This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
It's a brisk Sunday schedule for the NHL. There are three games on the DFS docket, and two of them start at 5 p.m. ET. That means getting your lineups in earlier than your traditional weekday. Here are my DFS lineup recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
None of these six teams are on the second leg of a back-to-back. However, I will note that the Oilers and Flames are playing the Heritage Classic, which is an outdoor game. Now, I feel like as we have seen more and more of these games, there is no inherent rule of thumb when it comes to how offense and scoring plays out. It is a neutral-site contest, though, so there's that.
GOALIE
Darcy Kuemper, WAS vs. SAN ($8,400): Kuemper bounced back in his last start after a few bad outings in a row, but this is mostly about the matchups. I, like many, figured the Sharks would be bad, but they have been truly awful. San Jose has averaged one goal per game. That won't continue, but to score eight goals across eight games is truly lackluster and foreboding.
VALUE PLAY/ONE-OFF
Tom Wilson, WAS vs. SAN ($4,600): The Capitals' offense has barely been better than San Jose's, but at least things are picking up for them. Wilson has a point in four of his last five games. Plus, his 7.1 shooting percentage will likely improve. In addition to awful offensive numbers, the Sharks have a 3.88 GAA and have allowed 37.9 shots on net per game. San Jose realizes it can't draft Connor Bedard, right?
FORWARD LINE STACK
Flames vs. Oilers
Mikael Backlund (C - $5,000), Andrew Mangiapane (W - $4,500), Blake Coleman (W - $3,700)
However the Heritage Classic environs shake out, the defensive and goaltending woes of the Oilers will likely continue. Edmonton has a 4.29 GAA, which is highest in the NHL. Sure, every Jack Campbell start being an adventure is understandable, but Stuart Skinner has a 3.93 GAA and .846 save percentage himself. The Flames' second line seems the most solidified, and most in form, so that's where I went for this stack.
Backlund is not one to pick the corners of the net, even when he scored 19 goals last year he had a 7.3 shooting percentage, but he has zero goals on 22 shots on target this year, and that won't continue. He has three assists over his last four games, though, so he's contributing. Half of Mangiapane's points came in the season opener, but three goals and three assists over eight games is still a nice stretch. At his best, he showed himself capable of scoring 35 goals in a season. Coleman potted 18 goals last year, and has two 20-goal seasons to his name. He also started a bit slow, but has three points in his last five contests.
DEFENSEMAN
Luke Hughes, NJD vs. MIN ($3,800): I don't want to drive the Luke Hughes hype train by any means, but he has three points and six shots on net over his last two games, and if he follows in his brothers' footsteps acclimation to the NHL should arrive swiftly. It does really help that the Devils make it easy on the young defenseman, including the fact he's played 4:05 per game with the extra man, a full fifth of his minutes. Meanwhile, a Wild defense lacking Jared Spurgeon has been a sieve, having allowed 34.9 shots on net per game. Throw in Filip Gustavsson posting an .885 save percentage so far and that's not ideal.
