This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
The first two games of the Eastern Conference Finals reflected Carolina's style, which is to say low scoring and, relatively speaking, not necessarily a ton of shots on target, particular on Carolina's net. And yet, the Hurricanes are down two games to none, and they have lost home-ice advantage as we head to Game 3. The Panthers can all but ice this series Monday with a win. For DFS, you have $50,000 for six players as per usual. Also as per usual, your Captain earns 1.5 times the point, but with an elevated salary. The game starts at 8 p.m. ET. Here's the lineup I ended up with.
CAPTAIN
Carter Verhaeghe, FLA vs. CAR ($12,000): Sure, Matthew Tkachuk is the star of the show for the Panthers (alongside Sergei Bobrovsky), but for my Captain, I went with the Panthers' franchise leader in playoff goals. Verhaeghe may be coming off his worst game of the playoffs, but I'm not sweating it. Prior to that, he had a goal and an assist in his prior two outings. After potting 42 goals during the regular season with a sensible 15.3 shooting percentage, I trust in the offensive acumen of Verhaeghe.
FLEX
Brandon Montour, FLA vs. CAR ($8,400): You might assume Tkachuk leads the Panthers in shots on net this postseason. That would be inaccurate, though, as defenseman Montour leads the way. He's put 56 shots on net in 14 contests. Granted, the Hurricanes thrived at preventing shots during the regular season, but with only two teams taking the ice Monday those kind of numbers still stand out to me. So does the massive number of minutes Montour plays, as his 28:08 per game average tops all players in this series.
Aleksander Barkov, FLA vs. CAR ($8,200): During the regular season, I never would have been risking high-salaried players against a team like the Hurricanes, but things change this time of year. Bet on talent, and Barkov certainly has that. His goal in Game 2 was a thing of beauty, but he also had a goal in Game 1, and he's put three shots on net in each of those contests as well. The Finn has averaged over a points per game in each of his last three seasons, so don't let his defensive reputation overshadow his offensive acumen.
Seth Jarvis, CAR at FLA ($7,800): Skating on Carolina's first line next to Sebastian Aho, Jarvis has started 59.6 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone. That's the most of any Hurricane that isn't a fourth liner or third-pairing defenseman. With five goals, five assists, and 33 shots on net in 13 playoff games, you could make the argument that Jarvis has been the Hurricanes' top offensive player. He had two power-play points in Game 1 of this series, and this year the Panthers had the 23rd-ranked penalty kill.
Sam Bennett, FLA vs. CAR ($7,400): Centering the second line for the Panthers (next to Tkachuk, whose name keeps popping up even if I didn't recommend him), Bennett has started 60.5 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, tops on the team. He missed the first game of the playoffs with injury, but since then he has 10 points and 46 shots on net in 13 outings. If not for his 8.7 shooting percentage, his numbers could be even better.
Jordan Martinook, CAR at FLA ($6,200): Happily, Martinook fell perfectly into the salary I had left available. He's surprised with 10 points this postseason, tied for second on the Hurricanes. Martinook doesn't have a point in this series, but he's put nine shots on net, and if Bobrovsky even comes back down to Earth, that kind of shooting could pay off.
