This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
GOALIE
Cory Crawford, CHI vs. STL ($8,800) – There aren't any obvious picks among Sunday's 'tenders, but Chicago has won eight of its last 10 and Crawford has won six of his past seven starts. The Blues have lost two straight with just three goals scored and have had shaky goaltending all year. Other than their excellent special teams, the Blues should be the underdog, and expected starter Jake Allen still hasn't found the consistency to be a dependable No. 1.
WINGERS
Patrick Kane, CHI vs. STL ($8,400) – Past results aren't indicative of future performance, but in the case of Kane vs. the Blues, the numbers are pretty hard to ignore. In 52 career games against the Blues, Kane has 18 goals, 49 points and 24 PIM. The normally tight-checking Blues just can't keep him in check.
Filip Forsberg, NSH vs. EDM ($7,300) – He's the league's hottest scorer with three straight three-point games, making him by far the most valuable fantasy player this week. What's even more amazing is that Forsberg has been frighteningly efficient, scoring seven goals on just 11 shots, which means that he can capitalize on opportunities even when they're rare.
Leon Draisaitl, EDM at NSH ($6,900) – He doesn't grab the headlines like you-know-who, but after a tough start to his NHL career, Draisaitl has quietly put together a great stretch where he's scored over 100 points in 134 games. He's scored three goals and four assists in his past six games, and of course playing with the league's most explosive center helps, but Draisaitl's developed into a premier player in his own right. Nashville is expected to start Pekka Rinne, but its surrendered 14 goals in the past three games.
Evander Kane, BUF at ARI ($6,000) – He's always one of the best bargains if only because he's so injury-prone, which makes his overall stats look mediocre. That being said, on a per-game basis Kane is one of the most complete wingers in the league as a guy that shoots the puck and plays the body a lot. When the puck is going in, there's little that can stop him, and he's certainly got the scoring touch right now with five goals in his past six games, during which he's also registered 18 shots. Despite being in Dan Bylsma's doghouse at times, Kane has played over 20 minutes in four of his past eight games, including 22:04 Saturday against Colorado.
CENTERS
Connor McDavid, EDM at NSH ($8,500) – The NHL's leading scorer no longer has to face Shea Weber when facing the Preds, and with his speed and agility, can easily slice and dice their defense. P.K. Subban is still prone to making one move too many, and Roman Josi hasn't been elite this season. The Predators are only average at limiting shots on net, and the Oilers are a very dangerous offensive team, ranking eighth in the league in shots per game with 31.0.
Aleksander Barkov, FLA vs. OTT ($6,900) – Is there any coincidence that the Panthers have gone 6-3 since Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau returned? There's no question he's Florida's top center, and certainly comparable to another two-way player Dale Tallon built his previous franchise around: Jonathan Toews. The difference is that Barkov's offensive ceiling is higher, and has increased his point-per-game output for the fourth straight season with 37 in 45 games. Craig Anderson has been brilliant all season, but a banged-up Senators team has been allowing a lot of shots without the services of some of its best two-way forwards, which provides ample opportunity for Barkov to score.
DEFENSE
Erik Karlsson, OTT at FLA ($7,000) – It's amazing that he's bought into Guy Boucher's shot-blocking strategy, yet continues to put up the numbers on offense he does. Karlsson has scored two goals and six assists in his past seven games, and has also blocked a total of 21 shots. Yes, Florida has been a different team since getting Barkov and Huberdeau back, but defensively they haven't been as good as expected.
Rasmus Ristolainen, BUF at ARI ($5,400) – With an assist Saturday against Colorado, Ristolainen extended his assist streak to six games, and is showing no signs of slowing down. Usually a player of his age will hit a wall at some point, but the 22-year-old has improved in each passing season, and is just two points behind Kyle Okposo in team scoring. He's a volume shooter in the same mold as Shea Weber in that he's never afraid to let bombs fly, which means he can still be quite productive even when he doesn't score.
