This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
Sunday is all about Detroit versus Tampa, at least in my book. The Red Wings are hosting the Lightning, but also my beloved Lions will welcome the Buccaneers. Pucks drop on the four NHL games at 7 p.m. EST. And if you're like me, you'll want to get your DFS lineups in before the football kicks off. Here are my recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
Every game features at least one team on the second leg of a back-to-back. The Ducks host the Rangers in a battle of two teams in that scenario. Tampa, Dallas, and Toronto are all on the road and didn't play Saturday.
GOALIES
Igor Shesterkin, NYR at ANA ($8,500): Shesterkin has been erratic all season. Even over his last 12 starts, he's produced five where he allowed a single goal and four with at least four. But he's a former Vezina winner, and faces the easiest matchup Sunday as the Ducks rank 29th in goals and bottom-10 in shots.
Joey Daccord, SEA vs. TOR ($7,400): The Leafs boast a top offense, though they're also on the road for the second straight night. Daccord has been stellar posting a 2.34 GAA and .922 save percentage. With five of these eight clubs on the second game of a back-to-back, I'll go with a rested goalie at home on the top of his game.
VALUE PLAYS
Jared McCann, SEA vs. TOR ($6,400): The greatest goal scorer in Kraken history (to be fair, it's a brief history) is getting a chance to center the top line due to injuries and suspensions. It's a good time to give McCann more minutes with four goals and three helpers over his last five matchups. Catching Toronto on the second of consecutive days should mean Ilya Samsonov will be in net. He was good last year, but lists a career .903 save percentage and an .863 this season.
Daniel Sprong, DET vs. TAM ($5,300): Sprong apparently doesn't need much ice time to produce. He's been moved up and down the lineup - even occasionally popping onto the fourth line - yet he's notched 10 points and 27 shots in 13 outings. The Lightning, as noted, are on the second leg of a back-to-back with Andrei Vasilevskiy saved for Sunday. And while he's been great in the past, his save percentage is down at .899 and he hasn't rounded into form since returning with an .881 mark from his last eight starts.
FORWARD LINE STACK
Islanders vs. Stars
Bo Horvat (C - $8,600), Mathew Barzal (W - $7,800), Anders Lee (W - $4,900)
The Stars are one of the three teams away for the second straight night against a rested team. Jake Oettinger is in line to be in net Sunday. An above-average goalie in the past, he's recorded a 2.96 GAA and .904 save percentage this year. Since returning from injury, Oettinger hasn't exactly looked like his old self either as he made one strong start and performed admirably stepping in against the lowly Blackhawks, but gave up four and five goals in other appearances. As such, I'd happily stack the Islanders' first line.
Horvat has delivered everything the club wanted when they traded for him with 18 goals on 129 shots while adding 24 assists. He's been on fire with eight goals and eight assists in his last 17 games, and his 16.7 shooting percentage in that time is not only sustainable but in line with numbers from the last two years. Barzal doesn't shoot on par with Horvat, so his 9.2 percentage won't necessarily improve, though he's been productive with 49 points and 131 shots. Lee started slowly, but he's picked it up and is playing in a favorable role next to Horvat and Barzal. The veteran wing has accumulated six goals and three assists in 15 outings, including a recent two-goal performance against the Jets.
DEFENSEMEN
Adam Fox, NYR at ANA ($7,100): Fox is up there with Quinn Hughes in terms of defensemen who produce on the power play having managed over 20 points in each of his last three seasons and is already up to 18 so far. The Ducks rank bottom-10 in GAA, but they're also around the fringes of the bottom-10 in terms of killing penalties.
Justin Schultz, SEA vs. TOR ($4,300): Schultz has notched four points over his last five games, including two on the power play. If Vince Dunn is out again, Schultz's man-advantage minutes will likely remain elevated. The Leafs list a bottom-10 penalty kill, and needless to say having Ilya Samsonov and his .863 save percentage in net is not an encouraging sign on that front.
