25-year-old Schenn has been struggling a bit lately – no goals in six games, with only eight shots in that span – but he's a major power-play asset and he's going up against the league's second-worst penalty kill. The Flames haven't been as porous with Chad Johnson (Sunday's expected starter) in net as they have with Brian Elliott, but they're still not a good defensive team, nor do they have a possession-oriented offense that can play keep-away. Schenn's 7.9 shooting percentage is begging for positive regression, and this could be the night that it happens.
Jonathan Marchessault, FLA at CAR ($5,600): Although Marchessault's production has dropped off noticeably since his red-hot start (10 points in seven games), he's got a tasty combination of talent, opportunity and matchup Sunday. The Hurricanes are rolling out journeyman goalie Michael Leighton for his first NHL start since 2013, so Marchessault shouldn't be the only Panther in your lineup. Look for him to get back to shooting frequently after uncharacteristically managing only three pucks on net in the past four games.
Jaromir Jagr, FLA at CAR ($5,100): This is a fine evening to roll out Jagr, whose agelessness is being challenged by a slow start this season (only 10 points in 21 games). He's been a career-long terrorizer of the Hurricanes, with an insane 117 points in 86 career games against them, and Leighton's presence in net sets Jagr up with plenty of potential. The 44-year-old has also provided a decent floor thanks to his 50 shots on goal through 21 games, so you probably won't get burned by him even if he doesn't score.
Elias Lindholm, CAR vs. FLA ($4,400): With James Reimer (a below-average goalie thus far) projected to start on the other side, don't leave your lineup Hurricane-free; instead, use Lindholm. Still a week from his 22nd birthday, the talented Swede got off to an ice-cold start this year, but he's now reached the scoresheet in five of the last seven games. As a relatively prolific shooter who's skating on the second line for Carolina, he's got a ton of upside in this matchup relative to his modest price. Oh, and for the early games? Take a look at Nashville's Viktor Arvidsson ($5,200 on the first line in a positive matchup) and Edmonton's Milan Lucic ($5,500; six points in his last four games while playing with Connor McDavid).
DEFENSEMEN
Justin Faulk, CAR vs. FLA ($5,300): The points have not been flowing for Faulk lately (just one lonely assist in nine games), but with a ton of talent and a favorable matchup Sunday, he's a promising target who'll likely carry low-ish ownership. As a 16-goal man – with a dozen on the power play – over just 64 games last season, Faulk's scoring ability should go unquestioned, and the fact that FanDuel doesn't count plus-minus (where he's a liability) is huge for him. Over that nine-game span of futility, he's launched 29 shots on net; as long as he keeps that up, he's bound to start getting through more, and a matchup with a struggling backup in Reimer provides a nice opportunity to do just that.
Ivan Provorov, PHI vs. CGY ($3,900): You're taking a risk here because Provorov's offense has come only in fits and starts, but the rookie's provided a nice fantasy floor with plenty of blocks lately – 20 in the last eight games. His nine points in 22 contests aren't blowing the doors off, but that's also not bad at all for a 19-year-old blueliner getting his first taste of the NHL. The fact that he's being entrusted with more than 20 minutes a game on the ice, plus time on both the power play and the penalty kill, shows how mature Provorov's game is already. Those minutes he sees on the man advantage combined with the excellent matchup make this low price awfully appetizing. If you're playing on the early slate, you may feel the same way about another rookie, Anthony DeAngelo, at an even cheaper $3,600.
