This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
With the NHL playoffs looming, there's still a bit left to be decided. For us, the focus is on choosing DFS lineups. Sunday features four games, with the first one starting at 1 p.m. EDT. You don't want to miss out on it, so here are my lineup recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
Colorado and Seattle are both on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back. No teams are also playing Monday. And one club is probably not going to be playing in the same state next season.
GOALIES
Pyotr Kochetkov, CAR at CHI ($8,500): The Hurricanes have done a Bruins-style goalie rotation since Frederik Andersen returned, which means Sunday is Kochetkov's turn. While the play in net matters, Carolina ranks first in shots allowed and penalty-kill percentage. Meanwhile, the Blackhawks have spent all season making opponents look like Carolina having only produced a paltry 2.16 goals per game, which will have them finish last in that category.
Joel Hofer, STL vs. SEA ($7,800): Getting his first real NHL action this season, Hofer proved to be a viable backup goalie with a .912 save percentage through 29 appearances. The Kraken have averaged a bottom-five 2.61 goals while also playing for the second straight day.
VALUE PLAYS
William Karlsson, VGK vs. COL ($7,200): As the Golden Knights prep to defend their title, Karlsson has been on fire with at least one point in eight of his last nine games. The Avalanche aren't a great matchup in a vacuum, though they're on the road for the second of a back-to-back. Alexandar Georgiev is projected to start, which he also did Saturday...where he was pulled in the first period. So technically, he's playing on consecutive days.
Lawson Crouse, ARI at CGY ($5,000): By most - and almost every - indication, the Coyotes won't be in Arizona next season. That of course hurts for the local fans, and I certainly wouldn't mind seeing the Coyotes end their tenure in the desert on a high note. Crouse has tallied seven points in his last 10 games. Jacob Markstrom comes in with an .877 save percentage over 14 outings. While the Flames do rank 10th on the penalty kill, only 10 of Crouse's 41 points have come with the extra man.
FORWARD LINE STACK
Flames vs. Coyotes
Nazem Kadri (C - $7,100), Andrei Kuzmenko (W - $5,000), Martin Pospisil (W - $3,700)
I said I'd like to see the Coyotes excel in their last couple of outings this season. That doesn't mean it'll happen. After all, they have a 3.33 GAA and rank 27th on the penalty kill. And Arizona players may have their minds elsewhere. Meanwhile, Calgary's top line features two hot forwards who also appear on the top power play.
Kadri has crushed it in Calgary this season with 71 points while putting 262 shots on target. Even if the Flames have been out of it for a bit, he's also managed 12 points from his last nine games. Kuzmenko scored 39 goals as a (26-year-old) rookie for the Canucks last season, who shipped him to the Flames this year in the Elias Lindholm trade. It took him a second to adjust, yet he's recorded six multipoint efforts across eight outings. Pospisil notched two assists in Calgary's last game. He also has a couple talented linemates and a 7.5 shooting percentage that looks a little low.
DEFENSEMEN
Rasmus Andersson, CGY vs. ARI ($5,800): In some ways, it's been a disappointing season for Andersson. With 36 points in 75 games, he's going to fall short of reaching 50, which is what he achieved the last couple years. On the other hand, Andersson has posted 156 shots on net while blocking 177. Speaking of pucks on goal, he's produced 24 in his last nine games. The Coyotes sit in the bottom-10 in GAA and shots allowed, so I can see Andersson adding to his personal stat sheet Sunday.
Brady Skjei, CAR at CHI ($5,400): Skjei is riding a five-game assist streak. Right before that, he potted three goals in four appearances. Skjei has also set a new personal-best with 47 points. He's now primed to square off against a Chicago team with a 29th-ranked 3.51 GAA.
