This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
The dramatic seesaw battle between the Hurricanes and Bruins continues at noon EDT. David Pastrnak's absence leaves a huge hole, Dougie Hamilton is back with a vengeance and the calls have been controversial. With last change on "home ice," look for the Hurricanes to try and get Sebastian Aho's line away from Patrice Bergeron. Note this game will not be available in the featured Classic contest.
The Avalanche needed a late goal in Game 2, but they're up 2-0 in a series they're already heavily favored. Don't be surprised to see Antti Raanta in net in this back-to-back matchup. The Knights find themselves in a similar situation with an overtime in Game 2 and could easily go up 3-0 against the Blackhawks. It seems like they have a win-and-you're-in situation, so expect Robin Lehner to start until they lose.
The Jackets-Lightning series has proved to be the tightest, as they've combined for nine goals in 11 periods of play. There's not much upside in this matchup for managers looking for offense, especially with the Lightning still missing Steven Stamkos.
GOALIES
Philipp Grubauer, COL vs. ARI ($8,100): He's no less of a sure thing than Vegas's starter, so the slight discount in salary makes Grubauer worthwhile. Save a little here, spend a little elsewhere. The drawback is the Avs will probably dominate possession time, so Grubauer might have trouble racking up the saves.
Joonas Korpisalo, CLS vs. TB ($7,600): The Jackets' defense has been good enough to shut down elite offensive players so it's unlikely they'll allow a lot of goals anyway, but Korpisalo is on a historically good run. No doubt Tampa's offense is more talented, but that's good for the Finn because he'll see a lot of shots - and has already hit the 35+ Saves bonus in both games.
VALUE PLAYS
Alexandre Texier, CLS vs. TB ($3,200): Pierre-Luc Dubois' running mate has been excellent with an assist in each game. The Jackets may not score a lot, but when they do it's been coming from Dubois' line. Everyone plays a two-way game in Columbus, so Texier has also been blocking more shots than usual.
Chandler Stephenson, VGK vs. CHI ($3,100): He played more than 20 minutes in Max Pacioretty's absence and finished with two shots and two blocked shots. Stephenson's not a top-six talent, but he's going to get plenty of playing time on a line Peter DeBoer really trusts.
Tyson Jost, COL vs. ARI ($2,500): Jost replaced Joonas Donskoi in Game 2 and might end up with an even bigger role if Vladislav Namestnikov is unfit to play in Game 3. Jost produced three shots and scored a goal in 10 minutes in his first appearance of the series. He also led the Avs with a 75.0 CF% at even strength in Game 2, according to Natural Stat Trick.
STACKS
Avalanche vs. Coyotes
Nazem Kadri (C - $5,300), Valeri Nichushkin (W - $3,300), Gabriel Landeskog (W - $5,700)
If Namestnikov is out, then expect Jared Bednar to juggle his lines and that could mean moving Landeskog back to Nathan MacKinnon's line and promoting either Jost or Andre Burakovsky ($4,500). The Avs' offense has been pretty balanced and rolling out the second line could be just as good as the first line in a low-scoring series.
Blue Jackets vs. Lightning
Pierre-Luc Dubois (C - $5,000), Alexandre Texier (W - $3,200), Oliver Bjorkstrand (W - $4,900)
Dubois *is* the Jackets' offense, so any scoring they do means the puck was on his stick at some point. Bjorkstrand is an underrated shooter who has scored a goal in both games.
Golden Knights vs. Blackhawks
Paul Stastny (C - $4,500), Reilly Smith (W - $5,300), Jonathan Marchessault (W - $6,300)
There were concerns whether Stastny could supply the offensive ability to play with two crafty wingers, but those doubts were quelled in Game 2. Smith and Marchessault have been excellent, and right now they're Vegas's best line.
DEFENSEMEN
Cale Makar, COL vs. ARI ($6,000): Even though Makar has scored one more point, he comes at a pretty significant discount to Shea Theodore ($6,800). Theodore plays more minutes and blocks more shots, but Makar's offensive upside is arguably higher. Also, they are two best power-play quarterbacks available today.
Seth Jones, CLS vs. TB ($5,500) and Zach Werenski, CLS vs. TB ($5,500): Werenski offers a bit more offensive upside and Jones usually blocks more shots, but the difference between the two is marginal. They're both solid picks just based on their ice time.
David Savard, CLS vs. TB ($4,000): Savard leads all defensemen in the playoffs with 36 blocked shots and ranks second with 11.01 BkS/60, so he should easily hit the 3+ Blocked Shots bonus. That's about all you're looking for with Savard, but he's very dependable. Vladislav Gavrikov ($2,800) represents another option if managers are looking for a cheaper shot blocker.
