This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
Sunday's three-game NHL slate begins extra early at 12:30 PM Eastern time, as there are no evening games on the docket. Below, you'll find an overview of the matchups and suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
The Penguins and Capitals will square off in a battle of top-10 offenses, the Hurricanes will host the Canucks in a battle of above-average teams, and the stingy Blue Jackets will look to build on their recent defensive success when they travel to Montreal. This will be the second leg of a back-to-back for Vancouver, Columbus and Montreal.
GOALIES
Ilya Samsonov ($8,400) seems to have forced his way into the starting role in Washington's net, as he's in the midst of a spectacular rookie season that's featured a 16-2-1 record, 2.12 GAA and .925 save percentage. Despite a tough matchup against Pittsburgh's eighth-ranked road offense (3.17 goals per game), Samsonov will be worth a look at home due to his outstanding play thus far.
Elvis Merzlikins ($8,400) will get the start in this second game of Columbus' back-to-back after ceding the starter's crease Saturday. He's 9-2-0 with a .951 save percentage over his past 11 starts and has a nice opportunity to build on that success against a Montreal team that has a middling offense and deployed top goalie option Carey Price on Saturday.
James Reimer ($8,000) has quietly compiled an excellent 11-6-1 record, 2.47 GAA and .921 save percentage as Carolina's backup, including an unbeaten month of January in which he went 3-0-1 with a 1.69 GAA and .944 save percentage. He'll look to stay hot at home against a Vancouver team that will have tired legs after traveling to Carolina following Saturday's 4-3 overtime win over the Islanders.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
There's hot and then there's Alex Ovechkin ($9,300), who has compiled a ridiculous 11 goals in his last five games played, scoring at least once in each of those contests and at least twice in all but one. In such a small slate, it may not be possible to make up the difference if you leave Ovie out of your lineup and he continues his recent goal binge.
J.T. Miller ($6,000) is riding a hot streak for the Canucks, as he's racked up five goals and 12 points in his last eight games while only being held off the scoresheet once over that stretch. His 20 goals and 52 points are both one shy of Elias Pettersson's team-leading totals, yet Miller costs $1,100 less than his linemate.
Brendan Gallagher ($7,400) has a goal and five shots in each of his first two games back from a head injury. The Canadiens sniper won't come cheap, but he has his sights set on a third consecutive 30-goal season despite the missed time and should at least provide a high floor thanks to his high shot totals.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Blue Jackets at Canadiens
Pierre-Luc Dubois (C - $5,700), Oliver Bjorkstrand (W - $5,700), Nick Foligno (W - $4,500)
Columbus' top line is primed for success against a Montreal team that's likely to deploy backup goalie Charlie Lindgren, who's 0-3-0 with a 3.40 GAA and .892 save percentage. Dubois leads the team in points with 39 through 52 games, and his 15 goals are tied with Zach Werenski for second on the club behind Bjorkstrand, who has amassed 17 goals in just 39 appearances. The affordable Foligno has a 6-15-21 line in 49 appearances, but he has begun to heat up with a 2-2-4 line in his last six games.
Penguins at Capitals
Evgeni Malkin (C - $8,100), Bryan Rust (W - $5,800), Patric Hornqvist (W - $5,500)
If not for injuries, Malkin and Rust would find themselves among the league's scoring leaders. Even having missed 13 of Pittsburgh's 51 games, Malkin still leads the team in points with his 16-37-53 line. Rust is an absolute steal at just $5,800 considering he's played one fewer game than Malkin but still owns a 22-23-45 line, which has him leading the Penguins in goals. Hornqvist's output has also been depressed by injuries, but his 11-9-20 line in 34 appearances translates to a 27-goal, 48-point, 82-game pace. This trio holds excellent against-the-grain potential against the rival Capitals.
Hurricanes vs. Canucks
Jordan Staal (C - $4,300), Teuvo Teravainen (W - $6,900), Nino Niederreiter (W - $4,300)
Teravainen has carried this line, as his team-high 50 points through 51 games include a 3-6-9 line over his past seven games. Staal and Niederreiter have both been unlucky this season, as the center's 7.0 shooting percentage is well below his career 11.3 percent mark, and the same goes for the winger's 7.1 percent mark relative to his career rate of 11.7 percent. Given Teravainen's superb passing ability, this matchup against the tired Canucks could potentially present a nice buy-low opportunity on his underperforming linemates.
DEFENSEMEN
Quinn Hughes' ($4,400) two-goal game Saturday against the Islanders — which included the OT winner — gives the Canucks blueliner a 5-6-11 line in his past 13 games. The rookie is starting to assert himself more as a goal-scorer, though his 8-30-38 season line through 51 games is still heavy on assists.
With a four-assist effort Saturday, Jeff Petry ($4,800) has 17 points in his last 18 games. His price is likely to spike after that strong performance, so lock him in at just $4,800 while you still can, even against the stingy Blue Jackets.
If you've got money to spare on the blue line, it makes sense to pay up for John Carlson ($7,100). The Norris Trophy frontrunner has an 11-point buffer over Roman Josi for the league points lead among defensemen, and third-place Alex Pietrangelo is a whopping 19 points back of Carlson's 62.
