This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
Sunday's NHL main slate is a light one, with just three games on the docket after 7:00 PM Eastern time. Below, you'll find an overview of the matchups and suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
The Coyotes will be this slate's biggest favorites in Detroit, while the Golden Knights also have a favorable matchup in San Jose. Both underdog teams rank among the three worst defensively and are playing their second game in as many nights, while both favorites come in fresh. Scoring will likely be hard to come by in the third game, which pits a pair of bottom-10 offenses against each other with the Stars hosting the Flames. In fact, every offense in this slate is below average, and Vegas is the only one outside the bottom 10.
GOALIES
With Darcy Kuemper (lower body) week-to-week, Antti Raanta ($8,300) takes over as the starter in Arizona's net. Luckily for the Coyotes, Raanta has a 2.72 GAA and .919 save percentage, the latter of which is right in line with his career .920 mark. The Finnish netminder gets the most favorable matchup in the league, taking on a Red Wings team that averages the fewest goals in the league at 2.16 and is playing its second game in as many nights.
Whether it's Ben Bishop ($8,700) getting a bounce-back opportunity or Anton Khudobin ($8,200) given a start, Dallas' netminder of choice should find success at home against a bottom-five Flames offense that's scoring only 2.59 goals per game. Bishop was pulled after giving up six goals in his last start but still has a 2.29 GAA and .926 save percentage. Khudobin has posted nearly identical numbers, with a 2.31 GAA and .928 save percentage.
The rivalry game between the Golden Knights and Sharks runs the risk of taking a high-scoring turn, so Marc-Andre Fleury's ($8,500) floor isn't as high as you would expect against a San Jose team that's potting only 2.65 goals per game. The veteran netminder has a high ceiling as always, and he's posted a 3-1-1 record in five games since returning from a personal absence.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Chandler Stephenson ($3,800) has a 3-2-5 line for Vegas in nine games since coming over from Washington. Four of those five points have come in the past five games, as Stephenson has grabbed the second-line center role by the horns. He remains affordable despite the recent success and makes for a nice play as long as he holds on to that top-six role.
If the Stars don't make any changes to their lineup, it looks like Justin Dowling ($3,300) will have an opportunity to skate with Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn on the top line. Such a deployment would give Dowling terrific upside as a cheap lineup filler.
Any contrarian Red Wings play needs to include Tyler Bertuzzi ($5,100). He leads the team in goals (13), assists (16) and points (29) through 37 games. Bertuzzi brings a four-game point streak into this home clash against Arizona, having lit the lamp three times in this productive stretch.
With a goal and an assist in his last game, Matthew Tkachuk ($6,500) pulled himself into a tie with Johnny Gaudreau for the Flames' points lead with 29, and he's potted 13 goals in 36 games. The 22-year-old power forward is on pace to reach 30 goals for a second straight season, and a tough matchup in Dallas won't necessarily slow him down.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Coyotes at Red Wings
Christian Dvorak (C - $4,200), Taylor Hall (W - $7,300), Phil Kessel (W - $6,600)
In addition to scoring the fewest goals in the league, Detroit gives up the most at 3.89 per game. Arizona's new-look top line is primed to add to those struggles. Hall has logged an assist in each of his first two games with the team since coming over from the Devils, giving the 2018 Hart Trophy winner a 6-21-27 line through 32 contests this season. That production should climb as his 5.2 shooting percentage corrects towards his career mark of 10.5. Dvorak boasts an 8-14-22 line in 37 games while Kessel's at 8-12-20, though the latter lit the lamp in his last game and could be ready to break out now that he's been given a player of Hall's level to play with. After all, Kessel sustained a point-per-game pace or better in each of his past two seasons with Pittsburgh.
Golden Knights at Sharks
William Karlsson (C - $6,700), Jonathan Marchessault (W - $7,200), Reilly Smith (W - $5,500)
Between porous defense and poor goaltending, the Sharks find themselves giving up 3.49 goals per game, just .02 fewer than the Devils for second-worst in the league after Detroit. Vegas' top line — whose members all rank top five team-wide in both goals and points — is ready to take advantage of this favorable matchup. Karlsson sports a 10-20-30 line, Smith's at 14-14-28 and Marchessault's at 11-15-26 through 38 games apiece. That puts each guy on pace to top 20 goals and 55 points.
Sharks vs. Golden Knights
Logan Couture (C - $7,000), Evander Kane (W - $6,900), Patrick Marleau (W - $3,500)
If San Jose's going to pull the upset here, it will likely be led by the top line. Couture leads the Sharks in points with an 11-21-32 line. Kane's tied with Tomas Hertl for the team goals lead at 14, while the affordable Marleau was recently promoted to the top line and has a 6-5-11 line accrued mostly in a lesser role.
DEFENSEMEN
Alex Goligoski ($4,700) leads all Coyotes defensemen with 20 points, and his eight power-play points are tied for third on the team. That success with the extra man should continue against Detroit's league-worst, 73.4 percent penalty kill.
Brent Burns ($6,100) is enjoying a productive stretch for the Sharks, with a goal, two assists and 13 shots over the past three games. If you have money left over when you get to the blue line, paying up for Burns could prove to be a prudent move.
Miro Heiskanen ($4,800) is a nice value play on the blue line. Dallas' third overall selection from the 2017 draft has established himself as one of the game's best young all-around defensemen, contributing a 7-15-22 line in 37 games while thriving in all situations.
