This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Though the World Series is taking Sunday off, the NHL isn't stepping into the void. To be fair, Saturday was super busy and featured several teams on the second leg of a back-to-back. That leaves us with four NHL games Sunday, the first of which starts at 6 p.m. ET. Here are my DFS lineup recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
We have a 50/50 split of teams on the second leg of a back-to-back. Flyers-Canadiens features two teams in that scenario, while Avalanche-Senators is the one game where neither team played Saturday. That leaves Detroit and Anaheim as the teams finishing a back-to-back against a rested team. The Red Wings are at home after playing in Buffalo Saturday afternoon. On the other hand, the Ducks have to visit the Devils.
GOALIE
Stuart Skinner, EDM at DET ($8,000): For a bit of salary saving, I'm going with Skinner in net. Getting rolled by the Jets in Edmonton's opener is still impacting his overall numbers this early in the season, but he has a 2.38 GAA and .915 save percentage in his five starts since. Detroit is struggling offensively to start the season. Most concerning is the fact Detroit has managed a mere 24.6 shots on net per game.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Travis Konecny, PHI vs. MON ($6,000): The fact Konecny had a goal and four assists Saturday should not make you worry he's used up his allotted points for the weekend. What matters as much to me is that it was the fifth game this season wherein he's put at least four shots on net. The Canadiens are in the bottom five in shots on net allowed per game. That's not good with Cayden Primeau in line to start. He has a career .893 save percentage.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, EDM at DET ($4,600): Nugent-Hopkins has a point in each of his last three games. On top of that, his 6.7 shooting percentage on the season is likely to improve. The Red Wings, on the second night of a back-to-back, have a bottom-five penalty kill. Nugent-Hopkins has had at least 20 power-play points in each of the last six campaigns.
FORWARD LINE STACK TO CONSIDER
Devils vs. Ducks
Nico Hischier (C - $7,000), Timo Meier (W - $6,700), Dawson Mercer (W - $3,700)
The Devils have two lines with two players who are producing to start the season and a third guy off to a slow start. I opted for New Jersey's second line in this matchup. As noted, the Ducks are the only team on the road for the second night of a back-to-back against a rested opponent. Anaheim has relied on Lukas Dostal standing on his head given the number of shots the team has allowed, but Dostal started Saturday. That leaves James Reimer to make his second start as a Duck. The 36-year-old has a .903 save percentage over the last seven seasons, which is probably a big reason why he's on his fifth team in seven seasons.
Only by dint of playing the same position on the same team as Jack Hughes does Hischier get overlooked. He has over 25 goals and 40 assists in each of his last two seasons and has opened this year with eight goals already, four on the power play. Meier has 10 points through 11 games, but he's also put 37 shots on net. His 10.8 shooting percentage is low for his standards, so there is room for this Swiss winger to improve. Mercer only has three points this season, but he's been a 20-goal scorer in each of the last two campaigns. He's averaged 18:12 per game in ice time, including 1:34 on the power play, so the Devils staff is not giving up on him and are trying to let him play his way into form.
DEFENSEMEN
Evan Bouchard, EDM at DET ($6,200): Bouchard had at least three shots on goal four games in a row. While he only had one shot on target in his last game, it went in, and he added an assist. You know the drill with Bouchard. The Oilers love his booming slapshot from the point on the power play. He's averaged a hefty 4:01 per game in power-play time. I mentioned it already, but the Red Wings have a bottom-five penalty kill.
Thomas Chabot, OTT at COL ($4,600): Chabot is getting overshadowed by Jake Sanderson's hot start, but he still has three points, 18 shots on net and 16 blocked shots. He's still a guy who is averaging 22:16 a night. The Avalanche may be rested, but it will take more than rest for them to get things sorted. Through eight games, Colorado has a 4.00 GAA.
