Who's ready for some Mother's Day hockey? There are two NHL games on Sunday's slate with both in the evening. First puck drops at 7 p.m. EDT. Here are my DFS lineup recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
I don't expect any goaltending changes on Sunday. Buffalo probably won't switch it up after one so-so start from Alex Lyon. As for Anaheim, there's really no other option behind Lukas Dostal. Some injury news popped up after Friday as Mark Stone is day-to-day after leaving that night. Keep an eye on his status.
GOALIE
Alex Lyon, BUF at MON ($7,800): I'm going with Lyon as the series heads to Montreal. The Canadiens scored goals at a solid clip during the regular season, but they actually finished 24th in shots per game. And they're last on that front so far this postseason with an average of 23.6. Shaky effort in Game 2 aside, Lyon still has a .934 save percentage and 1.73 GAA during the playoffs.
VALUE PLAY
Ivan Barbashev, VGK at ANA ($5,600): Barbashev has notched a point in every matchup except for one, and that was in Game 2 of this series where he managed five shots. With the Ducks comfortably finishing with the highest GAA of any playoff team, there isn't much reason to expect they'll suddenly shut down the opposition.
FORWARD LINE STACK
Sabres at Canadiens
Josh Norris (C - $4,800), Zach Benson (W - $4,800), Josh Doan (W - $4,600)
This is one of those third lines that's doing well off late that'll allow you to save some salary. Your options are limited with only four teams in action, so sometimes it pays off to dive deeper into a depth chart. The Canadiens were average for GAA, shots allowed, and penalty-kill percentage this season. And Jakub Dobes has allowed three goals or more four times this postseason, including the series opener.
Norris was hot to end the regular season with nine points across eight appearances. He's since missed some time, though has contributed a goal and five shots through three outings. Benson delivered 43 points this season in only 60 games. His style of play translates to the playoffs where he's recorded three goals and three assists from his last five. Doan has been the better of the Joshes and has been in solid form by posting six points in five with at least three shots during each of the last three.
DEFENSEMAN
Shea Theodore, VGK at ANA ($5,700): Theodore was briefly a Duck many years ago and has clearly been the Golden Knights' top D-man this postseason with seven points in his last six matchups alongside 20 blocked shots. He also does a lot of his damage on the power play while the Ducks maintained the 27th-ranked penalty kill.
