The final weekend of March closes out Sunday with five NHL games starting at 5 p.m. EDT or later. Get your DFS lineups in and then settle in for some hockey action (or some college hoops, if you'd prefer). To try and help you end the weekend on a high note, here are my lineup recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
There were 30 teams in action on Saturday, so needless to say there are a few teams on a back-to-back Sunday. In fact, only the Blackhawks - who visit the Devils - weren't in action on Saturday. That makes for some interesting DFS decisions, but at least the goaltending decisions should be fairly clear.
GOALIES
Jet Greaves, CLM vs. BOS ($7,800): Columbus gets to be at home for both matchups of its back-to-back and saved Greaves for Sunday given the playoff implications. He's also posted a 1.66 GAA and .929 save percentage during his last six starts. Boston is above-average in terms of scoring goals. But with several backup netminders set to start Sunday, I'll happily take Greaves.
Spencer Knight, CHI at NJD ($7,100): As noted, the Blackhawks are the lone team that didn't also play Saturday, which of course means the Devils did. Even with as hot as Jack Hughes has been since the Olympics, Jersey ranks 27th in average goals. This has been Knight's best campaign as he's finally a No. 1 with a 2.69 GAA and .908 save percentage through 48 appearances.
VALUE PLAYS
Wyatt Johnston, DAL at PHI ($7,400): Johnston's 22-year-old legs may be well-suited to excelling on the second night of a back-to-back, yet he's also simply a top-level NHL producer. He's graduated from being a 30-goal scorer to one who can go over 40 and will claim his first 80-point season. Samuel Ersson is set to start for the Flyers and enters with a career .884 save percentage.
Matthew Wood, NAS at TAM ($4,300): The rookie Wood has notched 10 points over his last 16 games. He's also getting the opportunity to center Nashville's second line next to Filip Forsberg. Sunday should give us the rare Jonas Johansson appearance for Tampa Bay and he's struggled to a .889 save percentage the previous three years.
FORWARD LINE STACK
Blackhawks at Devils
Connor Bedard (C - $7,500), Anton Frondell (W - $5,100), Ryan Greene (W - $4,100)
Chicago gets the opportunity to face a Devils team closing out a back-to-back, one that's average when it comes to GAA and penalty-kill percentage. Given the Blackhawks will be the slate's sole rested squad, it made sense to go with a stack. This trio features three players all part of Chicago's future to one degree or another, so the youth movement could pay off on Sunday.
Bedard has managed first 30-goal season and his 67 points already match his personal-best. Frondell was selected third overall last summer and recently made the move to the US and into Chicago's lineup. He's also on the first line and man-advantage where he's already tallied two points and seven shots through three outings. Greene is a 22-year-old rookie who's received more ice time after the Olympics and has responded with six points across 16 appearances.
DEFENSEMEN
Artyom Levshunov, CHI at NJD ($4,000): Levshunov has struggled to be consistently productive, yet remains on the Blackhawks' lead pairing and power play. He does have 11 points with the extra man and also put five pucks on net last time out. Given the Devils are on the second leg of a back-to-back, I feel like Levshunov with his role is worth a shot at this salary.
Charle-Edouard D'Astous, TAM vs. NAS ($3,900): What has gotten into D'Astous, a 27-year-old rookie you've possibly never heard of? His minutes are up and even getting some PP time with Victor Hedman away where he's recorded seven points in his last eight games. The Lightning were also in action earlier on Saturday and didn't have to travel. Why not go with D'Astous against the Preds' bottom-eight GAA?
