DraftKings NHL: Tuesday-Wednesday Breakdown

DraftKings NHL: Tuesday-Wednesday Breakdown

This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.

Tuesday's NHL slate consists of Game 2 between the Islanders and Lightning at 8:00 p.m. EDT and Wednesday's Game 2 between the Canadiens and Golden Knights. Below, you'll find suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.

SLATE PREVIEW

Looking to avenge last year's six-game series loss, the Islanders got a quarter of the way to doing so with a 2-1 road win in Game 1. The Lightning will be looking to bounce back on home ice in Game 2 and are favored to do so. This slate's largest favorites are the Golden Knights, who outclassed Montreal 4-1 in their series opener.

GOALIES

Marc-Andre Fleury, VGK vs. MON ($8,100): Fleury set aside 28 of 29 shots in Game 1, improving his overall postseason numbers to 9-4 with a 1.84 GAA and .927 save percentage. The Golden Knights should continue to outclass the Canadiens, who likely wouldn't be at this point if they didn't play in the weak North Division. 

Andrei Vasilevskiy, TB vs. NYI ($7,800): Vasilevskiy gave up two goals on 31 shots in Game 1, posting a .935 single-game save percentage that's right in line with his .934 overall mark this postseason. Performances like that one are usually good enough to win given Tampa Bay's robust offense, and the Lightning figure to deliver a stronger effort in front of him in Game 2.

Semyon Varlamov, NYI at TB ($7,600): Varlamov has a four-game personal winning streak going, including a marvelous Game 1 effort in Tampa Bay, which included 30 saves on 31 shots. He was less than a minute from logging a shutout before Brayden Point finally got the Lightning on the board. If New York can stay out of the penalty box and keep the potent Lightning power play off the ice, the Islanders' ability to muck things up in the neutral zone should continue to put Varlamov in position to succeed.

Carey Price, MON at VGK ($7,300): Price is capable of stealing a game or two in this series, though he was routed for four goals on 30 shots in Monday's series opener. He remains a viable choice if you're trying to maximize your spending on skaters.

VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS

Mathew Barzal, NYI at TB ($6,500): After a slow start to the postseason, Barzal has caught fire recently. His goal in Game 1 was Barzal's fourth in the last five games, and the speedy pivot has added two helpers over that stretch. The Islanders' regular-season leader in points has maintained a leading role in the playoffs.

Alex Killorn, TB vs. NYI ($4,800): Killorn continues to be the Lightning's most impressive forward outside of Point and Nikita Kucherov. He had an assist and a team-high four shots on goal in Game 1, giving Killorn a 6-7-13 line in 12 games, which is tied with Point and Steven Stamkos for second-most among Lightning skaters behind Kucherov. 

Cole Caufield, MON at VGK ($4,900): Caufield scored Montreal's lone Game 1 goal on a team-high six shots, extending his point streak to three games. The rookie has excellent offensive ability and enough speed to counteract Vegas' massive size advantage in this series, making him an intriguing value option at $4,900.

Mattias Janmark, VGK vs. MON ($2,800): Janmark has been terrific when available for the Golden Knights this postseason, as he's proven to be a shrewd trade deadline addition. The affordable winger's goal in Game 1 against the Canadiens pushed Janmark's playoff line to 4-4-8 in 11 appearances.

FORWARD LINE STACKS

Lightning vs. Islanders 

Brayden Point (C - $7,000), Nikita Kucherov (W - $8,400), Ondrej Palat (W - $5,100)

Point and Kucherov have been arguably the two most impressive forwards in the playoffs, as the former leads the league in goals (nine), while the latter leads in points (19) through 12 games. That production includes a Point goal and Kucherov assist in Game 1, as they delivered despite Tampa Bay's overall struggles offensively. Palat has underwhelmed with a 2-3-5 line, but he's capable of getting going at any time as long as he's skating on Tampa Bay's top line.

Golden Knights vs. Canadiens 

William Karlsson (C - $5,500), Jonathan Marchessault (W - $5,700), Reilly Smith (W - $4,000)

Vegas' second line led the way against Colorado in the last round and is showing no signs of slowing down against this far inferior opposition. Karlsson's helper in Game 1 against Montreal stretched his point streak to five games, and he's accumulated a 2-5-7 line over that span. Marchessault was held off the scoresheet in the series opener but still has five goals in his last five games and seven points in his last seven. Smith had two assists in Game 1 and has been held without a point just once in his last six games.

Islanders at Lightning 

Jean-Gabriel Pageau (C - $4,800), Kyle Palmieri (W - $3,700), Travis Zajac (W - $2,700)

New York's affordable third line has provided excellent value all postseason. Pageau's 3-10-13 line has him leading the team in points through 13 games this postseason, while Palmieri has potted a team-high seven goals thus far. Zajac plays more of a defensive role, though he did open the scoring with a pivotal goal in Game 6 against Boston.

DEFENSEMEN

Alex Pietrangelo, VGK vs. MON ($6,200): Pietrangelo has been tremendous on both ends recently. He had a game-high seven shots to go with three blocks in Game 1 against Montreal. That effort was Pietrangelo's sixth consecutive game with at least 17.5 fantasy points, as he's accrued a 1-4-5 line, 27 shots and 24 blocks over this marvelous stretch.

Scott Mayfield, NYI at TB ($4,300): Like Pietrangelo, Mayfield has supplied a steady diet of shots and blocks, with multiple shots in four of his last five games and multiple blocked shots in each of the last eight. In Game 1 against the Lightning, Mayfield had three shots and four blocked shots.

Mikhail Sergachev, TB vs. NYI ($4,600): Creating offense from the back end is key to beating the Islanders, and Sergachev's capable of providing that. He has slumped in the postseason after racking up 30 points over 56 regular-season contests, but the Russian blueliner showed some signs of stirring from his slumber with three shots in Sunday's Game 1 loss.

Erik Gustafsson, MON at VGK ($3,200): Gustafsson plays sheltered minutes, but he should continue to have a role on the power play, especially while Jeff Petry (hand) is sidelined. With a 1-2-3 line over his last six games, Gustafsson has proven capable of capitalizing on his opportunities.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Sasha Yodashkin plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: Youngsash, DraftKings: Yashdogg,Yahoo: Sasha, Fanball: Yashdogg.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sasha Yodashkin
Sasha has been contributing NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB and Tennis content to RotoWire since 2015, with an emphasis on DFS. He is a huge New York sports fan who has been playing fantasy sports since middle school.
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