This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
Sunday is the end of the NFL regular season, but the NHL is still going strong. Hopefully the new year has treated you well, but some DFS success Sunday would take things to a new level. There are four games on the docket with the first pucks dropping at 6 p.m. EST. Onto the lineup recommendations!
SLATE PREVIEW
All four matchups feature one team on the second leg of a back-to-back. Boston, Carolina, and Toronto are all at home while Tampa Bay is on the road. The Bruins and Lightning are also facing two weak offenses in the Islanders and Ducks, which could lead to opportunity.
GOALIES
Dustin Tokarski, CAR vs. PIT ($7,800): With Frederik Andersen out, Tokarski is now operating as the Canes' backup. While he has a .907 save percentage in three starts, he's also posted a 2.35 GAA. As usual, Carolina ranks top-five in shots allowed and penalty-kill percentage. Pittsburgh is middling in terms of scoring goals, yet quite poor defensively at bottom-five in GAA and shots allowed. Tokarski's team may be closing out a back-to-back, but a home win wouldn't be surprising.
Ilya Sorokin, NYI at BOS ($7,400): With a heavy Connor Hellebuyck-esque workload this season, Sorokin has slightly faltered. He's still recorded a 2.37 GAA and .912 save percentage over his last three starts. Both teams have faced offensive issues, though the Bruins are slightly worse, and they are the team playing their second game in as many days.
VALUE PLAY
Brandon Hagel, TAM at ANA ($8,000): Hagel has been a 25-goal scorer during each of the last three seasons and he's already up to 17, including five from his last 10 outings. He's strangely not found the back of the net on the power play even though he gets top minutes there. I think that'll change Sunday as the Ducks maintain a bottom-10 penalty kill while conceding 31.7 shots per game. Lukas Dostal started the year hot, but has struggled in December with an .897 save percentage.
FORWARD LINE STACK
Islanders at Bruins
Brock Nelson (C - $5,900), Anders Lee (W - $6,500), Mathew Barzal (W - $6,000)
The Bruins have been solid at preventing shots, but that's about it for them defensively as goaltending has been an issue and the penalty kill is bottom-10. Boston is also playing its second game of a back-to-back, which leaves Joonas Korpisalo in line to start. He's produced an .895 save percentage this season, which also happens to be his mark over the last five seasons. The Islanders have been weak at scoring, but at least their first trio features three players with track records of success. Nelson has really been struggling, yet has registered at least 30 goals in each of the last three seasons. He's also recorded a 10.1 shooting percentage that's below his career 14.1 number, so his puck luck could turn around - especially with Barzal healthy again. Lee is enjoying a resurgent, turn-back-the-clock campaign with 16 goals and 14 assists, with eight and eight across 16 appearances. Speaking of Barzal, he's tallied four points in eight since returning alongside 25 shots.
DEFENSEMEN
Jackson LaCombe, ANA vs. TAM ($5,700): Since the start of December, LaCombe has posted 11 points and 35 shots. He's also averaged 21:23 per game as the Ducks clearly see the 23-year-old as a franchise cornerstone. As Anaheim isn't great at scoring, I could've considered Jonas Johansson for DFS, though he lists a .900 save percentage. And this is all about matchup as LaCombe has clearly outpaced many of his teammates offensively.
Ty Smith, CAR vs. PIT ($4,200): I'm not sure about Brent Burns' veteran legs on the second night of a back-to-back, but the 24-year-old Smith should be able to handle it. That's largely because he was called up to replace Shayne Gostisbehere, which is to say Smith has been playing a hefty portion of his minutes on the power play. Though Pittsburgh hasn't been terrible while shorthanded, it's bottom-five in GAA and shots allowed.
