This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
What's better than a Game 7? How about two Game 7s, including on that starts at 4 p.m. EDT. Friday's slate begins with a clash between Dallas and Colorado with Avs looking to complete the comeback after being down 3-1 in the series -- all while utilizing their third-string netminder. Meanwhile, the Flyers are hoping to pull off a similar comeback campaign and have used overtime in their last two matchups with the Islanders to force Game 7.
GOALIES
Michael Hutchinson, COL vs. DAL ($8,100): Since taking over for the injured Pavel Francouz, Hutchinson has performed well with a 1.86 GAA and .938 save percentage in three appearances (two starts, one relief). Backed up by an offense that's averaged a league-leading 4.00 goals for in the postseason, the netminder doesn't need to be perfect to grab another win, just good enough.
Thatcher Demko, VAN vs. VGK ($7,900): Since taking over for the injured Jacob Markstrom (undisclosed), Demko has faced a barrage of rubber but has been up to the task, stopping 90 of 91 shots faced (.989 save percentage) in two appearances. Even if he can't maintain his near-perfect form, Demko's value in Friday's slate will come from the sheer volume of shots he is likely going to face.
Marc-Andre Fleury, VGK vs. VAN ($7,600): There is no guarantee that Fleury will get the starting nod. However, the last time the Golden Knights had a postseason back-to-back, coach Pete DeBoer turned the crease over to "Flower". The coach will no doubt also be considering the fact that Robin Lehner ($7,800) conceded three goals on just 22 shots (.864 save percentage) in Game 6's defeat. In a Game 7 clash, it's hard to imagine the club not turning to its three-time Stanley Cup-winning netminder.
Anton Khudobin, DAL vs. COL ($7,600): In six games versus the Avs, Khudobin has struggled with a 3.38 GAA and .897 save percentage. Still, coach Rick Bowness opted against making fans and fantasy players wait for warmups, naming Khudobin the starter Thursday. At one point, it appeared Ben Bishop (undisclosed) was going to take over the reins, but he's since been deemed unfit to play once again. Stopping the likes of Nathan MacKinnon and company will be no easy task.
VALUE PLAYS
Roope Hintz, DAL vs. COL ($3,900): In six games in this series, Hintz has garnered two goals and three helpers, including a trio of points registered with the man advantage. His minutes with the power play significantly dropped in Game 6, which is certainly a concern, but the Stars only got one power-play opportunity, so fantasy players shouldn't read too much into it.
Adam Gaudette, VAN vs. VGK ($3,000): Looking at his playoff performance, it's easy to see why Gaudette hasn't garnered much attention and won't cost fantasy players much. After playing in Game 1 of the play-in series versus Minnesota, the center spent the next seven games on the shelf and remains without a point in the postseason. Despite his lack of production, the youngster continues to log time on the power play and is coming off a regular season in which he set a new career high in goals (12). It's far from a safe play but his drafted percentage figures to be pretty low, and if he gets out of his slump, he'd be a boon in GPP contests.
Valeri Nichushkin, COL vs. DAL ($2,800): It certainly took Nichuskin awhile to get going, as he was held off the scoresheet in the first 11 games of the postseason. The winger has three points in his last trio of outings and appears to have rediscovered the scoring touch that saw him tally 13 goals and 27 points in 65 outings during the regular season. Plus, there's got to be somewhat of a revenge narrative potentially in play against his former team that bought out his contract last summer.
STACKS GAA
Dallas vs. Colorado
Nazem Kadri (C - $5,200), Andre Burakovsky (W - $4,600), Valeri Nichushkin (W - $2,800)
It's hard to look at the Avs and avoid the shiny objects at the top of the lineup, as the top line has racked up points all postseason long led by world-class center Nathan MacKinnon ($8,500). Unfortunately, it will be hard to fit that line under budget, especially if fantasy players want to look at any of the top pieces in the Vegas vs. Vancouver matchup. Enter the Colorado second line anchored by Kadri, who is sitting third on the team in postseason scoring with eight goals and eight helpers in 14 contests. Burakovsky is right behind him with 15 points, including a four-game point streak. For his part, Nichushkin got off to a slow start to the year but has two goals and one assist in his last three contests.
Vegas vs. Vancouver
Paul Stastny (C - $4,300), Reilly Smith (W - $5,200), Jonathan Marchessault (W - $6,000)
This stack may not help fantasy players win any cash games but could be a strong contrarian option that, if successful, could put players near the top in GPP contests. The fact of the matter is this has been a terrible series for nearly all three guys. Smith has shown some potential with four points in the six games but hasn't bent the twine since Game 1. Stastny has just one assist in six outings despite averaging 3:26 of ice time with the man advantage, while Marchessault is bogged down in a five-game pointless streak. Still, both Smith and Marchessault topped the 20-goal mark this year, and Stastny may have as well were it not for the league going on hiatus.
DEFENSE
For the sake of variety, below are some options that aren't Cale Makar ($5,800) or Miro Heiskanen ($5,300). The Colorado defenseman has registered a point in 10 of his last 11 outings, while Heiskanen is riding a seven-game point streak of his own. It's hard to argue against getting them into your lineups, but both players will cost a pretty penny to fit under the salary constraints.
Samuel Girard, COL vs. DAL ($3,400): While his rookie teammate garners all the attention, Girard his thrived in the postseason with 10 points in 14 games, including his current three-game point streak. The one knock on the blueliner in the playoffs is the fact that despite averaging 2:12 of power-play ice time per game, he has just one point with the man advantage to show for it.
John Klingberg, DAL vs. COL ($4,800): Unlike the other defenseman featured in this breakdown, Klingberg has been much streakier. In fact, he's only garnered points in six of his 14 postseason appearances, but three of those were multi-point efforts to give him 10 playoff points. He continues to get plenty of opportunities on the power play despite the fact that Heiskanen has taken over as the preferred option with the No. 1 unit.
