Barkov and Huberdeau headline DFS plays Sunday

NHL Plays will highlight the best and the most underrated daily fantasy options among forwards, defensemen and goaltenders.  

Please note, these players were chosen early in the day, so make sure to check NBC Sports Edge’s player news for any lineup changes, injuries and potential changes in the crease for starting goaltenders.  

Additionally, it is worth reminding everyone that FanDuel allows you to roster nine players (2C, 2W, 2D, 2UTIL, 1G) with a salary cap of $55,000, while DraftKings has a cap of $50,000 for nine players (2C, 3W, 2D, 1G, 1UTIL). Yahoo has a $200 cap for nine players (2C, 3W, 2D, 2G).

Don’t forget, for everything NHL, check out NBCSportsEdge Player News, and follow @NBCSEdge HK and @mfinewaxhockey on Twitter.

There are four games in the NHL Sunday.

Forwards

Aleksander Barkov (Florida) – C – $8,200 (FanDuel), $8,000 (Draft Kings), $31 (Yahoo)

Barkov had an outstanding season with 26 goals and 58 points in only 50 games. He had a goal and eight points in eight games against the Lightning, the Panthers first-round opponent. Barkov is one of, if not the top two-way forwards in the NHL and will shift his game into an extra gear as his post-season begins.

Kirill Kaprizov (Minnesota) – W – $7,200 (FanDuel), $6,900 (DraftKings), $26 (Yahoo)

What a rookie campaign for the presumptive Calder Trophy winner. Kaprizov had 27 goals and 51 points in 55 games. The Golden Knight held him pointless in their first three games but he exploded in his last five contests with six goals and eight points. Vegas has to be wary of Kaprizov as he is capable of taking over the series with his offensive prowess.

Jonathan Huberdeau (Florida) -W- $7,700 (Fan Duel), $6,800 (Draft Kings), $28 (Yahoo)

Huberdeau sat out the Panthers final game of the season, but is expected to be in the lineup Sunday when the Lightning come to town. Huberdeau has been a top scorer in the NHL in each of the last three seasons and his 20 goals and 61 points this season included 24 points on the power play. He is a bargain in Draft Kings.

Bargain Bin: Sam Bennett (Florida) – C – $4,600 (FanDuel), $5,300 (Draft Kings), $18 (Yahoo) Jeff Carter (Pittsburgh) – C/W – $4,900 (FanDuel) $5,000 (DraftKings), $19 (Yahoo), Kevin Fiala (Minnesota) – W – $6,300 (FanDuel), $6,200 (Draft Kings), $20 (Yahoo)

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Defensemen: 

Alex Pietrangelo (Vegas) – $6,500 (FanDuel), $6,200 (DraftKings), $20 (Yahoo)

It wasn’t a great season for the talented Pietrangelo as he has only seven goals and 23 points in 41 games this year but he was outstanding offensively at the end of the season with three goals and five points in his last five games. He had only one goal against the Wild this season but that came in his last game on May 5. He had three goals and 19 points in 26 games when the Blues won the Cup in 2019, leading the NHL in assists with 16.

MacKenzie Weegar (Florida) – $4,200 (FanDuel), $5,300 (DraftKings), $18 (Yahoo)

Weegar came into his own this season and then took his game to another level when Aaron Ekblad suffered his season-ending injury. Weegar had six goals and 36 points in 54 games, by far his best season in the NHL. He had a goal and three assists against the Lightning this season and is now quarterbacking the Panthers second power play.

Bargain Bin:

Jack Rathbone (Vancouver) – $3,600 (FanDuel), $4,900 (DraftKings), $14 (Yahoo), Gustav Forsling (Florida) – $3,700 (FanDuel), $4,200 (Draft Kings), $17 (Yahoo)

Goaltenders: 

Marc-Andre Fleury (Vegas) – $8,300 (FanDuel), $8,200 (DraftKings), – $32 (Yahoo)

The Golden Knights need to get off to a good start against their nemesis, the Minnesota Wild, who were 5-1-2 against Vegas this season. Fleury was 3-3-0 against the Wild this season, giving up 14 goals on 172 shots. He was 26-10-0 with an outstanding 1.98 goals-against-average with a .928 save percentage as it was one of his best seasons in his NHL career.  

Other plays: Jacob Markstrom (Vancouver) – $16,500 (FanDuel), $7,500 (Draft Kings), – $31 (Yahoo)