It's Super Bowl Sunday! It's also three-game NHL slate Sunday!
Not sure which I am more excited about, but I'm hoping Peyton Manning gets the win despite that being highly unlikely. My prediction? 24-16 Carolina.
Here are my FanDuel picks for Sunday's small hockey slate.
Goalies
Braden Holtby, Washington Capitals, $9,700 – Holtby is the top goalie of the night, as he is in the biggest mismatch on the slate. The Capitals should win this game with ease, and their Vezina goalie should be worth every cent.
Other Options – Ben Scrivens, Jaroslav Halak
Forwards
Nicklas Backstrom, Washington Capitals, $7,200 – Backstrom comes into this game with a cheap price tag, a top line role next to Alexander Ovechkin, and a nice matchup against the weak Flyers, who struggle on the PK and at 5-vs-5. These are two areas that Backstrom and Ovechkin have thrived in over the years. Backstrom should be played over Ovy if you are picking one, given the need to peg down results stats rather than peripherals on FanDuel.
Jordan Eberle, Edmonton Oilers, $6,400 – Eberle has only skated ten 5-vs-5 minutes with McDavid, but I cannot see this combo not working out. He has racked up big points with McDavid in this small amount of time, as well as powerplay time seen together. Eberle is cheap, getting hot and should be underowned, since Edmonton is not one of the chalk teams on the slate.
Mikhail Grabovski, New York Islanders, $5,500 – In 60 minutes with Tavares, Grabovski and the Isles have over 80 CF/60, and over a 60% CF. Is this sustainable? Likely not, but it is a sign of great chemistry between the two, and until these signs change you should probably target Grabovski at this dirt cheap price tag against the weak Oilers defense.
Other Options – Max Pacioretty, Eric Staal
Defensemen
John Carlson, Washington Capitals, $5,500 – Carlson has returned from injury and is back on the top powerplay for Washington, and perhaps this is the night that he breaks out? The Flyers have really struggled on the PK, and Carlson has been an elite PP defenseman all year long. It is only a matter of time before he starts putting up the numbers again coming off injury, and until that time comes, Carlson will remain too cheap. Any defenseman skating on the top PP unit can only go so many games without a PP point.
Other Options – Jeff Petry, Nick Leddy
Good luck in your games and enjoy the last game of the NFL season!