NHL DraftKings Picks: Sunday Main Slate (November 8)

Penguins–Ducks carries the slate. The Ducks' 3.6 implied goals are the highest on the board, the Penguins sit at 3.4, and the game total is 7.0. The Lightning and the Devils follow at 3.5 implied goals each, tied for second highest, in Lightning–Jets and Devils–Maple Leafs. Four regular-season games make up Sunday's main slate, which locks at 6:00 PM ET.

Every goalie on the slate is a projected starter. Dan Vladar (DK $7,600) projects for the Flyers against the Flames, and his 12.2 Hero Projection ranks first at the position. Connor Hellebuyck (DK $7,900) projects for the Devils against Anthony Stolarz (DK $7,500) and the Maple Leafs, with the Devils at a 59% win chance. Andrei Vasilevskiy (DK $8,200) projects for the Lightning against the Jets, and Ville Husso (DK $8,000) and Arturs Silovs (DK $7,400) are the projected pair in Penguins–Ducks.

Injury Watch

• Kirill Marchenko (Maple Leafs, out)
• Bryan Rust (Penguins, out)
• Josh Morrissey (Jets, out)
• Troy Terry (Ducks, out)
• Morgan Rielly (DK $4,400) (Maple Leafs, day-to-day)
• Rasmus Ristolainen (Flyers, out)
• Brennan Othmann (DK $2,500) (Flames, day-to-day)
• Jonathan Huberdeau (Flames, out)

Top Stacks

ANA PP1 vs PIT (DK $31,200)

Players: Cutter Gauthier (DK $7,700); Beckett Sennecke (DK $6,400); Leo Carlsson (DK $6,500); Jackson LaCombe (DK $5,600); Mikael Granlund (DK $5,000)

The Ducks stack projects 62.3 points with 25.0% average ownership, a 28.1% optimal rate and 1.99 value. It is Stack IQ's top stack, built on the Ducks' 3.6 implied goals in a 7.0-total game. The unit joins the Ducks' line 1 pair of Carlsson and LaCombe with the line 2 trio of Gauthier, Sennecke and Granlund. Granlund posted 14.1 against the Flames on November 6 and carries a 15.2 average over his last three.

TBL PP1 vs WPG (DK $31,000)

Players: Nikita Kucherov (DK $8,500); Jake Guentzel (DK $7,000); Brayden Point (DK $6,300); John Carlson (DK $4,900); Charle-Edouard D'Astous (DK $4,300)

The Lightning stack projects 54.4 points with 13.0% average ownership, a 14.5% optimal rate and 1.77 value. The Lightning carry 3.5 implied goals, tied for second highest, and Kucherov, Guentzel and Point all play line 1 as well as PP1. Guentzel scored twice against the Wild on November 7 for 38.5 and carries a 15.4 average over his last three, while D'Astous posted 28.6 in that same game with a 12.7 last-three average. Point adds a 13.7 average over his last three.

PIT PP1 vs ANA (DK $27,300)

Players: Rickard Rakell (DK $6,300); Sidney Crosby (DK $6,200); Erik Karlsson (DK $5,800); Ben Kindel (DK $4,200); Tommy Novak (DK $4,800)

The Penguins stack projects 51.9 points with 13.7% average ownership, an 11.2% optimal rate and 1.93 value. The Penguins carry 3.4 implied goals in the 7.0-total game, and the unit pairs line 1's Rakell, Crosby and Karlsson with line 2's Kindel and Novak. Crosby scored twice against the Kings on November 7 for 21.5, and Novak posted 21.3 in that game with a 15.1 average over his last three. At DK $27,300, it costs the least of the three stacks.

Center

Jack Hughes (DK $8,200)

Hughes scored the overtime winner against the Islanders on November 7, added a power-play assist and finished with 24.0 DraftKings points. That game sits inside a 29.5 average over his last three, against a 17.6 season average. He faces the Maple Leafs on line 2 and PP1.

The Devils carry 3.5 implied goals, tied for second highest on the slate. He carries a 16.2 projection and a 26.4% optimal rate, and he is a popular play.

Leo Carlsson (DK $6,500)

Carlsson plays line 1 and PP1 for the Ducks against the Penguins, on the team with the slate's highest implied total. His newest game, against the Flames on November 6, brought a goal on the man advantage and an assist for 15.0, behind a 12.1 projection. The crowd has found him, and his 16.4% optimal rate also ranks third.

Nico Hischier (DK $5,400)

Hischier skates on the Devils' line 1 and PP1 against the Maple Leafs. He put six shots on goal against the Islanders on November 7 for 17.0, with a 9.2 average over his last three. A well-liked mid-priced center, he carries a 27.8 ceiling and a 14.5% optimal rate.

Wing

Cutter Gauthier (DK $7,700)

Gauthier scored the game-winner against the Flames on November 6 for 14.5 DraftKings points, and his last three games average 25.8 against a 17.0 season average. He plays line 2 and PP1 for the Ducks against the Penguins.

The Ducks' 3.6 implied goals top the slate. Gauthier carries a 16.9 projection and a 25.2% optimal rate, and the field is on him at wing.

Nikita Kucherov (DK $8,500)

A goal and an assist on the power play, the overtime winner among them, gave Kucherov 30.0 against the Wild on November 7, with nine shots. His last-three average is 16.8, and he plays line 1 and PP1 against the Jets. He is 16.1% owned with a 16.8% optimal rate.

Beckett Sennecke (DK $6,400)

Sennecke plays line 2 and PP1 for the Ducks against the Penguins and carries a 14.9% optimal rate. He scored twice against the Oilers on November 5 for 32.3, then had two assists against the Flames on November 6 for 14.5, and his last-three average is 24.3. A field favorite, he carries a 12.5 projection.

Defense

Jackson LaCombe (DK $5,600)

LaCombe holds line 1 and PP1 for the Ducks against the Penguins. His last-three average is 13.1 against a 10.2 season average.

The field and the Hero Projection meet on LaCombe at defense, where he is the most popular play. He carries a 10.7 projection and a 12.8% optimal rate, and he posted 14.9 with three blocked shots against the Flames on November 6.

Erik Karlsson (DK $5,800)

The Penguins carry 3.4 implied goals against the Ducks, and Karlsson skates on their line 1 and PP1. His 24.8 ceiling sits close to the 24.5 of Jackson LaCombe (DK $5,600) at the top of the position. His 12.2% optimal rate ranks second at defense.

Luke Hughes (DK $5,000)

Hughes skates on the Devils' line 1 and PP2 against the Maple Leafs. He scored and added an assist against the Blues on November 5 for 16.5, then posted 6.5 against the Islanders on November 7, and his last-three average is 10.3. His 10.4% optimal rate ranks third at defense.

Goalie

Dan Vladar (DK $7,600)

Vladar was in line for the Flyers' start against the Flames as of Sunday, and the Flyers carry a 52% win chance. His 12.2 projection ranks first at goalie.

The field and the Hero Projection agree on Vladar, the slate's most popular goalie. He carries a 28.9 ceiling and a 16.7% optimal rate.

Connor Hellebuyck (DK $7,900)

Hellebuyck was in line for the Devils' start against the Maple Leafs, and he carries a 14.3% optimal rate with the Devils at a 59% win chance. He won against the Blues on November 5 for 11.6, and his 11.3 projection ranks third at goalie.

Andrei Vasilevskiy (DK $8,200)

The Lightning are favored against the Jets, and Vasilevskiy is their projected goalie. He made 25 saves in a win over the Blackhawks on November 5 for 20.0, with a 13.5 average over his last three. He is 8.8% owned with a 10.4% optimal rate, a leverage play for Build & Sim to size.

What The Market Is Saying

The market builds around Penguins–Ducks, pointing to the Ducks' run of overs and to Arturs Silovs (DK $7,400) in the Penguins' net, and it treats Cutter Gauthier (DK $7,700) as its default Ducks skater and Jack Hughes (DK $8,200) as its top Devils play. DFS Hero agrees: Stack IQ puts the Ducks' PP1 on top, Gauthier carries a 25.2% optimal rate and Hughes a 26.4% optimal rate. The market splits on Lightning–Jets and on Flyers–Flames, and it keys on back-to-backs for the Lightning, the Devils and the Penguins. DFS Hero has Nikita Kucherov (DK $8,500) at a 16.8% optimal rate. DFS Hero has Dan Vladar (DK $7,600) at a 16.7% optimal rate.

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