This article is part of our FantasyDraft NHL series.
Be ready to get your lineups in early Sunday. There are five games on the slate, and the earliest puck drops at 5:00 ET. To build your best team before the late afternoon games begin, I recommend considering some of the players below.
GOALIE
Los Angeles Kings, LOS vs. VGK ($14,400): The Kings played Saturday, but they used backup Darcy Kuemper in net. That means Jonathan Quick (2.31 GAA, .930 save percentage) will likely be tending goal against the Golden Knights. After a hot start, Vegas is 4-5-1 in its last 10 games, and the Golden Knights have only managed 29.5 shots on net per game. A goalie like Quick is well worth a shot at this price.
CENTER
Mathew Barzal, NYI at CAR ($11,100): Barzal has 18 points in 19 games, including six with the extra man. The rookie has been helped by the fact that he's started 60.2 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, the second most on the Islanders. Cam Ward will likely be in net for the Hurricanes, and though he has a .920 save percentage in four games this year, he hasn't had a save percentage higher than .910 in his last five seasons.
Henrik Zetterberg, DET vs. COL ($10,700): The Avalanche are going to be on the road for a second night of a back-to-back, and they have a team GAA of 3.35 even before they gave up five goals Saturday. Zetterberg, meanwhile, gets to be well-rested for this contest. He's notched 12 points through 20 games, but he's also put 50 shots on net.
WING
Jakob Silfverberg, ANH vs. FLA ($12,000): Like Colorado, the Panthers are going to be on the road for the second night of a back-to-back. They also rank in the bottom two in team GAA and shots allowed per game. Silfverberg has put 63 shots on net in 18 games, and he's tallied five goals in that time. That's not bad, but his 7.9 shooting percentage is also likely to increase.
Tyler Toffoli, LA at VGK ($9,900): With a goal and an assist Saturday, Toffoli now has 10 points in his last 11 games. He's also put 80 shots on net over 21 contests. Malcolm Subban may finally be able to return for Vegas, but while he's better than Max Lagace, he's still far from proven in net. He definitely shouldn't scare you away from selecting Toffoli for your lineup.
Gustav Nyquist, DET vs. COL ($9,400): Nyquist has started 60.2 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, most among Detroit's regular forwards. That has helped him average 11.20 fantasy points per game to this point. With Semyon Varlamov having played Saturday, Sunday will likely see Jonathan Bernier (3.71 GAA, .887 save percentage) getting the start. That's a point in Goose's favor.
DEFENSEMEN
Ryan McDonagh, NYR vs. OTT ($10,000): McDonagh doesn't have a goal yet, but he's put 38 shots on goal, so eventually one is going to go in. Plus, he does have 12 assists, including three on the power play. Ottawa is another team stuck playing on the second night of a back-to-back on the road. They will likely start Craig Anderson, and while he's been good in his career, he's struggled this year (2.92 GAA, .898 save percentage).
Jaccob Slavin, CAR vs. NYI ($7,600): Slavin has six points this season, but he's still had a good fantasy season in part because he's notched 39 shots on net and 40 blocked shots in 18 games. The Islanders had allowed 32.2 shots on goal per contest before they gave up 39 to Tampa Bay on Saturday. New York will also likely be starting Halak, who has a 3.05 GAA and a .898 save percentage this year.
