Welcome to the Stanley Cup Playoffs! We’ll continue covering NHL DFS during the playoffs on days with slates of four games or bigger. Below are breakdowns of each of tonight’s games, and Optimal Lineups will be added to this post later in the day. Optimals should be posted by 5:00 PM ET but likely earlier.
New York Rangers @ Montreal Canadiens
Of the playoff teams in action tonight, the Rangers are the best matchup for opposing skaters. They can get crushed hard in shot attempts allowed per 60 at even strength (ZS adjusted), but they have Henrik Lundqvist. Lundqvist had one of the better road save percentages in the league at .923 and that was .928 over his final 21 road starts. Game one showed us that if Montreal does not fluster Lundqvist early, he will do well.
The Rangers top line is a solid possession unit, but the others can get rolled or cratered as we like to call it. That just means they can get pinned in their zone for longer periods of time. The more that happens, the better chances of a goal being scored. Montreal's first and third lines are still good plays tonight but these trios must get second chance opportunities which were lacking in game one. Max Pacioretty is an obvious play here and can put up lots of shots quickly. Watch for Alexander Radulov as a good playmaker. The key will be that third line led by Artturi Lehkonen (five goals, nine points last ten games). There is value to be had here on defense and that includes Andrei Markov or Nathan Beaulieu if one does not want to spend up for Shea Weber. Weber is reasonable but some may go where goals could be more plentiful.
The matchup with the Habs is a tough one for New York, so for the most part you should avoid Rangers. However, Rick Nash has been underpriced on DK most of the season and remains so. Brady Skjei could be a reasonable one-off and so could Michael Grabner.
Columbus Blue Jackets @ Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh is a -150 favorite tonight, but it will again be Marc-Andre Fleury in net for Pittsburgh and could be for some time. Matt Murray has what could be a signficant lower body injury (believed to be groin). Fleury looked great in game one as he stopped 16 first period shots on the way to a 3-1 win. He will have to be that good every time out in this series or else Columbus will start to gain confidence.
If you’re considering Jackets, stay away from the Alex Wennberg line. Brandon Dubinsky just will not be able to match up on the Sidney Crosby line enough to make a difference. Columbus could have value with Cam Atkinson but he needs to just keep shooting. One of these shots has to go in and when it does, look out. Columbus defensemen like David Savard or Jack Johnson could make intriguing plays. Taking a roll of the dice on cheaper players is not a half bad idea.
Both goalies from this game are in play as well. Marc-Andre Fleury is decently priced but Sergei Bobrovsky is like a carrot being dangled on DK especially. The Evgeni Malkin gives as good as it gets and could shine again. The prevailing thought is that more goals are possible tonight. Projections are in the 5.5 to 6 range. Let's see if that pans out but this puts the second Pittsburgh line and first power play units in play. Also, consider one-offs like Nick Bonino, Conor Sheary, and yes Phil Kessel. It could be a hot dog night.
St. Louis Blues @ Minnesota Wild
Devan Dubnyk had the spotlight stolen by Jake Allen who had 50 saves in game one and got the win. Allen will be the high risk / high reward GPP goalie again on Friday night. Minnesota was getting shots from all over the ice and right down the middle. This was contrary to what Mike Yeo said after the game. St. Louis was not funneling anything and were often getting eaten alive by the Eric Staal line and the third line as well. Those lines will be in play for Minnesota tonight along with maybe Mikael Granlund as a one-off. He has looked better of late and his price has come down on DK especially. Staal-Parise-Niederreiter could do some definite damage again in game number two. For defense, it is a case of flipping a coin between Jared Spurgeon and Matt Dumba. Spurgeon is the safer play but Dumba could be the surprising option.
As for St. Louis, the depth is an issue due to injuries and line construction. It is hard to spend up to Vladimir Tarasenko in any way. However, Ivan Barbashev is a cheap enough commodity. Expect Vladimir Sobotka to be higher owned tonight. He is scored in his first two games and is just $3100 on DK. He also sees some power play time and will be put in situations where he can create offensively. The third line for the Blues has some intrigue but make sure they are confirmed first. It looks like Sobotka-Steen-Stanford going for tonight. The Blues power play makes for a somewhat contrarian option tonight.
Dubnyk is an option on net on DK given his price tag there and because the Wild are a -210 favorite. But he’s the most expensive goalie on the slate so he must get a win to be viable in cash lineups.
San Jose Sharks @ Edmonton Oilers
San Jose is beat up right now and Martin Jones was alright on Wednesday but nothing spectacular. Edmonton got a clinic in playoff hockey from the Sharks. The adrenaline only lasts so long. Cam Talbot was very good in net but team defense wise, Edmonton had few answers as the game went on. Their second line was picked on extensively. Edmonton's power play is solid here and besides Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, Milan Lucic and especially Mark Letestu becomes nice complements in any stack. Oscar Klefbom is an excellent option from the blueline as far as point potential but a shocker below is our value play of the night. Can Edmonton pace themselves and turn the table speed wise on San Jose. Edmonton's counters were sloppy for too much of game one. That is troubling but again McDavid learns faster than most any forward. Keep that in mind.
As far as Sharks go, Couture has value on DK if he ends up playing (injury dropped his price by more than 1K), and Tomas Hertl could be a value option if Thornton is out again. Something from Game 1 is how San Jose just cratered Edmonton shot attempt wise especially from the 17:00 mark of the first onward (was almost 3 to 1!). Brent Burns is a decent cash choice but on FD only. There are just so many options on defense as far as DK. When Kris Russell is a marvelous DK play, one knows it is stay away from Burns time. San Jose's power play looked very good in game one and they looked faster 5 on 5. Melker Karlsson has to play like he did on Wednesday. It's a must and yes he is another play with value.
In net, Cam Talbot is a pretty good cash play though he is only $200 off on DK from the highest play on the slate. Some will slide back a bit to Carey Price but Edmonton has now learned a lesson in playoff hockey. Talbot could be a decent cash option tonight.