This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
A pair of Central Division matchups highlight a rather busy Sunday, with the Blues hosting the Avalanche and the Blackhawks hosting the Stars in the second half of a back-to-back series. With playoff races getting tighter each year, these intra-divisional games become all the more important, and coaches often preach the importance of defense in these tough matchups. That doesn't mean they games won't feature a lot of goals –- it just means opportunities may be harder to come by.
Perhaps DFS players may find more wide-open scoring opportunities to capitalize on in Carolina, with the Hurricanes facing a mediocre Devils team that has chosen to rest Cory Schneider, and in Anaheim, where the Ducks play host to a tired Flames team that doesn't seem to be playing with much confidence.
GOALIE
Jake Allen, STL vs. COL ($8,400): Allen has allowed nine goals in his past two starts and his season numbers aren't very good, which is why he comes at such a discount despite playing against a very beatable opponent. Despite ceding the starting job to Brian Elliott for stretches last year, it's rare for Allen to have a poor stretch of games. Defensively, the Avs have improved despite shaky goaltending, but through the first month of the season can't seem to generate much offense.
CENTER
Artem Anisimov, CHI vs. DAL ($5,600): He's still shown no signs of slowing down and remains the league's scoring leader with 15 points in 12 games, and the odds of
A pair of Central Division matchups highlight a rather busy Sunday, with the Blues hosting the Avalanche and the Blackhawks hosting the Stars in the second half of a back-to-back series. With playoff races getting tighter each year, these intra-divisional games become all the more important, and coaches often preach the importance of defense in these tough matchups. That doesn't mean they games won't feature a lot of goals –- it just means opportunities may be harder to come by.
Perhaps DFS players may find more wide-open scoring opportunities to capitalize on in Carolina, with the Hurricanes facing a mediocre Devils team that has chosen to rest Cory Schneider, and in Anaheim, where the Ducks play host to a tired Flames team that doesn't seem to be playing with much confidence.
GOALIE
Jake Allen, STL vs. COL ($8,400): Allen has allowed nine goals in his past two starts and his season numbers aren't very good, which is why he comes at such a discount despite playing against a very beatable opponent. Despite ceding the starting job to Brian Elliott for stretches last year, it's rare for Allen to have a poor stretch of games. Defensively, the Avs have improved despite shaky goaltending, but through the first month of the season can't seem to generate much offense.
CENTER
Artem Anisimov, CHI vs. DAL ($5,600): He's still shown no signs of slowing down and remains the league's scoring leader with 15 points in 12 games, and the odds of a strong goaltending performance from Kari Lehtonen seem rather slim. The two teams played each other Saturday with Chicago coming out on top with a 3-2 win, and having to play a back-to-back, home-and-home series with a depleted lineup should again tilt the scales in Chicago's favor.
Paul Stastny, STL vs. COL ($5,400): Despite being the "third-line" center, Stastny continues to get first-line ice time, finishing with 20:49 against Columbus on Saturday. The Avs don't have the depth to match the Blues, which means that if Patrik Berglund and Jori Lehtera draw the Avs' top two lines, that gives Stastny all kinds of opportunities to take Mikhail Grigorenko or John Mitchell to school. Stastny will be playing alongside the talented Robby Fabbri, who has just three assists this season but otherwise played well, which means it's only a matter of time before the points come flooding in.
WING
Patrick Kane, CHI vs. DAL ($8,400): If Kane had no problem against Antti Niemi on Saturday, he should be just fine with Kari Lehtonen on Sunday. The league's reigning scoring champion is on a three-game point streak and showing no signs of slowing down. The Blackhawks' depth has taken a hit over the past few seasons due to cap issues, which means that Joel Quenneville will lean on Kane even more –- he's averaging two more minutes of playing time than last year.
Jeff Skinner, CAR vs. NJ ($6,800):Keith Kinkaid is expected to start for the Devils, so that's a nice bit of relief for the Hurricanes offense. It shouldn't make much of a difference to Skinner, anyway, as the speedy forward is climbing back up to elite status with six goals and 12 points this season, putting whatever issues that plagued him in years past behind him.
Taylor Hall, NJ at CAR ($6,500): Hall has averaged five shots per game over his past four games –- including 14 against Tampa Bay and Florida –- showing a concerted effort to score even though he's not getting the bounces. He's been held without a goal during that span, but with such a high shooting volume, that cold streak should end against Eddie Lack, who's allowed 12 goals in three appearances this year.
J.T. Miller, NYR vs. WPG ($5,200): Perhaps it's because he didn't really stand out during his days with the U.S. National Development Team or didn't have an illustrious major junior career, but people often forget that Miller was the 15th overall pick in the 2011 draft. He had to work his way into the lineup, but the Rangers' patience and his own willingness to earn his keep has paid off. He's off to a great start with 12 points in 12 games, and will be facing a Jets defense without Tyler Myers, so notching a point or two despite limited ice time isn't unreasonable to expect.
DEFENSE
Dustin Byfuglien, WPG at NYR ($6,400): He's played over 30 minutes in two of his past three games and will continue to be leaned on heavily by the Jets as they deal with injuries to their blue line. He'll have his hands full trying to contain the league's best offense, but the Jets offense is talented as well, and if there's any defenseman on Winnipeg that should be able to capitalize, it's Byfuglien. With the amount of ice time he gets, he's bound to produce a few shots, hits and, hopefully, some points.
Sami Vatanen, ANH vs. CGY ($5,200): Very quietly, Vatanen is putting together an excellent season with seven points in 12 games, five of which came on the power play. The Flames laid a egg Saturday, conceding 39 shots and five goals to one of the league's worst offensive teams, which bodes well for Anaheim as they face a tired and deflated team.
