This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Friday's NHL slate consists of Game 3s from four different playoff series after 7:00 p.m. EDT. Below, you'll find a breakdown of the action and suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
All of the games are expected to be competitive, with the Oilers coming in as the largest favorites despite being on the road in a series that's tied 1-1. The Blues, Lightning and Bruins are all modest favorites on home ice against Minnesota, Toronto and Carolina, respectively, though the Hurricanes are the only team with a 2-0 series lead that's playing Friday. Toronto-Tampa Bay and Minnesota-St. Louis are tied for the evening's highest over/under at 6.5 goals.
GOALIES
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TB vs. TOR ($8,400): Vasilevskiy struggled along with the rest of his teammates in Game 1, but he was excellent when it mattered in Game 2, as two of Toronto's three goals came in garbage time. Tampa Bay has a chance to seize control of the series on home ice, so look for Vasilevskiy to step up his game and take that opportunity.
Mike Smith, EDM at LA ($8,300): Smith had a nine-game winning streak snapped in the series opener but bounced back in Game 2 with a 30-save shutout. Los Angeles' offense is arguably the least imposing of any in the postseason, and Smith has allowed two or fewer goals in eight of his past 10 starts.
Pyotr Kochetkov, CAR at BOS ($7,800): Kochetkov was solid in relief of Antti Raanta (upper body) in Game 2, setting aside 30 of 32 shots as Carolina dominated for a second consecutive night. All told, the Russian netminder has won his first four decisions at the NHL level. Boston will be desperate in Game 3, but this series has been all Hurricanes, so Kochetkov's in good position to succeed unless one of the Bruins takes it upon himself to knock Kochetkov out of the game like David Pastrnak did to Raanta.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Mitch Marner, TOR at TB ($7,800): After getting the monkey off his back by snapping a lengthy playoff goal drought in Game 1, Marner scored again in Game 2 to start a postseason goal streak. With a 2-3-5 line and eight shots through this series' first two games, Marner has been just as dangerous as linemate Auston Matthews but can be had for $,400 less.
Sebastian Aho, CAR at BOS ($6,300): Aho has quietly compiled a 2-1-3 line and seven shots through two games in this series after topping a point per game in the regular season. Boston's change from Linus Ullmark to Jeremy Swayman in net for Game 3 is unlikely to slow Carolina's reasonably valued top-line center down.
Anze Kopitar, LA vs. EDM ($5,000): Kopitar's a nice value at $5,000. Los Angeles' leading point producer in the regular season has yet to mark the scoresheet in this series, but Kopitar has made an impact with eight shots and four blocks in Game 2. With the series shifting to Los Angeles, the Kings will have last change, giving them more opportunities to put Kopitar and the top line in favorable matchups.
Joel Eriksson Ek, MIN at STL ($4,700): Eriksson Ek's hard-nosed game fits well in the postseason, and he's been productive to start the series with a 2-1-3 line and nine shots through two games. His strong start to the playoffs is the continuation of a hot finish to the regular season, which included a 5-3-8 line in Eriksson Ek's last five games.
Jake DeBrusk, BOS vs. CAR ($4,100): DeBrusk has been quiet in this series despite continuing to skate on the top line with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand. He closed the regular season on a four-game point streak, though, and locking in DeBrusk gives you some exposure to Boston's top forwards while leaving more cap flexibility to pursue top players from other games, which are expected to feature more offense.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Lightning vs. Maple Leafs
Steven Stamkos (C - $7,500), Nikita Kucherov (W - $8,100), Ondrej Palat (W - $3,400)
The key to the Lightning's success is the team's top players outproducing the other team's top guys. That didn't happen in Game 1, but it certainly did in Game 2, with a three-point night from Kucherov and four points from Victor Hedman leading the way. Kucherov has 69 points in his last 50 playoff games. Stamkos has just one point in this series but a 10-17-27 line in his last 11 games. Palat's much less productive than his linemates but is used to being deployed alongside Tampa's top talent.
Blues vs. Wild
Robert Thomas (C - $4,200), Vladimir Tarasenko (W - $6,400), Pavel Buchnevich (W - $4,900)
After getting a split in Minnesota, the Blues will return home, where they can dictate matchups and put their most productive scoring line in position to succeed. Thomas notched two assists in Game 2 and has been held without a point only three times in his last 21 games. A goal and an assist in Game 2 boosted Tarasenko's line to 10-12-22 in his last 13 appearances, and Buchnevich hasn't been far behind with a 5-12-17 output over his last 12.
Oilers at Kings
Connor McDavid (C - $9,000), Evander Kane (W - $6,200), Jesse Puljujarvi (W - $3,600)
McDavid has opened the series with consecutive multi-point games, and the league's leading scorer in the regular season has a seven-game point streak going, with multiple points in all but one of those games. There's no love lost between Kane and the Kings from his days in San Jose, which made his two-goal, three-point Game 2 feel that much sweeter. Kane has been consistently dangerous, piling up eight shots through two games. Puljujarvi also lit the lamp in the 6-0 Game 2 win, and he's a nice value at $3,600 given his deployment on McDavid's line.
DEFENSEMEN
Victor Hedman, TB vs. TOR ($7,000): Hedman broke the seal with a power-play goal in the final seconds of the first period Wednesday. He continued to produce for the remainder of the game, adding three assists as the Lightning answered their 5-0 Game 1 loss with a 5-3 Game 2 win. With those four points, Hedman's up to 44 over his last 50 playoff games, and he's an excellent source of shots and blocks to boot.
Tony DeAngelo, CAR at BOS ($5,700): DeAngelo has racked up four assists over this series' first two games, building on a regular season in which he totaled 51 points in 64 appearances. Until the Bruins prove they can keep him off the scoresheet, DeAngelo should continue to be a strong choice.
Alexander Edler, LA at EDM ($3,900): Edler has opened this series with consecutive two-shot, three-block performances, and he had an assist to boot in Game 1. His ability to stuff the stat sheet makes Edler an excellent value option to fill out your lineup, as he's totaled at least 9.7 fantasy points in eight of his last nine games.
Jonas Brodin, MIN at STL ($3,300): There are a couple of appealing affordable options available on the deep Wild blue line, though it can be hard to predict which one(s) will produce on any given night. Brodin's a sensible choice at just $3,300 after notching two assists and four shots in Game 2.
