This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
The NFL playoffs are up and running, but don't forget about NHL DFS opportunities with four games on Sunday starting at 5 p.m. EST or later. Watch some football, get your NHL DFS lineups in, and then watch some more football. Or some hockey! Either way, here are my recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
Saturday saw 30 NHL teams in action with the Hurricanes - who'll be hosting the Ducks - the only one that didn't play of the eight going Sunday. The club with the most going for it among those on the second leg of a back-to-back? That would be the Penguins, who will be at home for both and started at 4 p.m. EST on Saturday.
GOALIES
Pyotr Kochetkov, CAR vs. ANA ($8,200): Let's see, we have a goalie who'll be at home behind one of the top defensive teams. And that team is the only rested squad on the slate. And the opponent played Saturday night while sitting bottom-five in goals. Yeah, the argument for rostering Kochetkov on Sunday almost makes itself.
Casey DeSmith, DAL at OTT ($7,500): DeSmith was a strong backup for the Penguins for a few years, but the last couple seasons have been tough. Upon arriving in Dallas, he's rebounded with a 2.24 GAA and .916 save percentage through 12 appearances. The Senators are on the fringes of the bottom-10 in offense and are still without Linus Ullmark. DeSmith could be in line for a road win.
VALUE PLAY
Jordan Staal, CAR vs. ANA ($4,400): Better known for defensive play than offensive production, Staal has been on a roll with three straight multi-point efforts and 14 from his last 14 outings. Though the Ducks are middling in GAA, they're away for the second straight day of a back-to-back and neither of their goalies is all that reliable. Lukas Dostal is in line to start Sunday, and he enters with an .884 save percentage across his last 11 appearances.
FORWARD LINE STACK
Lightning at Penguins
Anthony Cirelli (C - $6,800), Brandon Hagel (W - $8,000), Conor Geekie (W - $3,800)
The Penguins may have a mediocre penalty kill, yet they are almost lost in GAA and shots allowed per game. Even though Tristan Jarry is projected to start Sunday, he's struggled to an .887 save percentage this season and has been steadily trending downwards for a while. Though only two members of Tampa's second unit have been productive, that's enough for me and works well from a stack perspective as their top trio requires a significant salary outlay.
Like Jordan Staal, Cirelli is better known for his defensive work, though he registered his first 20-goal performance last year. This season, he's at 34 points, including 10 in his last 14 games. Hagel has potted 19 goals and has been recently directing plenty of pucks on net with 76 during the last 26. He's also on the top power play yet still hasn't managed a PPG, and I expect that to change. The 20-year-old rookie Geekie has posted 11 points and is getting the bump up to the second line while participating on the man-advantage, so more production could be coming.
DEFENSEMEN
Brent Burns, CAR vs. ANA ($5,400): Burns has posted six points over his last nine outings. And with Shayne Gostisbehere hurt, the Hurricanes have decided to end the Ty Smith experiment and put Burns back on the top PP. The Ducks are also bottom-seven on the penalty kill and will be on the road for the second game of a back-to-back.
Matt Grzelcyk, PIT vs. TAM ($5,000): Grzelcyk has tallied 22 points, with 21 of those assists and a shooting percentage that's bound to improve. Maybe he'll pick up some extra minutes on the second consecutive day so Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson can rest their legs. Regardless, Grzelcyk will likely face Jonas Johansson in net for the Lightning, and he's produced a .892 save percentage the last two seasons.
