This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
If you are feeling well rested on Sunday, you may be the only one. Four of the six teams in action Sunday played on Saturday, which means a lot of guys on back-to-backs. With that noted, here are my recommendations for your lineup.
GOALIE
Ryan Miller, ANA vs. BUF ($7,800): Miller was more than serviceable as John Gibson's backup last season, posting a 2.35 GAA and .928 save percentage. Meanwhile, the Sabres averaged a league-low 2.41 goals per game last season. Their offense will probably improve this year, but a road game on the second day of a back-to-back against the Ducks is not an ideal matchup for them.
CENTER
Mika Zibanejad, NYR vs. CGY ($6,400): Zibanejad has registered four points through seven games, but he's been quite active. He's put 31 shots on net and has averaged a career-high 21:17 in ice time to start the year. Last season, he was great on the power play, notching 14 goals with the extra man. Mike Smith struggled with health and form in the second half of last year and has posted a 3.38 GAA and .885 save percentage in six starts this season.
Tyler Johnson, TAM at CHI ($5,700): Johnson is currently skating as the second-line center for the Lightning, and he's also getting a fair amount of power-play time. That's not unusual, as he's tallied double-digit points with the extra man in every full season of his career. The Blackhawks are on the second day of a back-to-back, and they definitely won't risk giving Corey Crawford a second start this weekend. That means Cam Ward and his .906 save percentage from last year will likely be in goal.
WING
Matthew Tkachuk, CGY at NYR ($6,200): Tkachuk seems primed to take his game to a new level this year, after notching 48 and 49 points in his first two seasons. He has struck for 10 points through seven games, and he's started 57.8 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone – the highest among Calgary forwards. As for the Rangers, they sported a 3.21 GAA last year while also allowing 35.3 shots on net per contest.
Yanni Gourde, TAM at CHI ($5,400): At 25, Gourde was a little old for a rookie last year, but anybody who scores 25 goals and adds 39 assists in their first full season is going to turn heads. That goes doubly so when they are skating on a line with Steven Stamkos and Brayden Point. Last year, the Blackhawks struggled to a 3.47 GAA on zero days of rest, and Cam Ward has a 4.06 GAA and .879 save percentage in five games this season.
Maxime Comtois, ANA vs. BUF ($3,400): Comtois has been a major rookie surprise, notching six points in his first eight games. He may regress at some point but he's currently on Anaheim's top line, which provides him opportunity. Carter Hutton was a surprise in his own right last year, but has only managed a 3.27 GAA and .906 save percentage to start this season. On top of that, he will be on the road playing behind a team on the second night of a back-to-back.
DEFENSE
Hampus Lindholm, ANA vs. BUF ($4,500): Lindholm recorded a personal-best 13 goals in 69 games last season, and has tallied 30 points in three of his five previous campaigns. The 24-year-old is off to a hot start to this season, with seven points through eight contests. The Sabres really struggled on the road last year with a 3.44 GAA, and are also playing their second game in as many nights.
T.J. Brodie, CGY at NYR ($4,300): Brodie is back skating on Calgary's top pair along Mark Giordano, which is good for his fantasy potential. On that front, he has notched four points in seven games. As previously noted, the Rangers recorded a 3.21 GAA last year – fourth highest in the NHL – and gave up a whopping 35.3 shots on net per contest.
