The St. Louis Blues are facing elimination at the Minnesota Wild while the Ottawa Senators are hosting the Montreal Canadiens tonight as the Sens continue their efforts of pulling off another miracle after falling 3-0 down in games to start the series. Here is our Sunday NHL Fantasy Pick Six and Sleeper. We’ll use Draft Kings prices.
C – Mikko Koivu – Minnesota
Koivu opened at $4,300. The Wild host the St. Louis Blues at 3 p.m. ET with coverage on NBC. Koivu is reflective of the Wild in that he is one of the most underrated players in the game just as Minnesota continues to be one of the most underrated teams in the NHL. Koivu has had a quiet playoff series so far with just one goal, one assist, and a minus-one but brings plenty of upside as a player capable of more and of standing out in a high pressure game such as today’s matchup.
RW – Vladimir Tarasenko – St. Louis
Tarasenko opened at $9,000. Tarasenko has proven to be the finisher that the Blues lacked in their playoff failure against Chicago last year. Tarasenko has six goals with one assist and a minus-one so far in the playoffs. The problem for the Blues is that Tarasenko has been their only reliable offensive player. With their season on the line we again call for the dominant right wing to light the lamp and the score sheet.
LW – Max Pacioretty –Montreal
Pacioretty opened at $8,500. The Canadiens are at the Ottawa Senators with a starting time of 6 p.m. ET and coverage on CBC and NBCSN. Pacioretty has been held in check so far in the playoffs with just one goal and a minus-two in four games. The Canadiens left wing scored 37 goals with 30 assists in the regular season and is due for a huge night.
D – Eric Karlsson – Ottawa
Karlsson opened at $8.700. Karlsson has been one of the most impressive players in the playoffs so far flashing a look reminiscent of the great Bobby Orr himself. Karlsson has one goal, three assists, and has led exciting offensive charges that bring the fans out of their seats. Long known as one of the top offensive defensemen in the game, Karlsson has featured a complete game that has made him one of the top players and most valuable commodities in the fantasy hockey market.
D – Mark Borowiecki – Ottawa
Borowiecki opened at $2,800. In order to clear cap space for Karlsson we’ll go with Borowiecki, who has been shut out so far in the playoffs with a minus-one after a solid regular season in which he had a goal, 10 assists, and a plus-15 in 63 games. Ottawa has seized the momentum in their series with the Canadiens and players such as Borowiecki could emerge as potential heroes. The atmosphere at the Canadian Tire Centre should be electric and spark another top effort by an upstart Senators team that rallied to make the playoffs after being pronounced dead in February.
G – Craig Anderson – Ottawa
Anderson opened at $8,900. Just as the Hamburglar, Andrew Hammond, saved the Senators season by backstopping their incredible regular season playoff push, Anderson may go down as the new goaltending hero in the playoffs for Ottawa. The Sens have won two in a row to get back into the series thanks in large part to Anderson, who has a sensational .976 save percentage in the playoffs so far. We expect another stellar effort by Anderson tonight and for the Sens to force a game seven at Montreal on Tuesday night. Keep in mind that before his injury, which opened the door for the Hamburglar, Anderson was considered one of the top goaltenders in the NHL.
Sleeper – Jay Bouwmeester – St. Louis
Bouwmeester opened at $2,900. If the Blues are to stave off elimination and avoid yet another playoff disaster Bouwmeester would figure to loom large. So far the Blues veteran rearguard had been disappointing in the playoffs with nothing registered on the score sheet. Players such as Bouwmeester are the ones that, more often than not, rise to the occasion when a team has its season on the line and we are banking on a solid game for him today.
