This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
The NHL must think you plan on having an early dinner Sunday and then getting to bed at a reasonable hour as there are five games in the evening, with four starting at 6 p.m. EST. To help you with your lineups, here are my DFS recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
Saturday was jam-packed with NHL action, which leaves us with five of 10 teams on the second leg of a back-to-back. The Hurricanes, Rangers, and Red Wings are in Buffalo, Columbus, and Chicago. Meanwhile, the Predators are in Anaheim with both clubs having played Saturday.
GOALIES
James Reimer, DET at CHI ($8,400): Reimer has barely played since Alex Lyon emerged as Detroit's No. 1 having only made three appearances, with two of those starts. His last start was a shutout of the Flames, though that was only one outing. That being said, this matchup is just too enticing as Chicago has only averaged 2.07 goals and 26.2 shots. It's hard to ignore that, even under these circumstances.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, BUF vs. CAR ($7,300): The Hurricanes are on the fringes of the top-10 in scoring, but they're also playing their second game in as many days. Luukkonen has also been on fire in 2024 with a 1.75 GAA and .936 save percentage across 15 appearances.
VALUE PLAYS
Chris Kreider, NYR at CLM ($8,100): Kreider is on a torrid - yet sustainable - pace. Over his last 16 games, he's tallied nine goals and eight assists with 58 shots. For someone listing a 17.4 shooting percentage the last five seasons, that's not anything special. Columbus allows plenty of pucks as 33.4 hit the net on a per-game basis with a 3.70 GAA that only ranks ahead of the Sharks.
Gustav Nyquist, NAS at ANA ($5,600): It's easier to take a player on the road for the second day of a back-to-back when his opponent is also working on consecutive nights and are also in the bottom-five in GAA and shots against. Nyquist is skating on Nashville's top line with Ryan O'Reilly and Filip Forsberg and has picked up 13 goals and 31 assists from that advantageous position.
FORWARD LINE STACK
Jets vs. Coyotes
Sean Monahan (C - $5,900), Nikolaj Ehlers (W - $6,700), Alex Iafallo (W - $3,400)
The only Winnipeg line that doesn't feature at least one ice-cold forward is the first unit, and the salary required to stack that trio is hefty. Given the potential in this matchup, I'll dip down to the second group. The Coyotes have allowed 32.1 shots on net per game. Connor Ingram is making his return to the lineup, but his hot start has dissipated which may be a reminder he came into this season with a career .905 save percentage. He's also posted a 3.22 GAA and .901 save percentage through 13 appearances this calendar year.
Monahan has been energized by the move from Montreal with five goals and 14 shots across five outings. Ehlers had been cold, yet three points in his last two to go with 162 shots overall. Iafallo is struggling, but maybe this new-look second line will help him. He was routinely a 35-point performer for the Kings, so it's not like he's someone who regularly skated in the bottom-half of the depth chart.
DEFENSEMEN
Zach Werenski, CLM at NYR ($6,800): The Rangers are one of the NHL's best defensive teams, but they're on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back while the Blue Jackets are rested. More to the point, Werenski - when healthy - is one of the most-productive defensemen with 33 points and 120 shots in 44 games. He's also notched eight points and 33 shots through 10 appearances since returning from injury.
Dylan DeMelo, WPG vs. ARI ($3,800): Looking for another blueliner who won't hurt your salary cap, I looked for one on Winnipeg other than Josh Morrissey. DeMelo is the next-best option in a vacuum, and comes at a decent value. He skates with Morrissey as the Jets' top pairing and has averaged 21:50. And DeMelo's on a three-game point streak. With the Coyotes a favorable matchup, maybe he'll make that four.
