This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
We're less than a month from the start of the NHL playoffs and ending a weekend jam packed with NHL action. Sunday evening there may only be four games on the slate, but that's a nice capper for the weekend of hockey. These are my lineup recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
Owing to a busy Saturday, six of these eight teams are on the second leg of a back-to-back. Anaheim is not, and is hosting Vancouver, but that is a battle of two woeful team, especially defensively. I would never use a Ducks goalie in DFS under any circumstances. The other team that is hosting an opponent on a back-to-back while itself having rested Saturday is St. Louis. Now, typically the goaltending situation there is also dire, but this time around…
GOALIES
Kevin Lankinen, NAS at NYR ($7,200): Lankinen saw significant action in his first two NHL seasons, and it didn't go great. However, he was playing for a dysfunctional Blackhawks franchise. This year, he joined the Predators and settled into the role as the clear backup to Juuse Saros. He's made 15 appearances and has a 2.45 GAA and .925 save percentage. In each of his last two starts he's only allowed one goal. Now, the Rangers are average offensively over the course of the season, and obviously added talent at the deadline. Even so, among the goaltending options Sunday, I like Lankinen second best.
Joel Hofer, STL vs. WPG ($7,100): Hofer had a 2.50 GAA and .920 save percentage in the AHL when he was called up to the big club. The 22-year-old made a start Friday on the road against the Capitals and made 32 saves on 34 shots in a win. That earned Hofer a home start against his hometown team. The Jets have some big names and productive scorers, but they rank 21st in goals per game. I think it is worth rolling the dice on the young goalie Sunday.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Philip Tomasino, NAS at NYR ($3,900): When a team is a seller at the deadline and a revamp is on the horizon, the front office is effectively telling unproven players, "It's time to show what you can do." Tomasino is one of those players, and he has stepped up. Skating on the first line, the 21-year-old has a four-game point streak. The Rangers' backup goalie is Jaroslav Halak, a 37-year-old on his third team in three seasons. He has a .903 save percentage over this three seasons, which likely plays into his inability to find a team to stick with.
Conor Garland, VAN at ANA ($3,500): Garland has put 139 shots on net in 67 games, which is the third most on the Canucks, and he isn't a defensive disaster, which probably plays well with Rick Tocchet. The former Coyote also just had a three-game point streak end. Vancouver may be on a back-to-back, and Anaheim may be rested, but this Anaheim team is truly brutal defensively. The Ducks have a 4.03 GAA and have allowed 39.1 shots on net per contest, both last in the NHL by a wide margin.
FORWARD LINE STACK
Ducks vs. Canucks
Mason McTavish (C - $4,500), Troy Terry (W - $5,900), Max Jones (W - $2,700)
The Ducks, as a team, are poor defensively. That doesn't mean there aren't pockets of offensive talent, and you can find some of that on the second line. Plus, this matchup is just as good for Anaheim as it is for Vancouver. The Canucks are 30th in GAA and last on the penalty kill. Also, since Thatcher Demko started Saturday, Collin Delia will presumably be in net Sunday. He has an .876 save percentage. The Ducks get to host a Canucks team on the second leg of a back-to-back, and that makes this a rare instance in which stacking a Ducks line is a smart idea.
The rookie McTavish has picked things up, as he has nine points over his last nine games. On the season, he's tallied 13 power-play points in 68 contests as well, including six of his 16 goals. Terry, who is all of 25, is now one of the veteran leaders on the Ducks and the go-to finisher on the wing. Well, since returning from injury, Terry has seven goals in 11 games to go with three assists. He also has 11 points with the extra man in 62 contests. Jones has been around, and mostly a fourth liner, but he's been bumped up the lineup recently. He's averaged 14:36 in ice time over his last nine games, and he has six points in that time. Jones is also coming off a night where he scored a goal and put six shots on net. Sure, it was against Columbus, but Vancouver is just as bad.
DEFENSEMEN
Justin Faulk, STL vs. WPG ($5,500): Faulk has eight points and 28 shots on net over his last 13 games. Admittedly, his shots are a bit frontloaded, as he only has five over his last four outings. However, on the year he's put 169 pucks on target in 68 games, so he could pick it back up. Faulk and company are rested Sunday, while the Jets are on the road finishing out a back-to-back. David Rittich will likely be in net for the Jets, and he has a .902 save percentage.
Kevin Shattenkirk, ANA vs. VAN ($4,600): Over his last 15 games, Shattenkirk has tallied four goals and five assists. His minutes are also up, as he's averaged 20:37 in ice time over those outings. He's not the power-play weapon he once was, but he should see some time with the extra man against the league's worst penalty kill, and the Canucks aren't 30th in GAA solely because of killing penalties.
