This article is part of our FantasyDraft NHL series.
Maybe you just want to relax Sunday, or maybe you want to play some daily fantasy hockey instead. There are four NHL games, and here are some players from those contests I'd recommend for your lineup.
GOALIE
Los Angeles Kings, LOS at CHI ($15,300): The Kings have won four in a row, and though they are on the road they are actually 9-3-1 away from Los Angeles. Chicago, meanwhile, is on the second night of a back-to-back, and with Corey Crawford hurt, Jean-Francois Berube seems likely to be in the net for this one. That greatly increases Jonathan Quick's chances of picking up a win. Not that he needs much help, as he has a 2.27 GAA and a .929 save percentage.
CENTER
Jonathan Marchessault, VGK vs. ARI ($13,400): The Coyotes shut out the Devils on Saturday, but before that, they had a league-worst 3.57 team GAA. Plus, this could mean third-string goalie Marek Langhamer in net for Arizona. Marchessault, meanwhile, has been on fire. In his last eight games, he has 13 points and 34 shots on net.
Derek Stepan, ARI at VGK ($8,900): Stepan hasn't been quite as hot as Marchessault, but thanks to two points Saturday, he has nine in his last nine contests. That includes six points with the extra man. After their unexpectedly hot start, the Golden Knights have a team GAA of 3.16 and a team save percentage of .896. Their penalty kill has also been mediocre. In short, they've started to play more like an expansion team, which would be helpful for Stepan.
WING
Patrik Laine, WPG vs. OTT ($13,300): After scoring 36 goals as a rookie, the 19-year-old Finn has 12 through 26 games this year. He's been helped by the fact he's started 54.6 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone (second-most among Winnipeg forwards) and due to having averaged 3:12 per game with the extra man. Ottawa has a team GAA of 3.21 and a .892 team save percentage.
Mikko Rantanen, COL vs. DAL ($11,300): Rantanen has 20 points in 24 tilts, but 11 of those have come on the power play, a bonus from a fantasy perspective. Dallas has been good on the penalty kill, but that may not be the case Sunday. The Stars will be on the road here for the second night of a back-to-back. Since they started Ben Bishop on Saturday, Kari Lehtonen will get the start. He hasn't had a GAA better than 2.76 or a save percentage above .906 in his last four seasons.
Tyler Toffoli, LOS at CHI ($10,700): As noted, Crawford is out for the Blackhawks, and since Anton Forsberg started Saturday, Berube will likely start. He had a 3.42 GAA and .889 save percentage with the Islanders last year. This doesn't bode well for Chicago, who had allowed 34.0 shots on net per game before Saturday's contest. It does bode well for Toffoli though, as he has 13 goals on 93 shots this year.
DEFENSEMEN
Drew Doughty, LOS at CHI ($10,500): Doughty has 19 points in 27 games and eight points in his last nine contests. This has helped him average 13.44 fantasy points per tilt, third-most among defenseman in action Sunday. Chicago has been quite lax when it comes to allowing shots on net, and now the Blackhawks will likely have a third-string goalie getting his first start of the season. That makes this matchup look quite enticing.
Esa Lindell, DAL at COL ($6,600):John Klingberg gets most of the attention among Dallas defensemen, but if you want an intriguing, cheap option, consider Lindell. The young Finn has four goals, and after putting a whopping eight shots on net Saturday, he has 64 through 26 games. Colorado has a team GAA of 3.08, which is a huge improvement upon last season but still not good. The Avalanche also have the worst penalty kill of every team in action Sunday.
