Today’s NHL Sunday Slate Breakdown goes over Sunday’s four (4) game main slate, which will lock at 5:00 PM ET/2:00 PM PT.
I’m going to be copy/pasting this GPP process for every GPP article that I write this season.
Remember, the concept of playing GPPs is generally the same in all sports. Take some risks. Be a little different. Go for the win. In GPPs, if your lineups are cashing more often than not cashing, you’re probably doing it wrong.
People who have more winning nights than losing nights at GPPs are probably people who don’t take enough risks to get 1st, 2nd, or 3rd, which tends to be what you want to go for when you’re entering GPP tournaments. If you think doing so is “too risky” then I highly advise for you to stick to cash games.
When it comes to taking the necessary risks to get 1st, 2nd, or 3rd in these tournaments, you’re going to have to stack. Stacking in NHL means playing 2, 3, or 4 players from the same team who play on the same line (either at even strength or on the power-play).
As a whole, the most common stacks (not including goalie) that you’ll see on DraftKings is probably 4-3-1 or 3-3-2. The most common stacks that you’ll see on FanDuel is probably 4-4 or 4-3-1. Is that the way to go? Not necessarily. The bigger your stacks, the more risk you’re taking, but the bigger the upside. The smaller the stacks, the less risk you’re taking, but it comes with less upside.
The approach I am recommending EVERYONE takes this season is to start with a 3-2-1 stack and go from there. This means entering a 3 man stack, a 2 man stack, and a standalone player (doesn’t matter if it’s a C, W, or D), and then go from there. There’s a lot of different combinations you can go with after those six players are locked in. The possibilities are endless.
Please be sure to keep an eye on late news by looking at our NHL Team Beat Writers lists on Twitter by clicking here.
Beyond that, you should also absolutely use Left Wing Lock for lines by clicking here and goalie confirmations by clicking here.
Before I go through my favorite stacks of the day, let’s take a close look at the updated Pace of Play chart, which will include the overall pace (Corsi For and Corsi Against Per 60 Minutes) and as an added bonus, the high-danger “Pace of Play” (High Danger Corsi For + High Danger Corsi Against Per 60 Minutes). This will take a close look at the pace of play over the last two weeks. I’ve highlighted the specific game matchups in specific colors.
Stacks to Consider
With 4 lines and 2 power-play units per team, there are a lot of different options. I am listing eight (8) stacks that I think are very much in play today This does not include numerous VIABLE stack options. Please feel free to go outside of these stacks, but I promise you, I’ve narrowed down my list, and I do feel these are my favorite.
BOS1: David Pastrnak/Patrice Bergeron/Trent Frederic
Possible add-on: Matt Grzelcyk or Charlie McAvoy
Even with Brad Marchand on the COVID list, I do envision BOS1 garnering a great deal of ownership thanks to the overall cost of the line dropping down because of the min-priced Trent Frederic. I would just be cautious and definitely limit your shares. The last time the Devils and Bruins faced each other on a Sunday afternoon, the Bruins were shutout by Scott Wedgewood. Having watched a good amount of yesterday’s game against the Sabres, it does look evident that the absence of Brad Marchand can negatively impact numerous components of the Bruins gameplan.
CHI1: Patrick Kane/Pius Suter/Alex Debrincat
Possible add-on: Adam Boqvist or Calvin de Haan
The Kane/Suter/Debrincat combination has been reunited and they have been able to generate goals in three consecutive games. It’ll likely be Pekka Rinne in net for the Predators and with Juuse Saros in world class form, the Hawks will be thrilled to be able to avoid Saros. Looking at the advanced statistics from last night’s contest, the Hawks probably should have won, if it wasn’t for the stellar play between the pipes by Faros.
STL2: Jaden Schwartz/Brayden Schenn/Vladimir Tarasenko
Possible add-on: Torey Krug or Vince Dunn
I would be absolutely shocked if the Blues don’t avenge their brutal loss on Friday against the Ducks. I definitely agree that the effort is there, but they’ve certainly been snakebitten when it comes to scoring goals. Vladimir Tarasenko has been shooting like a mad man and is about as due as anyone for a goal. On Friday, the Blues definitely did not deserve to lose 4-1. While John Gibson is back for the Ducks, I am a major skeptic of Gibson considering what his underlying numbers have presented us over the last 1-2 months of play.
DAL1: Jason Robertson/Jason Dickinson/Joe Pavelski
Possible add-on: Miro Heiskanen or John Klingberg
I would say the most aggravating thing about the Stars is the fact that their lines literally have to change every single night because someone either is hurt, comes back to the lineup, or both. Will Roope Hintz play tonight? Well based on the trends, I would say he’s probably going to play even though he sat out last night with a lower body injury. If Hintz returns, I probably want a piece of his line since he seems to produce every single night he plays, and because his ownership will undoubtedly be low. Perhaps the best way to go is to play him with Robertson and Pavelski to get a big piece of the top power-play unit.
NSH1: Eeli Tolvanen/Ryan Johansen/Viktor Arvidsson
Possible add-on: Roman Josi or Mattias Ekholm
It’s going to be tough navigating things without Filip Forsberg, but this line featuring Tolvanen, Johansen, and Arvidsson definitely have potential to do damage (possibly on the power-play). They looked good on Saturday and are Nashville’s best path for goals.
FLA2: Carter Verhaeghe/Noel Acciari/Anthony Duclair
Possible add-on: Aaron Ekblad
With Dallas’s checking line featuring Cogliano/Faksa/Comeau matching up against the Huberdeau line, it makes a ton of sense to target the next best Panthers line. I suppose I can also say that’s part of why Carter Verhaeghe somehow got a hat-trick last night, but I’d be lying to you. Carter Verhaeghe is not going to net another hat-trick tonight, but he can easily be a small part of a winning DFS lineup tonight.
NJ2: Janne Kuokkanen/Travis Zajac/Yegor Sharangovich
Possible add-on: Ty Smith
It’s not easy to pick the line that will score goals for the Devils (especially when they get shutout, hah), but I really think if the lines remain in tact, it’s going to be their 2nd line featuring Janne Kuokkanen who has been a very consistent point producer this season, and Yegor Sharangovich, who continues to be the most aggressive Devil in the lineup.
Favorite Goalies
*Please check on the status of your goalies prior to lock
- Malcolm Subban, Blackhawks
- Jordan Binnington, Blues
- MacKenzie Blackwood, Devils (better GPP play)
- Jake Oettinger, Stars
- Jaroslav Halak, Bruins (lower because of shot volume and because it seems like the Devils match up very well against the Bruins)
- Chris Driedger, Panthers
Favorite Individual Plays
Top Studs: Patrick Kane, Vladimir Tarasenko, David Pastrnak
Possible Edge-Play: Roope Hintz (if he plays)
Top Defensemen: Matt Grzelcyk, John Klingberg
Possible Edge-Play: Vince Dunn
Top DraftKings Values below $4k: Kirby Dach, Radek Faksa, Trent Frederic, Yegor Sharangovich, Janne Kuokkanen, Steven Kampfer, Ty Smith
Top FanDuel Values below $4.5k: Pius Suter, Noel Acciari, Jason Robertson, Anthony Duclair, Trent Frederic, Matt Grzelcyk, Miro Heiskanen, Vince Dunn
Cash Game Core Four
DraftKings: Vladimir Tarasenko, Jason Robertson, Trent Frederic, Vince Dunn
FanDuel: Vladimir Tarasenko, Patrick Kane, Jason Robertson, Matt Grzelcyk
