Here are the top against-the-grain selections for Sunday's seven-game slate:
C Steven Stamkos, Lightning (vs. Panthers)
The Panthers have lost consecutive games in the wake of their miraculous 12-game winning streak that stretched through the holiday season. Losing could become the new trend, as their Cosi For Percentage of 42.9 since the beginning of 2016 ranks last in the league.
Stamkos has been the victim of far more criticism than praise this season, though he has had back-to-back multi-point games with two goals and two assists. He has 17 shots on goal in his past four games, and his most recent outing was the first time in his past 10 games he didn't record multiple SOG.
W Jakub Voracek, Flyers (at Red Wings)
Voracek has struggled for any kind of offensive consistency this season, and he looks to record points in three consecutive games for just the third time on the year. He has one goal and three assists in his past two games, with a total of 12 SOG.
The Red Wings have been among the league's worst possession teams of late, providing Voracek with plenty of opportunities to shoot on Sunday.
D Justin Faulk, Hurricanes (at Penguins)
The Penguins have the league's seventh-best penalty-kill percentage, though they've taken more minor penalties than all but seven teams. They're coming off a 5-4 overtime loss to the Lightning, and they dropped their previous game by a score of 3-2 against the Hurricanes in overtime.
Faulk is a power-play specialist. He's recorded 16 of his 32 points for the season on the power play. He's scored 12 of his 14 goals with the man advantage. He's gone point-less in his past two games, but he'll be worth paying up for on Sunday.
G Eddie Lack, Hurricanes (at Penguins)
The Hurricanes are the third-best team in the league at suppressing opponent shots while on the road this season. They own a 53.0 Corsi For Percentage on the road, while the Penguins own a rate of 51.9 at home.
Lack has allowed more than two goals in just one of his past five games, going 3-1-1 over that stretch.
