This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
Sunday is the last day of the Masters and the NBA regular season, but don't overlook the NHL. There are five games starting at 5 p.m. EDT or later, and here are some recommendations for your DFS lineups.
SLATE PREVIEW
There are three teams on the second leg of a back-to-back. The Senators are at home, while the Ducks and Stars are on the road. All of them bring questionable goaltending to the mix, which makes all of those matchups particularly interesting.
GOALIE
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TAM vs. BUF ($8,300): Vasilevskiy hasn't been at his Vezina-winning level this season…except at home where he's posted a 2.19 GAA and .922 save percentage. The Lightning need wins for playoff seeding, while the Sabres aren't playing for anything and rank 24th in goals per game.
Connor Hellebuyck, WPG at OTT ($8,000): Hellebuyck's play has been iffy this year, but he's catching the Senators on the second of consecutive days. The Senators have averaged 2.66 goals per game, 26th in the NHL. I'm expecting Hellebuyck to get the win, and that goes a long way on the DFS front.
VALUE PLAYS
Dylan Strome, CHI vs. DAL ($6,100): There are perks to centering a line with Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane on your wings. Like, say, notching 21 points over your last 16 games. Scott Wedgewood will presumably be in net for the Stars since it's the second leg of a back-to-back and he's produced a .908 save percentage this year.
Paul Stastny, WPG at OTT ($4,600): Stastny gets to skate on the wing of Winnipeg's top line and also appears on the first power play. With five points in his last six games, the veteran now has 27 points on the campaign. Since the Senators just went with Anton Forsberg on Saturday, 21-year-old goalie Mads Sogaard will likely be making his second career start.
LINE STACKS TO CONSIDER
Hurricanes vs. Ducks: Sebastian Aho (C - $7,900), Andrei Svechnikov (W - $7,200), Seth Jarvis (W - $4,100)
It's sometimes worth shelling out salary. For example, when you're hosting a Ducks side on the second leg of a back-to-back who traded away two of their defensemen at the deadline. Also, when they're likely starting John Gibson with his 4.59 GAA and .865 save percentage from his last 17 starts. Yeah, it's looking like a good day for Carolina's top line.
Aho has been an elite offensive player for a while, and this year is no different with 33 goals on 196 shots and 39 assists. Svechnikov puts even more pucks on net with 225 that's yielded 27 tallies. The rookie Jarvis has gotten pushed up to the top unit and over has accumulated five goals and five assists across 12 outings.
Lightning vs. Sabres: Steven Stamkos (C - $8,000), Ross Colton (W - $4,200), Nick Paul (W - $3,800)
The Lightning have recently done some shifting in their lineup leaving Stamkos as the star name with a couple of lesser-known quantities on the wing, but the presence of the leading light at center is enough for me. That's especially true in this matchup with the Sabres struggling to a 3.51 GAA – the highest of any team in action Sunday – while giving up and average of 33.7 shots on net.
Stamkos has notched 13 points and 31 shots on net in his last nine games. Colton has been more involved offensively the last month with six goals and three assists. Paul was dealt from the Senators and has recorded six points in 10 games since the move.
DEFENSE
Seth Jones, CHI vs. DAL ($6,600): Jones has registered a point in eight of his last 10 games. On the year, he's averaged 3:24 per game on the power play and notched 18 power-play points. The Stars enter with the 18th-ranked penalty kill, will be on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back and will likely have Wedgewood in net.
Nate Schmidt, WPG at OTT ($4,500): Schmidt has racked up 32 points, including 11 on the power play. That's a nice bounce back after a rough campaign with the Canucks. After missing four games, he's returned to pick up an assist, four shots on goal, and five blocked shots in two outings. The Senators are in the bottom-10 in GAA and shots on net allowed per game and will be playing for a second consecutive night.
