This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
We've got your typical weekend day in the first round of the NHL playoffs, which is to say the action starts early. There are four games taking place, and the first one kicks off at 12:30 p.m. ET. While we have three Game 4s on the docket and there can't be any sweeps, which I appreciate as an impartial hockey fan. Now, on to the recommendations.
GOALIES
Marc-Andre Fleury, VGK at MIN ($7,900): For the first time in this series, Fleury's numbers don't look stellar from Game 3. He allowed two goals on only 16 shots on net. Then again, the Wild only managed 16 shots on goal in the game, and Vegas got the win. The last time Fleury allowed more than two goals in a game it was April 7. Vegas, and its veteran netminder, are simply shutting teams down.
Jack Campbell, TOR vs. MON ($8,100): Even though Campbell had a 2.15 GAA and .921 save percentage during the regular season, I was admittedly curious – perhaps even skeptical – about how he would look in his first playoff game. While Toronto took the loss, Campbell made 28 saves on 30 shots. The Canadiens finished 17th in goals per game, so it's not a particularly potent offense, especially by playoff standard. I feel like the Leafs will rebound and get a win to avoid going to Montreal down two games to none.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Carter Verhaeghe, FLA at TAM ($7,800): Verhaeghe has a decidedly bigger role with the Panthers than he had as a rookie with the Lightning last season. He went from averaging under 10 minutes per game to averaging 17:44 in ice time, and he's often skating on Aleksander Barkov's wing. That helped him notched 18 goals and 18 assists in 43 games. He returned from injury for four games against Tampa, including the three in this series, and he has three points and 12 shots on net in those contests. Yes, Andrei Vasilevskiy is a great goalie, but he's had trouble with the Panthers this year. In fact, over his last five games against Florida the Russian netminder has a 3.93 GAA and .891 save percentage.
Jason Spezza, TOR vs. MON ($2,800): Sadly, John Tavares suffered a scary injury in Game 1 of this series. He's going to be out for a bit, and somebody has to move up to be the second-line center for the Leafs (and to take Tavares' power-play time). My guess is that Spezza will be called upon. He's not the player he used to be, but he had 10 goals and 20 assists in 54 games. While Carey Price looked good in Game 1, he had a .901 save percentage during the regular season.
LINE STACKS TO CONSIDER
Lightning vs. Panthers: Anthony Cirelli (C - $4,200), Steven Stamkos (W - $8,400), Alex Killorn (W - $6,000)
Well…maybe the Panthers can try Spencer Knight? So far, nothing is working for the Panthers in net against a fully-operational Lightning offense. Sergei Bobrovsky allowed five goals in Game 1 after having a 2.91 GAA and .901 save percentage this season. They turned to Chris Driedger, who proceeded to allowed five goals on 22 shots in Game 3. It would be tricky to roster Tampa's top line given the salaries of those guys, but this second line is better than a lot of team's top units. It was a baffling year for Cirelli. After having 16 goals and 44 points in 68 games last year he had all of nine goals and 22 points in 50 games this season. Of course, now he has Stamkos on his wing and he happens to have a point in back-to-back games. Speaking of Stamkos, he managed 17 goals and 17 assists in only 38 games this year, with 15 of his points coming with the extra man. The Panthers had the 18th-ranked penalty kill this year. Killorn's shooting percentage fell from 20.0 to 12.4 this year, he still scored 15 goals in 56 outings.
Islanders vs. Penguins: Brock Nelson (C - $4,300), Anthony Beauvillier (W - $5,000), Josh Bailey (W - $3,300)
I would have liked to recommend the Islanders' top line, but Leo Kamorov being on Mathew Barzal's wing right now just puts me off that. I expected a low-scoring series here headed into the playoffs. Instead we've had a 4-3 game and a 5-4 game sandwiching a 2-1 affair. Tristan Jarry's numbers recently are right in line with his regular-season numbers of a 2.75 GAA and .909 save percentage. Seriously, he has a 2.76 GAA and .910 save percentage over his last 12 games. Nelson had over 20 goals in each of his last two seasons and he would have gotten there again this year with more time. He had 18 goals in 56 games. Also, the center has nine points over his last 10 games. Beauvillier is the one guy on this line who regularly plays on New York's top power-play unit, and the Penguins had a bottom-five penalty kill. Bailey only had eight goals this season, but he has one in this series. Plus, he had 27 assists in 54 games, and he has seven helpers over his last 10 contests.
DEFENSE
Victor Hedman, TAM vs. FLA ($8,200): I'm bringing out the big guns here, because Hedman is definitely looking like himself right now. After getting a couple days off to end the regular season, the Swede has been on fire. He has two games with three assists in this series already. That includes five points with the extra man. Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos are back. This power play is looking lethal, and Florida's goalies aren't looking very good.
MacKenzie Weegar, FLA at TAM ($7,400): Aaron Ekblad is out and Keith Yandle was a healthy scratch in Game 3. Somebody has to shoulder the offensive load on defense. That somebody is Weegar. He played a whopping 28:34 in Game 3. During the regular season he had 36 points and 101 shots on net in 54 games. He also has 12 points in his last 11 contests. Plus, he's active on the defensive end of the ice as well, as he blocked 83 shots this year.
Jake Muzzin, TOR vs. MON ($4,800): Muzzin came into the playoffs on a five-game point streak, and while he was held without a point in Game 1 that's still impressive. The 32-year-old had 27 points, 103 shots on goal, and 94 blocked shots in 53 contests. While Price did look good in Game 1, don't forget he had a .901 save percentage in the regular season.
