Below are game breakdowns for Sunday’s three-game DFS NHL slate followed by example lineups. Please note that the pivots in the lineups are intended to skew more toward GPP plays.
Pittsburgh @ Winnipeg
This is the least appealing game of the slate from a fantasy perspective. It’s the game with a line closest to even odds of the three with the Jets being a -125 favorite, and both teams have slightly below average matchups per my matchup stat.
If you’re picking Jets, you want to pick the line that will avoid the matchup with Sidney Crosby’s line. The Penguins have been hit hard by injuries, so they lack depth after the Crosby line. Last year the Jets tended to let their second line handle opposing top lines in home games, and you could make the case they followed the same pattern in their first home game this season. Andrew Copp and the second line took on Eric Staal’s line in their only home game so far this season, though you could make the case that Mikko Koivu’s line is who the Jets considered the opposing top line. Mark Scheifele’s line got that matchup, so it’s hard to say with certainty who avoids Crosby.
The best guess is that the Scheifele’s line is the pick, and Patrik Laine and Blake Wheeler will be on his wings. Laine is significantly overpriced on both sites, so feel free to limit to a mini-stack of Scheifele and Wheeler. Josh Morrissey’s pair skates the most with the Scheifele line at even strength, and he’s the defenseman that plays with the top line on the top PP unit.
As a road dog that played yesterday (as did the Jets) with a below average matchup, the Pens are a team to be light on tonight. You could use value options like Zach Aston-Reese (both sites) and Justin Schultz (FD only) as one-offs if they fit. Sidney Crosby is priced reasonably on DK and of course he always has upside, so he could be included in a GPP lineup.
Laurent Brossoit will be in net for the Jets, and he’s a solid option on FD at only $7,100. No goalie on this slate is all that expensive so Brossoit isn’t quite the value he’d be on a normal slate, but he’s much too cheap for the goalie of a home favorite.
Calgary @ San Jose
San Jose is the only one of the six teams in action tonight that did not play yesterday. They’re a -130 favorite at home, so they’re one of the more appealing teams tonight. Evander Kane and Tomas Hertl skate together on the second line and top PP unit, and both guys are priced well on DK and FD, so they’re a solid mini-stack. Barclay Goodrow is the third member of that line, but he’s an iffy play and only someone to include in the stack in GPPs. Hertl’s price tag of $4,700 on DK is one of the best values on the slate. Erik Karlsson is the D-man who skates the most with Hertl’s line at even, and he’s seeing a bit more PP work than Brent Burns.
Per my matchup stat, San Jose is the best matchup for opposing skaters on this slate. After having the worst team save percentage last season, the Sharks have the fourth worst save percentage so far this season at .862. They’re giving up the second-most higher danger chances per 60 at even strength, and they’re allowing a shade over four goals per game.
Both of Calgary’s top six lines are decent values on FD, and Calgary’s second line is collectively noticeably underpriced on DK. The top line is Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan and Elias Lindholm, all of whom play together on the top PP unit. The second line is Matthew Tkachuk, Mikael Backlund and Michael Frolik. Tkachuk is the worst value of the three, but he does play on the top PP unit with the top line. Frolik is a great value on both sites with a spot back in the top six, and Backlund is priced very well on DK. Mark Giordano is the D-man to pair with the top line (or his D partner Rasmus Andersson), and T.J. Brodie is the guy to pair with the second line. Like Backlund and Frolik, Brodie is priced very well on DK.
Vegas @ Los Angeles
The Golden Knights are the biggest favorite of the slate and have the highest implied goal total. The Kings played a back-to-back last week and allowed eight goals on the second half of it with Jonathan Quick in net. Well, the Kings played last night, and Quick is expected to be in net tonight.
The best value from Vegas is Paul Stastny. Stastny is back up in the top six after starting the season centering the third line with Cody Eakin out to ensure the inexperienced third line wingers weren’t a huge defensive liability. But Stastny is back between Max Pacioretty and Mark Stone, and his lower price tag can help offset some of the cost of his wingers. The entire line stays together on the top PP unit where they’re joined by defenseman Shea Theodore. Theodore is priced much better on FD than DK. Vegas’ other top six line is overpriced on both sites with the exception of Jonathan Marchessault who is priced reasonably on DK.
As the biggest underdog of the slate, LA isn’t overly appealing, but there is a potential value mini-stack on FD from the Kings. Both Jeff Carter and Alec Martinez are priced well on that site, and they both play on LA’s top PP unit.
With Vegas playing yesterday, we’re not sure if Marc-Andre Fleury will start in back-to-back games. But whether it’s Fleury or backup Oscar Dansk, Vegas’ goalie will be the top projected goalie of the slate. They’re the big favorite of the slate, and they could see a decent amount of rubber as the Kings rank second in shots on goal per game so far. If Dansk is the starter, he would be a great value on DK at only $6,500, but he is not in the player pool on FD.