This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
The three evening games beginning at 7 p.m. EST are included in the featured contests at DraftKings, and five of the six teams are playing the second leg of a back-to-back set.
After a miserable start, the Wild have found a groove and enter Sunday's bout with an active 9-1-3 record with 48 goals for. Chicago has lost four straight games to drop to 3-8-2 with a minus-19 goal differential during the same time period, so this sets up as a sizeable mismatch on paper. Most notably, Minnesota ranks third in expected goals against per hour during the aforementioned stretch, whereas the Blackhawks rank third last.
If it were possible for both teams to lose a game, Los Angeles and Detroit could probably figure out how. The Kings own a league-worst 3-12-2 road record and haven't won outside of California since Oct. 22. Even with consecutive wins, Detroit still comes in at 9-22-3 and a long way from climbing out of 31st place in the standings. Don't overlook this game as a potential high-scoring affair, as the Red Wings have allowed the most goals per game in the league while Los Angeles ranks ninth.
The Golden Knights represent the lone club not playing for the second straight night, and they're rounding into solid form with an active 6-2-1 record while allowing 2.5 goals per hour. Additionally, Vegas is coming off a solid road win over Dallas on Friday. Vancouver, meanwhile, lost 4-2 in San Jose on Saturday and now own a disappointing 7-10-2 record since early November while allowing the fourth most goals per 60 minutes over that span.
GOALIES
Expect Marc-Andre Fleury ($8,200) to be a popular target Sunday. He's coming off a weak road showing against St. Louis, but the veteran still owns a rock-solid .919 save percentage for the campaign and Vegas comes in as the largest favorite on the docket. Vancouver also ranks 22nd in the league in expected goals since Nov. 1.
The Kings are coming off an overtime loss in Pittsburgh on Saturday, so it's a short turnaround on the road for Los Angeles and Jack Campbell ($7,000). But the price is right, and the 27-year-old netminder isn't facing the 1984-85 Oilers this evening. After all, the Red Wings have only topped two goals once through their past 10 contests.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Despite failing to register a multi-point showing in any of his past 12 outings, Patrick Kane ($7,600) has still managed to record double-digit DraftKings points in 10 of those contests. The high-volume shooter is logging 22:09 of ice time per game with 3:25 on the power play, and Kane is arguably the most talented scorer in the player pool.
A pair of Red Wings receiving top-six looks and power-play time, Robby Fabbri ($4,600) and Filip Zadina ($2,800), are both presenting value with Los Angeles allowing the second most road goals per 60 minutes in the league. Fabbri has rattled off an impressive eight tallies and seven helpers through 17 games since joining the Wings, whereas Zadina has racked up six points through his past six outings.
On the other side of the Kings-Red Wings tilt, Jeff Carter ($5,200) has found the scoresheet in consecutive games and paces Los Angeles in shot attempts per 60 minutes (17.78). And as noted, there's nothing scary about a date with Detroit.
Seven of Ryan Donato's ($4,200) 10 points of the season have come in the past nine games, as the 23-year-old forward has slotted into a top-six role with power-play time and capitalized on his opportunity. The Blackhawks have also surrendered the second most expected goals against per hour this season.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
With the Blackhawks checking out as a favorable matchup, Eric Staal ($4,800), Jason Zucker ($5,000) and Mats Zuccarello ($4,800) have clicked for nine tallies and nine helpers through their past six games to improve to a rock-solid 4.45 goals per hour for the campaign. The prices don't break the bank either.
Mark Stone ($6,400) and Max Pacioretty ($7,300) have driven possession with a 58.3 Corsi For percentage dating back to last season, and their 3.81 goals per hour is a respectable mark. Chandler Stephenson ($3,200) is centering the two wingers at five-on-five, but that doesn't mean you can't just roll out a mini stack of Stone and Pacioretty - although Stephenson does provide cap relief and has found the scoresheet in consecutive games.
DEFENSEMEN
In the midst of a solid stretch with a goal, four assists, 16 shots and seven blocks through his past five outings, Drew Doughty ($5,700) should be viewed as a high-floor, high-ceiling target Sunday. His salary is reasonable, and the veteran has topped 25 minutes in each of the past five contests to bring him to an average of 25:54 per game with 3:37 on the power play.
While his three tallies and five helpers through the past 16 contests is a far cry from last season's production, it's still a notable improvement from Erik Gustafsson's ($4,300) dreadful start. The Swede is locked in as Chicago's quarterback on the No. 1 power-play unit, and he's also shown an uptick in shot volume with 17 through the past six games.
With Saturday's helper, Quinn Hughes ($5,000) is up to a seventh-ranked 2.23 points per 60 minutes for the campaign. His salary doesn't match the results, so the rookie still offers contrarian value even though this may be a tough matchup against Vegas.
Another youngster to consider, Filip Hronek ($4,200), has offensively shown well early in his career with a rock-solid 1.45 points per hour, and he's projected to skate atop the depth chart in all situations against the defensively vulnerable Kings.
