Every team in the NHL is over the 60-game mark. A quarter of the campaign is left...until the playoffs, of course. Sunday features five games on the DFS slate, with the first starting at 6 p.m. EDT. Are there postseason implications? Definitely! Do I have lineup recommendations? You bet!
SLATE PREVIEW
As is usual for a Sunday, we find a few teams on the second leg of a back-to-back. The Sabres and Lightning will be playing each other in Buffalo while the Devils are hosting a rested Red Wings squad.
GOALIES
John Gibson, DET at NJD ($8,100): Detroit could use a win against an Eastern Conference opponent to get on track for the playoff push. Fortunately for them, the Devils won't just be on their second straight day, but also bottom-four in goals per game. Gibson started the season slow, yet has posted a .926 save percentage over his last 18 outings.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, BUF vs. TAM ($7,600): From a salary-saving perspective, I'll take Luukkonen in a battle of teams closing out a back-to-back. The Sabres have been on fire, as you may have heard, and will be at home on Sunday. Luukkonen has recorded a 2.55 GAA and .910 save percentage through 24 appearances. Tampa's been quite good offensively, though Andrei Vasilevskiy started Saturday and that leaves Jonas Johansson for Sunday to increase Buffalo's chances of getting a win.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Mitch Marner, VGK vs. EDM ($5,700): Marner was hot before heading off to the Olympics and has remained in good form since returning with six goals and five assists from his last 10 matchups. The Oilers are terrible defensively while the addition of Tristan Jarry hasn't solved anything in net. Edmonton enters with a 3.38 GAA and will definitely finish bottom-10 in that category.
Emmitt Finnie, DET at NJD ($2,500): Finnie wasn't able to sustain his hot start to the campaign. That being said, he's already exceeded expectations for a seventh-round selection. Finnie has also potted two goals during his last three games while directing three shots on net in each. The Devils are average at allowing shots and goals, yet are on their second consecutive night. This salary level makes Finnie easy to take a chance on.
FORWARD LINE STACK TO CONSIDER
Ducks vs. Blues
Leo Carlsson (C - $6,100), Cutter Gauthier (W - $7,800), Chris Kreider (W - $4,400)
The Ducks have registered a 3.50 GAA, which is rather poor. St. Louis comes into Sunday with a 3.37, which is also in the bottom-eight. The Blues also maintain a bottom-five penalty kill while Anaheim's at home Sunday and the teams are headed in different directions. All things considered, I think the Ducks offer more intrigue for a stack, especially with a top line that also comprises the forwards on the lead power play.
Carlsson missed out on the Olympics due to injury, but he's showed he was worthy of being considered having racked up eight points and 20 shots from the six outings since returning. He's also notched 14 PPPs overall. Gauthier has already emerged as an elite goal scorer with 32 on 236 shots, including eight with the extra man. Kreider has been helpful on Anaheim's younger lineup providing 21 goals and a power-play point during each of his last two outings.
DEFENSEMEN
Moritz Seider, DET at NJD ($5,500): Seider hasn't scored a goal in a while, but has seven on the year and is still very productive having contributed 11 assists, 35 shots, and 54 blocked shots since he last found the back of the net 24 games ago. He's also averaged 26:40 during that run as he's as central to his team as any defenseman. And on Sunday, Seider gets to face a team on the second day of a back-to-back.
Philip Broberg, STL at ANA ($3,700): On Friday, Broberg logged a whopping 32:51. That matchup went into overtime, but that's still remarkable. Broberg has posted 21 points and is clearly in line for a larger role (even if and when Colton Parayko returns from injury) as Justin Faulk was traded. I know I went with a Ducks' stack, yet they still carry a 3.50 GAA.
