Sunday is the final day of the month with an early slate of NHL matchups. The four-game DFS docket starts at 1 p.m. EST and the latest one actually begins at 6, so it'll all be done by the time you go to sleep. Here are my lineup recommendations.
Friday and Saturday were busy, so much so that every team on Saturday's eight-game slate were on the second leg of a back-to-back. So it isn't surprising Sunday has none of these situations, which is quite rare but also easier to make DFS decisions.
GOALIES
Jake Oettinger, DAL vs. OTT ($8,100): Oettinger hasn't been up to his usual standards on the season, yet has posted a 2.33 GAA and .914 save percentage over his last six outings. The Sens are above-average in scoring, but have only managed 26.5 shots per game. The return of Brady Tkachuk should help on that front, though it won't help much when it comes to Ottawa's 3.25 GAA.
Logan Thompson, WAS at NYI ($7,900): Thompson has bounced back in a big way after rough outings against the Oilers and Lightning and lists a 2.15 GAA and .912 save percentage through 17 appearances. The majority of the teams are averaging at least three goals, and the Islanders are just below at 2.96. They're also facing injury issues, including the recent loss of Kyle Palmieri.
VALUE PLAY/ONE-OFF
Roope Hintz, DAL vs. OTT ($5,900): Hintz missed some action, but has tallied 20 points across 20 games. He's also on a four-game goal streak with a shooting percentage that's only risen to 13.8. Half of his points have come on the power play, which is favorable against an Ottawa side maintaining a bottom-3 penalty kill.
FORWARD LINE STACK TO CONSIDER
Blackhawks vs. Ducks
Connor Bedard (C - $8,300), Andre Burakovsky (W - $4,900), Ryan Greene (W - $3,000)
The Ducks are in trouble. They are bottom-10 on the penalty kill and for shots allowed. Their saving grace on the defensive front had been Lukas Dostal. I phrased that in the past tense as he's expected to miss at least a couple weeks. That leaves Petr Mrazek and Ville Husso, two Detroit castoffs I have more familiarity with than I would like. Until Dostal is back, Anaheim becomes a team to target for stacks. I opted for this line over Chicago's more-balanced second unit as Teuvo Teravainen is questionable to play Sunday.
At least offensively, Bedard is doing everything that was projected on him a few years ago at 14 goals on 80 shots while adding 19 assists with a slowdown that's still seen him register seven points in seven games. Burakovsky has been in and out of the lineup, yet has notched 16 points when available. His power-play role hasn't been consistent, though he's totaled five points there. The Blackhawks decided that playing the rookie Greene next to Bedard would be to his benefit, and that has proven true with four points and 15 shots through seven matchups.
DEFENSEMEN
K'Andre Miller, CAR vs. CGY ($3,800): Miller felt like a change-of-scenery candidate when he moved from the Rangers to the Hurricanes, and so far that's proven to be true as he's logging the most minutes of his career - including 2:08 per game on the power play. He also missed some time, but since then has picked up seven assists and 27 shots. Dustin Wolf's sophomore struggles look pretty clear on paper with a 2.23 GAA and .921 save percentage at home and a 4.09/.860 on the road.
Artyom Levshunov, CHI vs. ANA ($3,400): The Ducks' penalty kill was struggling even before Dostal's injury, and the rookie Levshunov is specializing in running the point on the top PP. He's averaged 18:20 during his last 10 outings, with 3:31 of that coming with the extra man where he's supplied six points.
