Before you spend your afternoon watching NFL football, be sure to get your lineups in for DFS hockey. There are four games Sunday starting at 7 p.m. EST or later. Here are a few recommendations for players to target, and to avoid, for your DFS lineups.
GOALIE
Adin Hill, VGK at ARI ($30): Only one team on Sunday night didn’t play Saturday – the Bruins – so taking a goalie on the second leg of a back-to-back is OK. What Hill has going for him is the best matchup with the Coyotes ranked in the bottom-five in goals and last in shots.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Jonathan Quick, LOS at CHI ($24): On paper, this represents a favorable matchup for Quick. However, I still don’t want to risk using him as a goalie on the road. Once a top goalie, the 37-year-old is no longer a viable NHL netminder with a 3.35 GAA and .884 save percentage who’s lost his starting gig to Pheonix Copley.
CENTER
David Krejci, BOS vs. SAN ($19): As I noted, the Bruins are the one team that didn’t appear on Saturday. Krejci has been hot with a three-game point streak where he’s tallied six assists. The Sharks also sit bottom-five in GAA, so that’s something else in favor of the veteran center.
CENTER TO AVOID
Tomas Hertl, SAN at BOS ($19): The Sharks have a tough draw on Sunday. Not only are they are away on the second of consecutive nights, but there’s no tougher matchup for an offense than the Bruins and their top-ranked GAA and penalty-kill percentage.
WING
Jonathan Marchessault, VGK at ARI ($20): Marchessault puts a lot of pucks on goal with 139 shots to lead the Golden Knights in only 41 games. The Coyotes are in the bottom-five in shots on net allowed, so he should have plenty of opportunities to build on that total.
Adrian Kempe, LOS at CHI ($19): Kempe has shown his 35 goals from last season weren’t a fluke with 19 so far this year. Alex Stalock likely won’t be back from concussion protocol, leaving Petr Mrazek with his 3.98 GAA and .884 save percentage to start for the Blackhawks.
WINGS TO AVOID
Timo Meier, SAN at BOS ($29): As previously mentioned, San Jose is on the second leg of a back-to-back. I also detailed Boston’s elite defensive record, but let me elaborate further. The Bruins have a 2.07 GAA, and the Stars are second with a 2.60. That’s how far ahead Boston is defensively.
Kevin Hayes, PHI vs. WPG ($20): Hayes has slowed down offensively and has been dropped to the third line, with his recent standout performance being a hat trick against the NHL’s worst defensive club in the Ducks. While David Rittich will be in net for Winnipeg, his 2.59 GAA is better than most goalies in line to play Sunday. Also, the Jets maintain the second-ranked penalty kill.
DEFENSE
Seth Jones, CHI vs. LOS ($19): Jones is in the groove with 11 points in his last eight games. The Kings list a bottom-10 penalty kill, but don’t forget Quick in net with his 3.35 GAA and .884 save percentage.
Drew Doughty, LOS at CHI ($17): Bad puck luck has slightly tamped Doughty’s numbers down, but he still has 28 points – even with only three goals on 91 shots. The Blackhawks allow plenty of shots and goals, especially when Mrazek and his .884 save percentage is in net.
DEFENSE TO AVOID
Erik Karlsson, SAN at BOS ($27): It’s just not the day for Sharks. Karlsson is having an incredible year, but his lofty salary is a concern when he’s got such a brutal matchup. Why challenge the NHL’s best defense when it also belongs to the only team that didn’t play Saturday?
Tony DeAngelo, PHI vs. WPG ($19): As per usual, DeAngelo is doing most of his damage on the power play with 13 of his 26 points coming there. And as noted earlier, the Jets boast the league’s second-best penalty kill.
