This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Friday's NHL slate consists of the one-game showdown contest for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final between the Lightning and Rangers after 8:00 p.m. EDT. Below, you'll find suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
New York took Game 1 in convincing fashion by a 6-2 margin and will remain on home ice for Game 2. Despite the poor result in the series opener, Tampa Bay's a modest favorite here, as the Lightning boast an NHL-record 18-game winning streak in playoff games directly following a postseason loss. The over/under comes in at 5.5 goals. Your lineup will consist of six players, including a Captain spot that costs 1.5 times as much and scores 1.5 times as many fantasy points.
GOALIES
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TB at NYR ($10,800): This was billed as a matchup between the league's two best goalies, but Vasilevskiy didn't hold up his end of the bargain in Game 1, giving up six goals. Both he and Tampa Bay's defensemen in front of him are likely to play better in Game 2, as they had some rust to shake off after a nine-day layoff, but the Rangers will likely continue to attack Vasilevskiy's stick side, which looked shaky in the series opener.
Igor Shesterkin, NYR vs. TB ($10,600): Shesterkin stretched his home winning streak to seven games with the 6-2 victory in the series opener, and he has allowed two goals or fewer in seven of his last eight outings overall. Both goalies are strong choices for your Captain spot.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Mika Zibanejad, NYR vs. TB ($10,000): Zibanejad is enjoying a timely hot streak, notching a 5-4-9 line during his current six-game point streak, including a goal and an assist in Game 1 against Tampa Bay. Until New York's top-line center shows signs of cooling down, he should continue to be worth paying up for.
Ondrej Palat, TB at NYR ($7,200): Palat knocked in a rebound in Game 1, giving him goals in consecutive games and points in four straight. He's a proven playoff producer and continues to contribute secondary scoring in a top-six role.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Lightning at Rangers
Anthony Cirelli (C - $6,800), Nikita Kucherov (W - $9,600), Steven Stamkos (W - $9,000)
Kucherov and Stamkos each generated a few quality chances in the series opener. Stamkos was the Lightning's best player in Game 1, finishing with a goal, an assist and six shots to give him a 3-1-4 line over his last three games. Kucherov had seven shots on goal but was kept off the scoresheet by his countryman Shesterkin. Cirelli isn't as offensively gifted as his linemates, but he stuffed the stat sheet in Game 1 with two assists, four shots and three blocked shots.
Rangers vs. Lightning
Filip Chytil (NYR - $5,400), Alexis Lafreniere (W - $5,000), Kaapo Kakko (W - $4,200)
New York's third line is made up of three recent first-round picks, and the trio of youngsters has grown up together this postseason. Chytil in particular has been terrific recently, lighting the lamp twice in Game 1 to bring his goal streak to three games and five goals. Lafreniere has a three-game point streak going, and his two helpers in Game 1 brought his playoff point total up to nine. Kakko hasn't been as involved on the scoresheet, but he provides valuable work along the boards and has assists in consecutive games.
DEFENSEMEN
Victor Hedman, TB at NYR ($8,800): Hedman has been uncharacteristically quiet recently, but he's still one of the best defensemen in the world and capable of heating up in a hurry. He has a 2-8-10 line overall through 12 games this postseason, and the hulking Swede still stuffs the stat sheet when he isn't scoring, having totaled 11 shots and seven blocked shots over his last three games.
Jacob Trouba, NYR vs. TB ($7,800): Trouba doesn't need to score to impact the game, but he does some of that too. This format doesn't reward his gaudy hit totals, but the physical blueliner has still piled up 11.2 or more fantasy points in each of his last three games thanks primarily to his shot blocking prowess. Over that span, Trouba has racked up 12 blocks to go with an assist and five shots on goal.
