Sunday is the last day of NHL action for a week or so thanks to the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament. There are only two games on the slate, and they are both afternoon affairs. That means the first puck is dropping at 12:30 p.m. ET. Oh, the NHL is also trying to get out of the way for the Super Bowl, of course. Here are my NHL DFS lineup recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
Three of the four teams playing Sunday also played Saturday. Only Washington, at home against Utah, didn't play.
GOALIE
Logan Thompson, WSH vs. UTA ($8,300): One need not get cute. Thompson has a 2.18 GAA and a .923 save percentage. Utah is in the bottom 10 in goals per game. The Capitals are the only team that didn't play Saturday. So yeah, just go with Thompson and go from there.
VALUE PLAY/ONE-OFF
Alex Newhook, MTL vs. TBL ($3,700): Newhook has surprised with eight points in his last 13 games. His recent run of play has earned him a spot on the second line for the Canadiens as well as the top power-play unit. Montreal is at home against Tampa and their murky goaltending situation. Either Andrei Vasilevskiy will start for the second day in a row before the break or Brandon Halverson will make his first NHL start since the 2017-18 season.
FORWARD LINE STACK TO CONSIDER
Capitals vs. Hockey Club
Pierre-Luc Dubois (C - $4,800), Aliaksei Protas (W - $4,800), Connor McMichael (W - $3,800)
Once more, I return to the sole team that has had a day off. Connor Ingram is in line to start for the Hockey Club. He has a .885 save percentage this season and a career .902 save percentage for good measure. While an empty-net goal for Alex Ovechkin feels all but inevitable Sunday, I'm looking to stack the second line, which I feel has more potential to provide bang for your DFS buck.
Dubois is fitting in well with the Capitals, as he has 42 points in 54 games. While he's largely a playmaker, the well-traveled center has five goals in his last nine outings. Protas has come out of nowhere to tally 22 goals and 24 assists through 54 games. He's also a remarkable +29. In eight of his last nine games, the Belarusian has picked up a point. McMichael is primed to get on the score sheet against his fellow Connor. He's emerged with 19 goals through 54 contests. He has eight points in his last nine games.
DEFENSEMAN
John Carlson, WSH vs. UTA ($5,500): While Jakob Chychrun has taken over as the go-to defenseman for the Capitals, Carlson still has some life in his legs. He's picked up an assist in five games in a row. Can he make it six? Well, the Hockey Club is on the road for the second day of a back-to-back, and Ingram has a .885 save percentage this season. Yeah, I can see Carlson keeping the point streak going.
