This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
Sunday's NHL main slate is a small one, encompassing just three games after 6:00 PM Eastern time. Below, you'll find an overview of the matchups and suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
The Avalanche offer tremendous offensive upside in Minnesota, while the Rangers will be clear home favorites over the Kings and the Blackhawks-Jets game is more of a tossup. This will be the second game in as many nights for Los Angeles, Winnipeg and Colorado.
GOALIES
Igor Shesterkin ($8,200) has gotten his NHL career off to a scintillating start, going 4-1-0 with a 2.61 GAA and .922 save percentage through five starts. He'll look to keep rolling against a Kings team that ranks 30th offensively with 2.43 goals per game.
Pavel Francouz ($7,900) will likely start the second leg of Colorado's back-to-back set. He's been one of the better backups in the league, with a 12-4-2 record, 2.45 GAA and .924 save percentage.
Connor Hellebuyck ($7,600) has gotten back into a groove following a rough patch, as he's 2-0-1 in his past three starts, with exactly two goals allowed in each and a .947 save percentage. Overall, the Jets' workhorse netminder is 23-16-5 with a 2.69 GAA and .920 save percentage ahead of this clash with Chicago's 19th-ranked offense (2.93 goals per game).
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Nathan MacKinnon ($8,600) should be worth paying up for against a Wild team that's allowing more goals than any other team in this slate at 3.26. Colorado's first-line center ranks fourth league-wide with 75 points and is tied for fourth with 31 goals, four goals and three points clear of New York's Artemi Panarin for the lead among players in this slate.
Patrik Laine ($7,800) was converting at a rate much lower than his career shooting percentage of 15.2 for much of the season, but his scoring touch has returned recently, as Laine's hat trick Saturday against the Senators gave him eight goals in his last eight games. The Winnipeg winger's 12.5 percent mark still has room to climb further and he's already matched his career high in assists with 28, so he should continue to mark the scoresheet frequently.
The Kings will have their chances against a Rangers team that's allowing 3.21 goals per game, and Anze Kopitar ($7,200) is the best bet to turn those opportunities into points. The veteran center leads Los Angeles in goals (17), assists (30) and points (47), while none of his teammates have mustered more than 32 points.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Avalanche at Wild
Nazem Kadri (C - $5,500), Andre Burakovsky (W - $5,100), Valeri Nichushkin (W - $3,800)
While it's tempting to pay up for Colorado's entire top line, there's a good chance this second line provides better bang for the buck in Minnesota given its recent production. Kadri's 19-16-35 line through 50 games with the Avalanche includes four goals and three assists in his last five. Burakovsky has been even hotter of late with a 4-11-15 line in his past 10 games, while Nichushkin has chipped in a 2-3-5 line in his last four games.
Rangers vs. Kings
Mika Zibanejad (C - $8,100), Chris Kreider (W - $6,400), Pavel Buchnevich (W - $4,800)
This line should continue its phenomenal recent play against a visiting Kings team that's an abysmal 8-20-4 on the road. Zibanejad has a 22-25-47 line in 40 appearances this season, and he's been even better recently with a 5-7-12 line and 41 shots in his last eight games. Kreider has a 4-3-7 line over an active five-game point streak and 13 goals in his last 20 games played. Buchnevich is finally getting some puck luck with four goals in his last six games, but his 10.5 shooting percentage is still below the Russian winger's career mark of 13.0.
Blackhawks at Jets
Kirby Dach (C - $3,600), Patrick Kane (W - $8,000), Brandon Saad (W - $4,900)
This line offers a nice mix of production and affordability. Dach is coming into his own offensively, as the third overall pick from the 2019 draft has started to display flashes of high-end skill on a more consistent basis and is riding a five-game point streak (one goal, five assists). Kane is tracking toward a second consecutive season over 100 points with a 25-41-66 line through 54 games, while Saad has seven goals in his last 10 games.
DEFENSEMEN
Cale Makar ($5,700) should be well worth paying up for as this slate's most expensive defenseman. The standout rookie is primed to exploit Minnesota's vulnerable defense and add to his 12-29-41 line through 45 games.
New York's Anthony DeAngelo ($5,200) has an identical 12-29-41 line, albeit in eight more games played than Makar. He'll look to add to that output in a favorable matchup against the Kings.
Neal Pionk ($4,300) is a nice value option, as he has a 6-30-36 line through 56 games for Winnipeg after posting a goal and two assists Saturday against the Senators. That production has him on a 53-point pace.
