You may like to kick back and relax on a Sunday, and the NHL largely agrees with only three games on the slate starting at 7 p.m. EST or later (and five overall, for what that’s worth). With that in mind, here are my players to target and to avoid for your DFS lineups. Be sure to get those lineups in before kicking back and relaxing.
GOALIE
Jeremy Swayman, BOS vs. CLM ($39): The Bruins are on the second day of a back-to-back, though they fortunately have a pair of goalies they can rely upon. Swayman has been the better of the two this year with a 2.17 GAA and .930 save percentage that indicates he may want a Vezina of his own so that Linus Ullmark’s trophy can have a friend. Columbus didn’t play Saturday, but come in having only averaged a bottom-10 ranked 2.92 goals.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Alexandar Georgiev, COL at LOS ($31): The Avs probably saved Georgiev for the second leg of their Ducks-and-Kings combo because LA is really good offensively at 3.85 goals per game. That’s a high-octane offense I don’t want to mess with.
CENTER
Ryan O’Reilly, NAS at BUF ($19): O’Reilly was brought in to center Nashville’s top trio and power play, which means a lot of time with Filip Forsberg and Roman Josi. That’s certainly helped him register 10 points over his last 10 games. Both teams were in action on Saturday, but I’m not worried given the Sabres’ two goalies carry career save percentages below .900.
CENTER TO AVOID
Nathan MacKinnon, COL at LOS ($36): MacKinnon is rarely poor, but there are instances where’ he’s only OK. What might prompt such an outing? How about being on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back against the team first in GAA and penalty-kill percentage? At MacKinnon’s salary, simply being fine doesn’t really provide any bang for your buck.
WING
John-Jason Peterka, BUF vs. NAS ($21): Last year, the rookie Peterka showed he could hang in the NHL. This season, he’s showing he can contribute. The 21-year-old has notched 10 goals and eight assists overall with three points and 15 shots from his last four appearances.
Quinton Byfield, LOS vs. COL ($19): Byfield has yet to prove to be the top-six center upon being drafted second overall, though the youngster has at least managed to hold his own on the wing and first trio. It’s beneficial to skate next to Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe, and Byfield has managed 16 points so far. Colorado has been solid defensively, but will be on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back. And since there are only six teams from which to choose, I’d still grab Byfield.
WINGS TO AVOID
Valeri Nichushkin, COL at LOS ($26): It’s the same principle as MacKinnon. The matchup is difficult, including the Kings holding opponents to 27.1 shots per game. Nichushkin has raised his game to hold his own with MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen. The difference is that he doesn’t boast the same track record.
Patrik Laine, CLM at BOS ($15): Laine may be on a three-game point streak, though he’s also only averaged 13:50 across eight outings. While Johnny Gaudreau has been in and out of the doghouse in Columbus, the coaching staff seems to have ignored Laine and his peak of 44 goals in a season. It’s hard enough to score on the Bruins and their elite goaltending, but that becomes even more difficult when you don’t know how much ice time you’re going to receive.
DEFENSE
Rasmus Dahlin, BUF vs. NAS ($21): Dahlin is a true offensive dynamo on the blueline and a potent weapon on the power play having racked up six points with the extra man and 32 last season. The Predators carry a bottom-10 penalty kill, which isn’t likely to look better when on the road for a second straight night.
Ryan McDonagh, NAS at BUF ($16): In an effort to suggest a defenseman who isn’t in that upper-tier of salary, might I note that McDonagh has looked solid since returning from injury with five points in five games while skating with Roman Josi on the top pairing outside of the man-advantage. Even with Devon Levi back in the AHL for seasoning, the Sabres still roster two below-average goalies with career sub-.900 save percentages.
DEFENSE TO AVOID
Charlie McAvoy, BOS vs. CLM ($23): I’m not really going with Columbus players, even with Boston on the second leg of a back-to-back. But here’s a Bruins player I would avoid in these circumstances. The Blue Jackets, while flawed in many ways, have a top-five penalty kill. Will that continue? I’m not sure, but it does give me pause since five of McAvoy’s 15 points have come with the extra man.
Zach Werenski, CLM at BOS ($21): Werenski has produced, even with an 1.8 shooting percentage that will improve. Unfortunately, it’ll be hard for him to make that happen in this matchup. Swayman, as noted, comes in with a 2.17 GAA and .930 save percentage and the Bruins also offer a top-five penalty kill.
