Daily Fantasy Hockey 2015: Best NHL DFS DraftKings Lineup for Feb. 15

The 2014-15 NHL regular season rolls along with a five-game slate on Sunday, largely including marquee matchups but also featuring a couple of struggling teams hoping to find some momentum. With those in mind, here's the ideal fantasy lineup to craft for Feb. 15 on DraftKings.

Pos.	Player	Opp (OPRK)	FPPG	Price
C	Claude Giroux, PHI	at BUF (30th)	4.3	$6,900
C	Valtteri Filppula, TB	at SJ (20th)	2.4	$4,400
W	Wayne Simmonds, PHI	at BUF (30th)	3.3	$6,400
W	Ryan Callahan, TB	at SJ (23rd)	3.2	$5,300
W	Jaden Schwartz, STL	at FLA (20th)	3.7	$4,900
D	Victor Hedman, TB	at SJ (26th)	3.3	$5,400
D	Sami Vatanen, ANH	WAS (23rd)	3.3	$4,600
G	Brian Elliott, STL	at FLA (28th)	4.9	$8,100
Util	Sean Couturier, PHI	at BUF (30th)	2.2	$3,500

Flyers C Claude Giroux ($6,900)

Alex Brandon/Associated Press

The Philadelphia Flyers travel to face the reeling Buffalo Sabres on Sunday evening, which sets up a dream-like scenario for the Flyers' offensive standouts, and center Claude Giroux should be leading the charge.

The Flyers' captain broke a three-game point drought last Sunday, adding three helpers on the team's recent road trip. Having not scored a goal since Jan. 20, he'll be intent on attacking the net and getting back among the goals with a favorable matchup.

On top of the Sabres' incredible struggles, they also haven't hit the ice since Tuesday, leading to inevitable rust against an offensively potent foe.

Lightning W Ryan Callahan ($5,300)

LM Otero/Associated Press

While taking the NHL by storm with one of the most surprising records, the Lightning have received big-time play from recently acquired winger Ryan Callahan that should continue against the San Jose Sharks on Sunday.

Callahan hasn't impacted the scoresheet in his two games this week, but he previously had a spurt of four points in three games. Only one of his 16 season goals came in the last 10 games, but he has no trouble contributing in other areas, as shown by the team's Twitter account:

The Sharks have endured serious struggles on defense as of late, having conceded four or more goals in three of their last four outings. They have lost their last two games with Alex Stalock in goal, and with Antti Niemi having made five straight appearances, Stalock is likely going to feature on Sunday for the Lightning to feast on.

Lightning D Victor Hedman ($5,400)

Chris O'Meara/Associated Press

For all of the Sharks' struggles defensively, they rank even worse against opposing defenseman (26th) than they do against wingers (23rd). So with Tampa Bay in position to let its blueliners have at it, Victor Hedman should be easy money.

G	A	BS	TOI/G	FPPG
2	3	20	23.4	3.2

The Lightning's leading defenseman gets in on the scoring, having netted seven goals along with 18 assists thus far this season. As long as the team's offense is clicking, Hedman is one of the main beneficiaries.

But the key to consistent contribution from defensemen hinges in total ice time, and Hedman leads all Lightning skaters in that category. Averaging 23.4 minutes per game over his last 10, Hedman should get plenty of looks against a porous Sharks defense.

Blues G Brian Elliott ($8,100)

Billy Hurst/Associated Press

With the St. Louis Blues facing off against the hapless Florida Panthers on Sunday, the question isn't whether to go with a Blues goaltender but which one will get the starting nod. Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch had that scoop, saying Brian Elliott will be in net:

And the Blues—along with fantasy aficionados—wouldn't have it any other way. 

Elliott is actually the cheaper option of the two goalies, with Jake Allen a bit more expensive, but the team's best goalie will be between the pipes. Elliott is a whopping 17-7-2 on the season, and his 4.9 fantasy points per game trumps that of any consistent starter playing on Sunday.

The Panthers haven't scored more than once in their last two outings, and Elliott is destined to make it three.

Flyers C Sean Couturier ($3,500)

Tom Mihalek/Associated Press

After spending big on a couple of can't-miss studs earlier in the lineup, the utility selection begs for a cheap option with the potential of going off. Oh hey! There's Sean Couturier.

The Flyers have three centers (Giroux, Vincent Lecavalier and Brayden Schenn), but Couturier has as many goals—two—in his last 10 games as those three forwards combined. On the second line with Wayne Simmonds and Matt Read, he'll have more chances to get in on the scoring against the struggling Sabres.