This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
You can watch a full day of NFL football on Sunday and still have time to get your NHL DFS lineups in. There are only three games on the slate for DFS purposes, and the first one starts at 8 p.m. ET. As holiday purchases loom, a little DFS success could go a long way. Here are my lineup recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
The two teams on the second leg of a back-to-back, Seattle and Vancouver, are both playing both games at home. Not only that, but the Kraken played at 4 p.m. ET Saturday. Sunday's game is at 9 p.m. ET. An extra five hours isn't a ton, but it's something, especially with no travel involved.
GOALIE
Juuse Saros, NAS at VAN ($7,500): Saros might be 4-8-2, but you can blame Nashville's offense. He's posted a 2.52 GAA and a .915 save percentage this season. He has a .930 save percentage over his last 10 outings. The Canucks have been average-to-middling in terms of goals and shots on net per game and Brock Boeser is out indefinitely. It might only take two or three goals from his teammates for Saros to get a win.
VALUE PLAY/ONE-OFF
Reilly Smith, NYR at SEA ($3,500): Generally speaking, the Rangers like to keep the trio of Vincent Trocheck, Artemi Panarin and Alexis Lafreniere together, so the top line comes down to who gets to be the third guy alongside Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider. At present, that would be Smith. He's tallied 10 points in 15 games and four in his last six. Though this is far from the worst-case scenario for a team on the second leg of a back-to-back, Smith and company still get a chance to see Philipp Grubauer in net as opposed to Joey Daccord. Since joining the Kraken, Grubauer has an .893 save percentage.
FORWARD LINE STACK TO CONSIDER
Golden Knights vs. Capitals
Nicolas Roy (C - $3,800), Tomas Hertl (W - $5,600), Keegan Kolesar (W - $2,600)
This line will likely look different if Mark Stone returns to the lineup, but betting on Stone's health is quixotic. I did consider Nashville's offerings, but even its best players have been cold recently. That team is a mess offensively (but hopefully good enough to give Saros a 2-1 win). Shots on net have been harder to come by to start this season, so much so the Capitals have only allowed 27.6 per game but aren't even in the top five. Goals have been a bit easier to find, though, and save percentages are a bit down for many netminders. Take Charlie Lindgren, for example. He has a 2.66 GAA, but a .897 save percentage. If Vegas' second line can get to him at home, it could turn out well.
Roy had a career-high 41 points last season and already has 12 this year. That includes four points in his last four outings. While he's put 30 shots on net through 17 games, I will note that 25 of those shots have come in his last 10 contests, so he's changed his approach. Hertl has three goals over his last two games, giving him seven on the season to go with eight assists. He's also averaged 3:11 per game with the extra man. Washington has a good penalty kill, but it's better to play a ton with the extra man than not, all things considered. Kolesar is not known to be a traditional offensive contributor, but he has four goals and four assists. He has two multi-point games as well. Additionally, now skating on the second line, he played a season-high (and almost career-high) 16:32 in Vegas' last game.
DEFENSEMAN
Roman Josi, NAS at VAN ($7,600): As he watches his teammates languish offensively, Josi has channeled his inner Thanos in the "Fine, I'll do it myself" sense. He's tallied seven points over his last eight games. Also, Josi has put 67 shots on net in 18 contests. His 1.5 percent shooting rate will improve. I did want at least one Predator against a Canucks team on the second leg of a back-to-back. Kevin Lankinen will be in net. While his performance has been a mixed bag, he has a .907 save percentage in aggregate.
