This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
The NHL action Sunday is aimed a little earlier in the day. Three of the four games on the DFS docket start at 5:00 p.m. ET. We're halfway through the season and halfway through January. Here are my NHL DFS recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
Thirty of the 32 teams in the NHL played Saturday. One of the teams that did not, Detroit, plays Sunday, but in a 3:00 p.m. ET game not included on the DFS slate. That means only the Hurricanes, at home against the Ducks, are rested among these eight teams.
GOALIES
Pyotr Kochetkov, CAR vs. ANA ($8,500): This is pretty straightforward. Kochetkov has a 2.52 GAA and the Hurricanes have only allowed 25.2 shots on net per contest. Carolina is also, as noted, the only team that didn't play Saturday on this slate. The Ducks are in the bottom five in goals per game, which would have made for an easy matchup even if they weren't on the road for the second game of a back-to-back.
Adin Hill, VGK vs. MIN ($8,300): Both of these teams saved their better goaltender for Sunday's matchup. The Wild, though, are on the road. Also, they are middling in goals per game, while the Golden Knights are in the top five. Hill started slow but has a 2.12 GAA and .919 save percentage over his last 16 games.
VALUE PLAY/ONE-OFF
Andrei Svechnikov, CAR vs. ANA ($5,800): Svechnikov has a point in five of his last six games. While he's been skating on the third line, he's on the top power-play unit, which means he's still getting plenty of ice time and plenty of scoring opportunities. On the season, the Russian has 14 points with the extra man. The Ducks are in the bottom 10 in shots on net allowed per game as well as penalty-kill percentage and, of course, there's the second leg of a back-to-back thing.
FORWARD LINE STACK TO CONSIDER
Penguins vs. Lightning
Sidney Crosby (C - $7,200), Bryan Rust (W - $6,900), Rickard Rakell (W - $6,800)
The Penguins are woeful defensively, but I'll take the top line for the home team in this battle. Pittsburgh got to play at home twice on its back-to-back, while the Lightning have made the trip from New Jersey to play in the Steel City. Plus, Andrei Vasilevskiy started Saturday, which means Jonas Johansson is in line to start Sunday. Since taking over as Vasilevskiy's backup last season, Johansson has a 3.36 GAA and .892 save percentage.
Crosby's legs have a lot of miles on them, which is not ideal for the second leg of a back-to-back, but he's also been hot. The future Hall of Famer has 20 points over his last 14 games, including four outings with at least three points. Rust is once again benefitting from being on Crosby's wing, as he has 16 goals and 16 assists in 37 games. He's well on pace to hit the 20-goal mark for the sixth season in a row, and that includes four seasons in which he didn't play more than 62 games. A huge uptick in shooting percentage has helped Rakell tally 21 goals through 44 contests. That being said, he's not slowing down, as Rakell has 11 goals over his last 16 games. He's also playing on the top power-play unit, which makes for easier minutes on the second day of a back-to-back.
DEFENSEMEN
Miro Heiskanen, DAL at OTT ($5,100): Heiskanen has 19 points in 41 games, but things could pick up. The Finn has had at least 20 power-play points in each of the last two seasons but only five so far this year. That's despite the fact he's still averaged well over three minutes per game with the extra man. The Senators are below average on the penalty kill, and Anton Forsberg has allowed at least three goals in each of his three starts since returning from injury.
Dmitry Orlov, CAR vs. ANA ($3,000): Orlov is not a day-in, day-out point producer, but he has his moments. Over his last four games, he has three points, giving him 20 on the season. Plus, he's put 21 shots on net over his last eight contests. I'll roster the rested Russian against a Ducks team that played Saturday, especially with Lukas Dostal, who has a .884 save percentage since the start of December, in line to start.
