This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
Sunday can be a pretty afternoon-heavy day, but that's not the case this week. Four of the six games taking place are in the evening. Three teams are on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back, and two of them own paltry offenses even on a good night. Am I going to recommend the goalies that get to face them?
GOALIES
Spoiler alert: I am!
Let's start with Marc-Andre Fleury ($8,500). Robin Lehner is now around to provide support and a backup who isn't terrible, but Vegas hasn't needed to worry about using its backup too much recently. Over his last 10 starts, Fleury has posted a 2.27 GAA and .913 save percentage. The Kings have only managed 2.47 goals per game, which you could call the fewest for any NHL team given the Red Wings are really an NHL team in name only.
Next up, we have John Gibson ($7,900) of the Anaheim Ducks. His numbers aren't on Fleury's level with a 2.99 GAA and a .904 save percentage. However, he'll be facing a Devils' team on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back. New Jersey has only scored 2.68 goals per game, and it no longer has Taylor Hall, Blake Coleman, Wayne Simmonds and, well, the list goes on.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Pierre-Luc Dubois ($4,800) has started 62.4 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, highest on the Blue Jackets. Times have been a little tough for him recently, but Sunday he'll be facing a Canucks' team with a 3.44 road GAA. Vancouver will also be on the second leg of a back-to-back, and that means Louis Domingue and his 3.79 GAA and .882 save percentage will likely be tending goal.
Danton Heinen ($3,000) was recently dealt to Anaheim, and so far he's found a bigger role than he had in Boston. That makes sense, given the relative talent of the Ducks versus the Bruins. In two games with Anaheim, Heinen has averaged 19:24 of ice time - including 3:39 with the extra man. Now he will be facing a Devils' squad that is one of the three on the second night of a back-to-back. This could mean Cory Schneider in net. That would be the same Cory Schneider with a 4.08 GAA and .868 save percentage.
The Minnesota Wild have played better recently defensively. However, I look at the stats and I still see them with the 27th-ranked penalty kill. There's a larger sample size at work there. T.J. Oshie ($5,700) has served as a power-play weapon his entire time in Washington, but this year has been his best one yet. He's averaged 3:39 per game with the extra man - a career-high - while 10 of his 25 goals in 64 games have come on the power play.
STACKS
Golden Knights vs. Kings
Paul Stastny (C - $4,500), Jonathan Marchessault (W - $6,900), Reilly Smith (W - $6,300)
Since there are only four games tonight, I only have one stack for you. It's a good one though. The Kings have struggled with a 3.46 GAA in away contests, and this is their second game in as many days. They also maintain the 28th-ranked penalty kill. Given that, I have chosen not just Vegas' number-one line, but the three guys who play forward on its top power-play unit.
While Stastny has never lived up to expectations in Vegas, he's still a decent center and has put up six points in six games. Plus, he has two wings on his side who can help him rack up the assists. Marchessault has been quite active, with 59 shots on goal in his last 16 games. He only has five goals during that time, which gives him an 8.5 shooting percentage. If Marchessault keeps shooting like this, any regression on his puck luck will pay off. Smith is actually enjoying the best season of this trio, with 27 goals and 25 assists across 66 games. Like his linemate Marchessault, Smith has been hot with 15 points during his last 16 games.
DEFENSE
The highbrow option here is Shea Theodore ($6,800). Vegas's top defenseman has averaged 3:11 per game with the extra man, notching 15 power-play points in 66 games - all assists. That's despite the fact he's been shooting a lot recently with 60 shots on goal in his last 16 contests. Given that the Kings have the 28th-ranked penalty kill, I like Theodore's power-play success here.
A slightly cheaper - but honestly more enticing, defenseman is Zach Werenski ($6,500). When you see a defenseman has scored 19 goals on 174 shots through 59 games, it will turn heads. Then, remember the Canucks have a 3.44 GAA and have allowed 33.3 shots on net per contest on the road.
For a cheap choice with some upside, there's Anaheim's Christian Djoos ($2,500). In two games with the team, he's started 54.5 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone and averaged 4:16 per contest on the power play. That's some favorable situations to be in. The Devils have produced a 3.45 GAA and have allowed 34.5 shots on net in away contests. If you want to roll the dice and save some cash, then Djoos could be the guy for you.
