This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
It's a light night for the NHL on the final Sunday of October with four games starting at 6 p.m. EDT or later. Based on those teams and matchups, here are my DFS recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
Colorado-Ottawa features zero teams that played Saturday. Philadelphia-Montreal features two. Edmonton faces a Detroit team on the second leg of a back-to-back, though the game is in the Motor City. And the Devils are rested and at home, while the Ducks went up against the Rangers on Saturday.
GOALIE
Jacob Markstrom, NJD vs. ANA ($8,600): Markstrom hasn't revitalized his career with the Devils as some have hoped. He's recorded two great starts, but there's also been where he allowed at least four goals and posted a sub-.900 save percentage. Even so, I'll take Markstrom at home in this situation. As noted, the Ducks are away for the second straight day and find themselves bottom-eight in goals and shots. This should be one of Markstrom's easier outings of the season.
VALUE PLAYS
Jesper Bratt, NJD vs. ANA ($8,000): When you have been a point-per-game player and been unlucky, you know you're off to a hot start. Bratt has 11 points in 11 appearances, even though he has a 6.5 shooting percentage with a 12.1 career mark. The tending of Anaheim's goal will presumably fall to veteran journeyman James Reimer and his .895 save percentage the last three seasons.
Josh Norris, OTT at COL ($6,100): Norris has notched six points in seven games, three of them coming with the extra man. It appears he's primed to average over three minutes of power-play time again, with his production in the past only limited by his issues staying in the lineup. Norris is healthy now while the Avalanche maintain a 4.00 GAA and bottom-five penalty kill.
FORWARD LINE STACK
Canadiens at Flyers
Nick Suzuki (C - $6,800), Cole Caufield (W - $7,800), Kirby Dach (W - $4,400)
Most Canadiens players are off to a slow start this season. Most, but not all. Two of these players have been locked in during the month of October, which you can't say about Philadelphia's goaltending. The team has a 4.50 GAA and No. 1 Samuel Ersson started Saturday and conceded five goals. Now, it's Ivan Fedotov's turn. I grant you he's only made six NHL appearances, but in that time he has a 5.18 GAA and .817 save percentage.
Suzuki has improved every season, and is coming off 33 goals and 44 assists. He has nine points in eight games and is on a six-game scoring streak. Caufield didn't take as big of a step forward last season as some expected, though you can probably chalk that up to poor puck luck with 28 goals on 314 shots for an 8.9 shooting percentage. To that end, he already has seven goals. Dach, once the third-overall pick by Chicago, was just moved to the Habs' top trio. And wouldn't you know it, he's managed a goal, two assists, and eight shots through two matchups.
DEFENSEMEN
Evan Bouchard, EDM at DET ($7,300): In two of Bouchard's last three seasons, he's tallied over 200 shots which is notable enough for a defenseman. And last year, he also produced a whopping 35 power-play points. The Red Wings rank 31st on the penalty kill, and they aren't likely to be in peak form on the second leg of a back-to-back.
Travis Sanheim, PHI vs. MON ($5,600): Sanheim surprised with 10 goals and 34 assists last season. While he's only at two points in eight games, he's directed 23 shots on net. The Canadiens, who are on the road for a matchup of two teams that just skated Saturday, are unsurprisingly back in the bottom five in shots allowed. Cayden Primeau has struggled to earn a regular role as an NHL goalie probably due to a career .893 save percentage across 47 appearances.
