This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
For a Sunday, we have a nice slate going for the NHL. There are five games on the DFS docket, though the start time for this slate is 5:00 p.m. ET. On a Sunday, that's usually easy to manage, though. The NHL is taking a few days off for the holidays starting Tuesday, so get your contests in while you can. Here are my lineup recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
There are four teams on the second leg of a back-to-back, though the Oilers and Senators play one another. The Kraken are going from Vegas to Colorado, while the Kings are going from Nashville to Washington.
GOALIES
Jaxson Stauber, UTA vs. ANA ($8,100): The Hockey Club is on the first day of a back-to-back, with Dallas visiting Monday. Thus, I imagine Stauber will get the start against the Ducks, saving Karel Vejmelka for the Stars. Given that Anaheim has averaged a mere 2.42 goals per game, it makes sense to slot the backup into this scenario. Stauber is inexperienced, as a 25-year-old goalie with eight career NHL games to his name, but the two times he has taken the ice this season have gone well. He's faced 53 shots and only allowed two goals.
Logan Thompson, WSH vs. LAK ($7,900): The Capitals are also on the first day of a back-to-back, but they have been rigid in their goaltending rotation, meaning Thompson on Sunday followed by Charlie Lindgren on Monday. Thompson has been slightly better of the two, as he has a 2.48 GAA and a .911 save percentage. The Kings aren't slouches offensively, as they are a bit above average in terms of goals per game, but on the second day of a back-to-back, I still like this matchup for Thompson.
VALUE PLAY/ONE-OFF
Valeri Nichushkin, COL vs. SEA ($5,000): Since leaving the Stars for the Avalanche the only real issue for Nichushkin has been availability between injuries, time in the Player Assistance Program and, most recently, a six-month suspension for violating the terms of said program. Since returning, though, the Russian has tallied 10 goals and five assists in 18 games and reminded everybody why the Avalanche stood by him. Catching the Kraken closing out a back-to-back is nice. Even with Joey Daccord in goal I still like Nichushkin.
FORWARD LINE STACK
Hockey Club vs. Ducks
Logan Cooley (C - $4,600), Dylan Guenther (W - $5,800), Jack McBain (W - $2,600)
The Ducks have allowed 32.5 shots on net per game – finishing in the bottom five on that front is all but a given at this point. While Anaheim's GAA is not as bad as you might expect, Lukas Dostal's hot start played a role in that. Over his last five starts, he has a .904 save percentage, though, which is a reminder of the career .902 save percentage he carried into this campaign. On the road in Utah, whether it's Dostal or John Gibson in goal for the Ducks, I like this team for a stack matchup. I've gone with Utah's second line owing to it featuring the team's hottest player.
Cooley only has seven goals, but he's tallied 22 assists. He also has a four-game assist streak going, including three games with multiple helpers. Cooley is being bolstered by playing with Guenther. He has 16 goals and 16 assists through 32 games. While Cooley's four-game point streak is nice, Guenther's streak is up to seven games. McBain isn't on the same level, but he has nine goals on the year. He also picked up an assist in his last game. As long as he's with Guenther and as long as Guenther stays hot, things are looking rosier.
DEFENSEMEN
Jakob Chychrun, WSH vs. LAK ($5,600): Chychrun has put 60 shots on net through 27 games after he had over 200 last year with the Senators. He also has 13 points over his last 12 contests. David Rittich has a 2.49 GAA, but that's with a .890 save percentage. The Kings' defense has bailed Rittich out, but with the Kings on the second leg of a back-to-back, that will be harder for the defense to do.
Darren Raddysh, TBL vs. FLA ($3,200): Raddysh only has nine points through 22 games, but four of those points have come in his last nine games. Last year he had 33 points, but he also averaged 19:06 per contest in ice time. He's been skating with Victor Hedman recently and seeing more power-play time. Over the last six games, he's averaged 19:05 a night on the ice. Whether Sergei Bobrovsky or Spencer Knight starts the first day of a back-to-back for the Panthers, both have save percentages below .900.
