This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
Sunday's NHL slate is a tiny one, with just Sabres-Blackhawks and Flames-Golden Knights games after 7:00 PM Eastern time. Below, you'll find an overview of the matchups and suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
There's not much to choose from here, and all four teams are finishing back-to-back sets. All four teams aren't too far removed from league average offensively or defensively, so there are plenty of directions to go with lineups despite the limited selection.
GOALIES
Corey Crawford ($7,400) has gone 2-0-1 over his past three starts, allowing a combined seven goals on 111 shots for a .937 save percentage. He's likely to stay hot against a Sabres team that had gone winless in six games prior to beating the Senators on their Friday.
Cam Talbot ($7,000) could turn into a nice cheap flier in GPP formats against a Golden Knights team that's fallen to .500 for the season by going 0-4-1 over its past five games. While he's struggled this season, Calgary's backup netminder played well in his last start, taking a tough-luck loss against Dallas despite stopping 29 of 31 shots.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Matthew Tkachuk ($7,000) has been Calgary's best player, as he's tied for the team lead with 10 goals and leads the Flames with 20 points. He has a nice chance to build on his strong season against the reeling Golden Knights.
Vegas' Max Pacioretty ($6,500) has lit the lamp in four of his past five games, bringing his season line to 7-11-18 through 21 games. The power forward also leads his team with 85 shots on goal. Pacioretty should keep rolling against Talbot, who has a 1-4-0 record 2.69 GAA and .907 save percentage.
Jonathan Toews ($6,300) has turned things around after a slow start. Coming off an 81-point season, Chicago's captain is playing at a point-per-game pace over that past eight.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Flames at Golden Knights
Sean Monahan (C - $7,300), Johnny Gaudreau (W - $7,300), Elias Lindholm (W - $6,400)
This line contains Calgary's second through fourth-best scorers after Tkachuk, as Gaudreau has 18 points while Lindholm and Monahan both have 17. Lindholm is tied for the team lead in goals with Tkachuk at 10, while no other Flames player has more than five.
Sabres at Blackhawks
Jack Eichel (C - $7,900), Victor Olofsson (W - $5,900), Sam Reinhart (W - $5,600)
Eichel scored four goals Friday, Olofsson has a four-game point streak going and a 7-7-14 line through 29 games overall, and Reinhart has a 3-3-6 line over his past four games and an 8-9-17 line overall.
Golden Knights vs. Flames
Paul Stastny (C- $4,700), Alex Tuch (W - $4,500), Cody Glass (W - $4,100)
The Golden Knights have prided themselves on their depth during their short existence, and this third line is among the league's most enticing bottom-six units. Stastny's slumping and has a 5-4-9 line, but his career rate of 0.78 points per game suggests this could be a nice time to buy low on the veteran center. Tuch has two points in four appearances thus far, but last season's 52-point campaign over 74 games showed the skills the power forward possesses. Glass is still figuring out the league, but the sixth overall selection from the 2017 draft doesn't lack talent. Tuch skates on the top power-play unit while both Stastny and Glass feature on the second.
DEFENSEMEN
Rasmus Dahlin ($5,500) has 13 points through 19 games, but the first overall pick from the 2018 draft is capable of even more. He's scored on only one of 29 shots thus far, and Dahlin should only get better from here.
Erik Gustafsson ($4,200) has a two-game goal streak going, as the Swedish blueliner is finally waking up offensively after scoring 60 points last season. If his sustainable hot streak continues, Gustafsson won't be available this cheap for much longer.
Mark Giordano ($6,100) is worth paying up for as this slate's most expensive blueliner. Calgary's captain fills the stat sheet in every category and has a 4-9-13 line through 22 games after recording 74 points last season.
