This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
We've got two big Game 4s taking place Saturday. The Bruins and Lightning could each move one win away from a matchup in a de facto Eastern Conference Finals in the next round. Get your lineups in early for your DFS contests, because the first game starts at 4:00 p.m. ET. Here are a few recommendations to help you with your decision making.
GOALIE
Tuukka Rask, BOS at NYI ($7,800): Rask is the goalie I feel most confident in Saturday, and probably the only goalie I would really consider for my DFS lineup. While the Finn only had a .913 save percentage this season, he had a 2.28 GAA because the stout defense in front of him only allowed 27.1 shots on net per contest. Rask has also stepped up his goaltending in the playoffs, posting a 1.93 GA and .934 save percentage through eight games. Meanwhile, the Islanders ranked 21st in goals and 22nd in shots on net per game this year. It's definitely the offense that concerns me the least of these four.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Andrei Svechnikov, CAR at TAM ($5,200): After dropping down the lineup for a bit, Svechnikov is back with Carolina's top line, which means skating next to Sebastian Aho. With Vincent Trocheck backed up, that's the best place to be. The 21-year-old has a point in each game of this series, and he's also put 14 shots on net. Yeah, Andrei Vasilevskiy is a great goalie and likely will play better in Game 4, but the four teams playing Saturday all finished in the top six in GAA. You aren't going to find an easy matchup.
Craig Smith, BOS at NYI ($4,400): Smith returned to action in Game 3 and potted a goal on four shots on net. The 31-year-old has often been a solid source of shots on goal without a steep salary. On that front, he's notched 37 shots on target over his last 13 games. Barry Trotz teams traditionally suppress shots, but the Islanders have allowed 39.3 shots on net per contest in the playoffs. Sure, some overtime has been involved in that, but that's still incredible.
LINE STACK TO CONSIDER
Lightning vs. Hurricanes: Anthony Cirelli (C - $3,400), Steven Stamkos (W - $6,200), Alex Killorn (W - $4,200)
Petr Mrazek stepped into net for Alex Nedeljkovic in Game 3 and stopped 35 of the 37 shots he faced in an overtime win. Has that earned Mrazek another start? It would be bold to put the Czech goalie back on the bench. While Mrazek had a 2.06 GAA and .923 save percentage this year, that was in only 12 games played due to injury. Over the prior four seasons he had a .905 save percentage. At any given moment, the wheels could fall off here, and if that happens stacking Tampa's second line could bear fruit.
Cirelli had a disappointing regular season but with Stamkos on his wing he's picked thing up in the playoffs. Over his last eight games he has five points and 23 shots on net. Stamkos doesn't have a goal in this series, but he had three against the Panthers in the last round, and he's one of the elite goal scorers of his generation. Plus, he has an assist in each of his last two outings. Killorn tallied 33 points in 56 games this season, and he's added 10 more in the playoffs. Also, Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov getting healthy hasn't hurt his power-play production. Killorn averaged 3:04 with the extra man in the regular season, and that number has only dropped to 2:47 per game in the playoffs. Plus, he has four postseason power-play points.
DEFENSE
Victor Hedman, TAM vs. CAR ($5,800): Everything I said in the stacks section regarding Mrazek holds true here as well. I would have liked to find a defensemen on the Lightning at a lower salary, but frankly that would be getting too cute. None of them are really worth a shout. Hedman, though, often earns his lofty salary. In the playoffs he has 10 points, 22 shots on goal, and 18 blocked shots through nine games. The Swede always plays a ton of minutes, and even if he's rumored to be a bit banged up he's still averaged 24:40 in ice time in the playoffs.
Ryan Pulock, NYI vs. BOS ($4,900): Pulock had over 35 points in each of his first three NHL season. This year, he had only 17 points in 56 games, but that can be chalked up to bad luck. He had a 1.7 shooting percentage even though he came into the season with a career 5.7 shooting percentage. Pulock also has a reputation of contributing on both ends of the ice. Indeed, in addition to notching four points in nine playoffs games, he's put 16 shots on goal and picked up 18 blocked shots as well.
