This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
The NHL schedule features only five games from which to pick your winning FanDuel lineup Sunday, but one matchup should provide most of your talent. Several Senators can be cheaply stacked for their contest with a team their goalie has handle with ease during his career....
Goalie
Craig Anderson, OTT at NYR ($7,800): Anderson should be back in net on Sunday after getting Saturday off. He faces the Rangers in New York and has stood out in three of his last four starts. Against the Rangers in his career, Anderson is 10-5 with a .944 save percentage and a 1.74 goals against average. Of the 10 victories against the Blueshirts, four have resulted in shutouts. He has their number and sets up as a great value option.
Center
Matt Duchene, OTT at NYR ($4,800): The Senators received one of the prized available talents in the NHL when they acquired Duchene from the Avalanche. He draws into a good matchup against the Rangers, who have allowed the second most fantasy points to centers. Over his last three games, he may be pointless but does have 18 shots on goal, suggesting that he's due to have a big effort. He'll get that chance in this spot skating on the second line and top power-play unit.
Erik Haula, VGK vs LA ($4,800): Haula has been playing well of late for a somewhat flatlining Golden Knights team. Vegas hosts the Kings, who are playing their second game in as many days. Haula, who skates on the top line and power-play unit, has at least a point in five of his last six games with four goals and four assists over that span. The Golden Knights have shown the ability to score goals at home.
Wing
Anthony Mantha, DET vs COL ($5,900): The Red Wings host the Avalanche in their second game in as many nights, and Mantha will look to continue a hot stretch. Over his last eight games, he has six goals and four assists, giving him 10 goals and nine assists on the season. Five of his goals have come on the power play, which bodes well for him in this matchup as the Avalanche have the eighth-worst penalty kill in the league to go along with the eight-most penalty minutes per game.
Ryan Dzingel, OTT at NYR ($3,600): Dzingel is a prime value play to pair with Duchene: They skate together at full strength and on the power play. He's been quiet offensively with just one point in his last three games and just five goals and two assists on the season. However, with Duchene centering him and a healthy Bobby Ryan on the opposite wing, Dzingel occupies a spot that should benefit him moving forward.
Evgeny Dadonov, FLA at ANH ($5,200): I'm not sure what Dadonov must do to have his salary increased, but as long as he's this cheap, I'll keep riding the value. He has seven goals and 10 assists on the season and is part of one of the most dominant lines in the NHL. With Aleksander Barkov at center and Jonathan Huberdeau at the other wing, the trio has combined for 13 goals, the third-highest mark by any trio. He sees time on the power play with his two linemates as well for the Panthers, who average 33 shots on goal per game, the eighth-highest mark in hockey.
Defense
Mike Green, DET vs COL ($4,700): Green has been as steady on the blue line as anyone this season with one goal, 16 assists and over 23 minutes of ice time per game. He's seeing over two minutes per game on the power play and draws a promising matchup against the Avalanche, who have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to defensemen. His salary remains at the lowest amount it's been all season, and he keeps producing.
Nate Schmidt, VGK vs LA ($3,800): I went back and forth between Schmidt and his teammate Shea Theodore for this spot but ultimately settled on who's seeing more time on ice and the power play. He's averaging over 22 minutes per game, three of which come with the man advantage, and has a point in back-to-back games. He's exceptionally cheap and offers a decent floor and cap flexibility to build your lineup with some of the high-priced talent we have on this slate.
