This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Four teams got to host their first playoff game of the season Friday, and now four more are doing it Saturday. Yes, that means four Game 3s. Since it is the weekend, there are games taking place in the afternoon. The first game starts at 1 p.m. EDT. Time to get to the recommendations for your DFS lineups!
GOALIE
Igor Shesterkin, NYR at PIT ($8,500): This is purely a bet on talent. Shesterkin will probably win the Vezina, as he posted a 2.07 GAA and .935 save percentage. He also has a .952 save percentage through two games in this series. Yes, the Penguins ranked 11th in goals per contest, but four teams ranked above them that are playing Saturday, and nobody was a better netminder that the Russian for the Rangers.
Jake Oettinger, DAL vs. CGY ($7,500): Oettinger played strong in the two road games to start the series, as he's only allowed one goal to the Flames. On the year he had a .914 save percentage, but with a 2.53 GAA. Oettinger hasn't allowed more than two goals in any of his last five starts, so he's on quite the run right now.
VALUE PLAYS
Valeri Nichushkin, COL at NAS ($4,900): Nichushkin has been tearing it up recently. Over his last 12 games he has six goals, seven assists, and 47 shots on net. That's helped him secure a spot alongside Nathan MacKinnon on the top line recently. Connor Ingram has also earned the change to start with Juuse Saros unavailable, but Ingram is a 25-year-old rookie who has appeared in five total NHL games.
Frank Vatrano, NYR at PIT ($4,000): Vatrano was the star of Game 2, notching a goal and two assists in a win. After he joined the Rangers from the Panthers in a trade, he had 13 points in 22 regular-season games. Louis Domingue, Pittsburgh's third-string goalie, will likely be getting another start, and his journeyman career has yielded a GAA over 3.00.
LINE STACK TO CONSIDER
Panthers vs. Capitals: Aleksander Barkov (C - $7,400), Anthony Duclair (W - $3,600), Carter Verhaeghe (W - $3,500)
The Capitals only allowed 29.0 shots on net per game, but they needed to be that stout. Vitek Vanecek had a .908 save percentage this year. Florida averaged 37.3 shots on goal per contest, so if any team is going to break down the Caps, it's this one. Of course, it only took 19 shots to put five goals past Vanecek in Game 2.
Barkov put 214 shots on net in 67 games, speaking of guys who can solve Washington's stingy defense. That includes seven shots on goal in this series. Plus, there's the fact that, you know, he had 88 points this year. Duclair had a career campaign thanks to his 31 goals. He also averaged 2:33 per game with the extra man and tallied 21 power-play points. Verhaeghe got back in the swing of things after he rejoined the lineup after a three-game absence. That includes three points in this series so far.
DEFENSE
Jacob Trouba, NYR at PIT ($5,000): Trouba has seven points over his last 14 games, but what sticks out to me is that he has 36 shots on goal and 29 blocked shots in that time. He's been quite active. Domingue has been more active than anybody wanted in Pittsburgh, given that he has a career .904 save percentage.
MacKenzie Weegar, FLA at WAS ($4,600): Weegar and Aaron Ekblad are back together, and this season he averaged 23:22 in ice time, even though he didn't really play on the power play. This year, Weegar tallied 44 points and 203 shots on net. As I noted, Vanecek had a .908 save percentage.
