This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
Spring has sprung, which means you may want to spend your time outside. However, please spare a moment's thought for today's four NHL games. As is often the case with a Sunday, we have a slate that is focused on the early part of the day. The first game begins at 1 p.m. ET, so you'll need to get your rosters in early for DFS purposes. I believe in you.
SLATE PREVIEW
As I noted, there are four games and six of the eight teams in action are on the second leg of a back-to-back. The only teams that have gotten any rest are Vegas and Los Angeles. The Penguins and Devils are playing the second leg of a home-and-home, but I wonder what kind of shape the Stars and Predators will be in. Dallas had to travel from Detroit back home to host Nashville, who are on the road and coming from Miami (or Sunrise, as it were). It will be interesting to see how that shakes out. Could be the game to expect goals from, if any.
GOALIES
Marc-Andre Fleury, VGK at LOS ($8,500): Robin Lehner returned in the Golden Knights' last contest, which is surely a relief for the squad because they can now give Fleury a break now and again. That being said, I fully expect Fleury in net for this one, in part to ease Lehner back in and in part because Fleury has been amazing with a 1.88 GAA and .933 save percentage. Los Angeles is middling in terms of goals per game, but has only averaged 28.4 shots on net.
Tristan Jarry, PIT vs. NJD ($8,000): The last month has shown why the Penguins stuck with Jarry and were fine with letting Matt Murray fly the coop (or waddle the coop, since we're talking penguins). Over his last 13 starts, the 25-year-old has posted a 2.39 GAA and .927 save percentage. New Jersey sits just outside the bottom-five in goals per game. And since Sunday is Pittsburgh's turn to host, things are looking up for Jarry.
Jake Oettinger, DAL vs. NAS ($7,300): The Stars gave Anton Khudobin the start Saturday in Detroit, which means Oettinger is in line for this contest. He's gotten a lot of help from Dallas's stingy defense en route to a 2.23 GAA with a .913 save percentage. Nashville's offense is in the bottom-five in goals per game, and a road contest the second night of a back-to-back isn't likely to have it firing on all cylinders.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Max Pacioretty, VGK at LOS ($8,200): The Kings have allowed 31.3 shots on goal per game, which in past seasons would be unremarkable but this year that's bottom-10 in the league. Cal Petersen can manage it, but Jonathan Quick has produced a 2.97 GAA and .897 save percentage. I'm going with Pacioretty here because he's one of the NHL's most prolific shooters. He's put a whopping 120 shots on target in 28 games, and it's rare for the former Hab to have no DFS value as a result. And the more shots you put on net, the more chances you have to score. That's just math.
Ondrej Palat, TAM vs. FLA ($6,300): I do want to recognize that Sergei Bobrovsky has played better recently with a 2.59 GAA and .920 save percentage over his last 10 games. Having said that, he still has a .906 save percentage overall. And with only four games on the docket, I couldn't find many ideal matchups to consider. I'm still willing to pay Palat's salary in this one, as he's racked up 13 points over his last 13 appearances and has tallied 15 power-play points on the year.
Jared McCann, PIT vs. NJD ($3,600): McCann just returned from injured reserve, which is a relief to the Penguins who just lost Evgeni Malkin. Due to Malkin's week-to-week lower-body issue, McCann is ready to slot in as the Pens' No. 2 center. Speaking of injuries, MacKenzie Blackwood wasn't able to return in goal for the Devils on Saturday. If he still can't play today, that likely means third-string netminder Aaron Dell will get the nod.
Jason Robertson, DAL vs. NAS ($4,000): Robertson may not be a big-name rookie, but he's quietly posted 16 points in 22 games. He's certainly been helped by his coaches, as the 21-year-old has started a whopping 71.2 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone. The Preds have gotten some spotty goaltending this season, which is why they're safely nestled in the bottom-10 in GAA and are on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back.
STACKS
Penguins vs. Devils
Sidney Crosby (C - $8,000), Jake Guentzel (W - $7,300), Bryan Rust (W - $5,600)
This is going to be a day for stacking top lines and then filling in around the margins, it seems. The two teams with the best matchups have very top-heavy offenses, and I could not bring myself to sincerely recommend a second line for stacking purposes. Anyway, I mentioned the Devils might have to use their third-string goalie, but also are in the bottom-10 in shots allowed per game and bottom-five in penalty-kill percentage. Crosby has been Crosby this season, with 31 points in 30 games - including 11 on the power play. Guentzel has been on fire for the last month with 17 points across his last 16 contests. Rust hasn't been quite as productive, but you can't complain about 22 in 31 and a role on the top power play.
Stars vs. Predators
Joe Pavelski (C - $7,200), Jamie Benn (W - $6,600), Alexander Radulov (W - $5,600),
Pekka Rinne will likely be in net Sunday and enters with an .899 save percentage. Actually, he's been even worse of late posting an .882 save percentage over his last nine outings. Nashville also maintains the league's worst penalty kill. A whopping 10 of Pavelski's 14 goals have come with the extra man, but that's not a concern in a matchup like this. Benn may only have two power-play points, but he's averaged over three minutes per game with the extra man and seven points in his last 10 outings. Radulov has been active since returning from a lengthy absence by tallying 12 shots on goal in three appearances. However, he's also considered a game-time decision for the rest of the season as he deals with a nagging issue. Joel Kiviranta ($3,600) stepped onto the top line Saturday, so you could also consider him as an option.
DEFENSE
John Klingberg, DAL vs. NAS ($5,500): Let's stick with the Stars, and specifically their top power-play unit. Klingberg manages the point for that group and has notched 10 power-play points in 26 games. With how lousy Nashville's penalty kill is, this could be a nice day for the Swede provided he gets those extra-man opportunities.
Mikhail Sergachev, TAM vs. FLA ($4,600): Sergachev has taken on a larger role for the Lightning averaging career highs in ice time and power-play time. On the flip side, he has the lowest shooting percentage, which may speak to a bit of bad puck luck. And yet the Russian is still contributing with 21 points, including 19 assists. There's a little bit of crossing one's fingers and hoping Bobrovsky slips up on the second leg of a back-to-back, but it's certainly plausible and Sergachev offers the skills to contribute.
Brian Dumoulin, PIT vs. NJD ($3,500): I tried to find a Penguins' defenseman not named Kris Letang I could possibly consider recommending and I think I managed to do that. If you are stacking Pittsburgh's top line, you are going to want to try and find options to save some salary, right? Dumoulin pairs with Letang on Pittsburgh's top unit and they start in the offensive zone more than any other defensemen on the team. Additionally, three of Dumoulin's four points have come in the last eight games. You may just be holding out hope for an assist here, but if it happens having the 29-year-old in your lineup will pay off.
