This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
Hopefully seven is your lucky number as there are that many NHL games Sunday night starting at 7 p.m. ET or later. The regular season is almost over, so let's end it on a high note. Here are my recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
We have a lot of teams on a back-to-back Sunday. The Lightning and Panthers, Bruins and Canadiens, and Blues and Ducks are all squaring off in such a situation. Meanwhile, the Maple Leafs have to visit Washington, and the Predators are hosting the Wild.
GOALIE
Jeremy Swayman, BOS at MON ($8,400): The Bruins have only allowed 28.8 shots on net per game. And even if they aren't firing on all cylinders because they are playing on consecutive days, this is an easy matchup for the defense as the Canadiens rank 31st in goals per contest. Swayman, for his part, has posted a 2.35 GAA.
Ville Husso, STL at ANA ($8,200): The Blues saved Husso for Sunday, which is a boon for DFS players as he's managed a 2.46 GAA and .923 save percentage. Anaheim has averaged 2.76 goals and 29.4 shots on net, but the team has also packed it in for the season and the full-season numbers don't reflect that.
Cam Talbot, MIN at NAS ($7,600): Talbot has been hot of late going 9-0-3 with a 2.15 GAA and .925 save percentage over 12 appearances. The Predators aren't bad offensively, but they are also on a back-to-back while the Wild are rested.
VALUE PLAYS
Robert Thomas, STL at ANA ($6,200): Thomas just saw a 15-game point streak end Saturday, but I expect him to pick it back up Sunday. The first-line center for the Blues will get to face John Gibson, who's struggled to a 3.94 GAA and .888 save percentage across 25 games.
Nicklas Backstrom, WAS vs. TOR ($4,800): With an assist in each of his last two games, Backstrom has 31 points in 44 games. He's also had his usual role on the power play and has notched 14 points there. On the second leg of a back-to-back, Toronto will be starting rookie Erik Kallgren with his 3.48 GAA and .882 save percentage.
LINE STACKS TO CONSIDER
Bruins at Canadiens: Erik Haula (C - $4,600), David Pastrnak (W - $8,200), Taylor Hall (W - $5,600)
Reunited and it feels so good. Pastrnak is healthy again and back on the second line. The Canadiens maintain a 3.89 GAA, which is worst in the NHL. They will also be starting Sam Montembeault, who enters with an .891 save percentage.
Even when Pastrnak was out, Haula kept producing with seven goals and nine assists over his last 16 games and a helper on Saturday. In his first game back, Pasta notched a goal and two assists. Hall also picked up a goal Saturday and has also put 201 shots on net this year.
Wild at Predators: Ryan Hartman (C - $6,200), Kirill Kaprizov (W - $9,100), Matthew Boldy (W - $6,100)
Mats Zuccarello is out with a lower-body injury, moving Boldy up to the top trio. Juuse Saros started Saturday for the Predators, leaving David Rittich for this game. After not allowing a goal in relief of Saros on Saturday, Rittich boosted his season numbers all the way to a 3.33 GAA and .886 save percentage. He's had a subpar year, and he's not even fully rested for this one.
Hartman has registered 33 goals this year, which is more than he's previously ever had for points in a season. Getting to center Minnesota's first line has really helped along with the fact he's averaged more than three minutes in ice time more compared to previous campaigns. Kaprizov has followed up winning the Calder with being one of the league's best scorers with 45 goals and 56 assists supplemented by a 16.4 shooting percentage. The Russian has also racked up 12 points in his last seven games. Boldy hasn't been as impressive as a rookie as his current linemate, but he's posted a respectable 37 points in 43 outings that includes a 10-game streak.
DEFENSE
Charlie McAvoy, BOS at MON ($6,300): McAvoy has produced 14 points in his last 14 games and 21 with the extra man for the season. In addition to carrying the league's highest GAA, the Canadiens have the 25th-ranked penalty kill.
Shea Theodore, VGK vs. SAN ($5,700): Theodore isn't going to rack up another season of 200 shots on net, but 188 is nothing to sneeze at for a defenseman. His shots have been hitting pay dirt of late with six goals in his last 11 games, not to mention five assists during that stretch. The Sharks' 3.13 GAA is middling, but they are on the road for the second night of a back-to-back while the Golden Knights come in rested.
Justin Faulk, STL at ANA ($4,800): Faulk just recorded a three-point game Saturday, his third such effort in his last 12 outings. That now gives him 15 goals and 30 assists. I could easily see Faulk getting back on the scoresheet considering John Gibson's previously mentioned poor numbers from the last few months.
