This article is part of our FantasyDraft NHL series.
There are a lot of NHL games Sunday -- but not for daily fantasy purposes. Six of the 10 games are starting in the afternoon, which means there are only eight teams worth of players to choose from for your lineup. Still, there are decisions to make, and hopefully I can make your decisions easier.
GOALIE
Vegas Golden Knights, VGK vs. NYR ($16,500): The Golden Knights, who are 9-1-0 in their last 10 games, play at home, where they have a sterling 17-2-1 record. Their already stellar odds of picking up a win only increase with the Rangers competing on the road for the second night of a back-to-back. Additionally, at home, Vegas boasts a stellar 2.20 team GAA, despite of all the injuries they've suffered in goal.
CENTER
Brayden Point, TAM at DET ($13,000): Point has been on a tear since the beginning of December. In the 16 games he's played in that time, he's notched 15 points and 41 shots on net. Jimmy Howard has been ruled out for the Wings in this one. Petr Mrazek (3.64 GAA, .892 save percentage) will be in goal, which should benefit Point.
Erik Haula, VGK vs. NYR ($12,000): The Rangers decided to start Henrik Lundqvist on Saturday, which means Ondrej Pavelec will likely start Sunday. He has a .924 save percentage this year, but Pavelec has a career .907 save percentage. Haula has 15 goals in 36 games, and in his last 14 tilts, he's tallied 14 points (seven goals, seven assists).
WING
Max Pacioretty, MTL vs. VAN ($12,600): Pacioretty has had as much bad luck as anybody this season. He's only scored nine goals on 159 shots, giving him a 5.7 shooting percentage that is almost guaranteed to improve. The Canucks had a team GAA of 3.25 before their game Saturday night, and they also have the 27th-ranked penalty kill. Pacioretty has averaged 3:00 per game with the extra man, so maybe that's where he will finally find some fortune.
Reilly Smith, VGK vs. NYR ($10,500): Smith has been moved up to the top-line right wing for the Golden Knights, and his play recently has been in line with that sort of player. In his last seven games, he's notched nine points, and he hasn't gone more than three tilts without a point all season. As previously noted, the Rangers will be on the road for the second night of a back-to-back with Pavelec expected in net.
Andreas Athanasiou, DET vs. TAM ($9,300): Normally, the Lightning aren't a good matchup, but this time around, things are different. Tampa Bay is on the road for the second night of a back-to-back, and since Andrei Vasilevskiy gave up six goals Saturday night, Louis Domingue and his 4.33 GAA probably will be in net. Athanasiou has been quite busy recently, as he's scored four goals on 24 shots in his last five outings.
DEFENSEMEN
Mikhail Sergachev, TAM at DET ($10,000): After cooling down a bit, the Russian rookie has three points in his last four games. In 41 contests, he has 26 points, 11 of which have come on the power play. Of course, he's been helped by the fact he's started a whopping 70.6 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone. As noted earlier, the Red Wings will be starting the struggling Petr Mrazek in this one.
Mike Green, DET vs. TAM ($9,200): Green is the one Red Wing blueliner who has managed to contribute offensively. He's notched 24 points, 20 of which have been assists, and he's tallied 82 shots on net. Additionally, 12 of his points have been of the power-play variety. The Lightning have been strong defensively, but on zero days of rest they have a team GAA of 4.00 and have allowed 35.7 shots on net per contest.
