Saturday was an action-packed day for the NHL. A full 30 of the league's 32 teams played. Sunday isn't as busy, naturally, but it isn't a day off by any means. Ten teams are playing at 6:00 p.m. ET or later. Next weekend we'll be into the playoffs, but for now, enjoy some regular-season recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
Given that there were 30 teams in action Saturday, it's not surprising we have a lot of teams on the second leg of a back-to-back. What's a bit surprising is that the Sabres somehow managed to avoid playing Saturday or Sunday. That leaves the Ducks as the sole team playing Sunday that didn't play Saturday. They also get to host the struggling Canucks.
GOALIES
Lukas Dostal, ANA vs. VAN ($8,500): This isn't really about Dostal's play. It's about the fact the Canucks are battling to avoid being last in goals per game and are locked into being last in GAA. Also, there's the fact that the Ducks didn't play Saturday and the Canucks did. A viable NHL goalie, which Dostal has shown himself capable to be, can handle this matchup.
David Rittich, NYI vs. MON ($7,400): It's possible the Islanders will give Sorokin back-to-back starts, since he's one of the NHL's better goalies and the Islanders need every point possible. My recommendation here is based on the fact that I was picking between goalies on teams closing out a back-to-back. The Islanders get to be at home for both games, and they played at 1:00 p.m. ET on Saturday. That little bit of a boost could be enough for Rittich, if he starts. Sorokin hasn't had a game off since March 4, so he could use the break, but the Islanders have also indicated a willingness to use him in plenty of games down the stretch.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Timo Meier, NJD vs. OTT ($6,000): Meier has picked up even fewer assists than usual, but he's tallied 24 goals on a whopping 266 shots on net. The Senators are in the top five in shots on goal allowed per game, so having a player like Meier who can possibly still manage two-or-three shots on target is nice. Plus, those shots will be on James Reimer, who has an .894 save percentage over the last four campaigns.
Kirill Marchenko, CLM vs. BOS ($5,600): Marchenko won't get to 30 goals like he did last year, but 27 in 74 games is nothing to sneeze at. Plus, he's set new personal bests with 207 shots on net and 22 power-play points. Former Blue Jacket Joonas Korpisalo is in line to start Sunday. He hasn't gotten any better since leaving Columbus, as he has an .891 save percentage over the last three seasons.
FORWARD LINE STACK TO CONSIDER
Ducks vs. Canucks
Mikael Granlund (C - $4,500), Beckett Sennecke (W - $4,600), Alex Killorn (W - $3,100)
Well, duh. The Canucks are last in GAA by a sizable margin. They are battling the Kraken to avoid finishing last in penalty-kill percentage, and they are locked into the bottom 10 in shots on net allowed per game. On top of that, they are on the road facing a rested Ducks team. It was really just a matter of which Ducks line I wanted to stack.
Granlund has cooled down since a hat trick against the Flames, but he just had two assists in his last game. He's averaged 3:12 per contest with the extra man, which is an encouraging sign with a matchup against one of the worst penalty kills in the NHL on the horizon. Thanks to two assists in his last game, Sennecke has gotten to 60 points in his rookie campaign. He's also notched 191 shots on net, so he could reach 200 as a rookie for good measure. Killorn has a point in three of his last five contests. Over his last 16 games he's netted six goals and five helpers.
DEFENSEMEN
Charlie McAvoy, BOS at CLM ($6,400): Yes, McAvoy plays a ton of minutes, but he's averaged 3:10 per game on the power play. Plus, he and the Bruins played at 12:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, a game in which McAvoy picked up his 50th assist of the season. He's also tallied 23 points with the extra man. Given that you have to consider players on the second leg of a back-to-back, a defenseman who tends to see a lot of time on the power play makes sense. The Blue Jackets are in the bottom eight in penalty-kill percentage, and Elvis Merzlikins is in line to start this one.
John Carlson, ANA vs. VAN ($6,100): Carlson just had his first career hat trick, which is not to say I expect an encore performance. However, I also don't assume that he's "due" for an off night either. The veteran defenseman has 12 points and 35 shots on net in 13 games since joining the Ducks for the postseason push. Vancouver, meanwhile, has a 3.83 GAA and is playing its second game in as many days.
