This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
GOALIE
Kari Lehtonen, DAL at NJ ($7,800) – The Devils have lost four of their past five and have scored just three goals in their past two, and seeing how the Stars pumped six goals past the Sharks, the Devils will have to score a lot more to have a winning chance. That's a pretty tall order for the Eastern Conference's weakest offensive team. To his credit, Lehtonen has been brilliant recently, limiting the Blackhawks and Sharks to a combined three goals in three games.
CENTER
Sidney Crosby, PIT vs. PHI ($9,300) – You can't go wrong going with the league's best player, a guy who's scored seven goals in his past five games and tormented his in-state rival throughout his career with a whopping 84 points in 58 career games. The Flyers' more creative linguists will try and get under Crosby's skin, but as one of the league's most competitive players, that's the kind of stuff that can kick his play to another level. There's little reason to believe that Claude Giroux, who's been bothered by his hip all season, or Sean Couturier can keep Crosby in check for the full game.
Mark Scheifele, WPG vs. VAN ($7,800) – He's an elite center to everyone except for those that are skeptical he can maintain his current scoring pace, but even if you look past Scheifele's ability, he's often playing alongside one of Blake Wheeler, Nikolaj Ehlers or Patrik Laine. The Canucks' defensemen are banged up and lack the foot speed to keep pace with the Jets' faster players, not to mention they're playing the second half of a back-to-back. Even though Scheifele failed to register a point against Anaheim on Friday, he's scored a goal and six assists in his past six games, and has played at least 20 minutes in four of those.
WING
Jamie Benn, DAL at NJ ($7,600) – He's scored a goal and two assists in his past two games, and the Devils are expected to start backup Keith Kinkaid. The Stars have had a tough season, but Benn has still been very productive with 66 points in 69 games, and keep in mind the Stars have practically been eliminated from the playoff race. In most cases, this allows a team to play with a little less pressure and a little more freely, which can be a boon for a very quick and talented Stars offense.
Phil Kessel, PIT vs. PHI ($7,200) – Kessel's 28 power-play points are a career high and an 11-point improvement over last year's production. Even though the Pens have a playoff spot locked up, home ice advantage is still up for grabs in the Metro Division, so there's definitely something worth playing for. It's unlikely Mike Sullivan will reduce the ice time of his star players down the stretch, so look for Phil to cash in Sunday against the Pens' cross-state rival.
Mathieu Perreault, WPG vs. VAN ($5,200) – He's a notoriously streaky scorer who's hot right now with three goals and five assists in his past five games, and the Canucks shouldn't pose too much of a challenge. Playing on a line with Scheifele and Wheeler is also helping a lot; the two big forwards demand a lot of attention, which gives Perreault the opportunity to sneak behind opposing defenses and find some open ice. He's also been very effective against the Canucks throughout his career with 11 points in 12 career games.
Brett Ritchie, DAL at NJ ($3,500) – He was a pure goal-scorer in junior, and in his fourth season as a pro, has finally found some success in the NHL. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, his size poses an obviously problem to a defense that isn't particularly mean or physical, but, more importantly, Ritchie seems to have the scoring touch lately with two goals in his past four games. More importantly, he's been entrusted by Lindy Ruff with a little more ice time, skating at least 15 minutes in each of his past four games, which is much higher than his season average of 12:48. He's a viable option for fantasy owners looking for a cheap winger with some upside.
DEFENSE
Justin Schultz, PIT vs. PHI ($6,300) – He played a whopping 29 minutes against the Senators, registering six shots and three blocked shots, then played 24 minutes the next night against the Islanders and blocked another three shots. With Kris Letang still nursing an injury, Schultz has become a workhorse for the Pens, and a date against one of the conference's weaker defensive teams should provide some offensive opportunities, especially if the Flyers start piling up the penalties.
Troy Stecher, VAN at WPG ($3,900) – He's been one of Vancouver's most consistent defensemen this season despite being a rookie, and has scored at least four points per month since November. He has an assist in three straight games and is Willie Desjardins' preferred right-hand quarterback on the power play. There are no guarantees with Stecher, but he's been playing well all season and comes at a bargain price.
