This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
It's a day of Game 3s on Saturday! We have four series where the scenery has changed. Also, we have a first puck drop at 4 p.m. ET. If you are looking for some DFS success, here are my lineup recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
Obviously, in the playoffs, goalies tend to be locked into their role. I'm not expecting any changes in net Saturday. The only real injury question of note is Victor Hedman, who missed Game 2 for Tampa. There's also the fact that these series are changing venue, because home-and-road statistical splits come into play.
GOALIES
Igor Shesterkin, NYR vs. NJD ($8,300): This series has turned the most heads thus far, with the Rangers racking up two road wins to open this one. Shesterkin got plenty of goal support, but he didn't need it, allowing only one goal in both games. The Russian has been hot for a while now, as he has an 1.58 GAA and .948 save percentage over his last 12 starts.
Connor Hellebuyck, WPG vs. VGK ($7,900): Speaking of home play versus road play, this season Hellebuyck had a 2.22 GAA and .926 save percentage at home. The Golden Knights finished 14th in goals per game this year, which is not bad, but which is also second lowest among these eight teams.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Alex Killorn, TAM vs. TOR ($4,500): Killorn has tallied 11 points over his last 11 games, including one in this series. He actually set career highs this season in goals with 27 and points with 64. Even if you don't think about stuff like Toronto's playoff record versus Tampa's, Ilya Samsonov had a 2.82 GAA and .909 save percentage on the road this season.
Adam Lowry, WPG vs. VGK ($3,300): Lowry has three goals in this series, including two on the power play. He actually was playing well heading into the postseason for good measure, as he has seven points and 22 shots on net over his last 10 contests. Former Jet Laurent Brossoit was good in limited action this season, but the 30-year-old netminder has a career .908 save percentage.
LINE STACK TO CONSIDER
Rangers vs. Devils
Mika Zibanejad (C - $6,100), Patrick Kane (W - $5,700), Chris Kreider (W - $5,500)
Vitek Vanecek has allowed nine goals so far in this series, which is not ideal. It's also a reminder that he had a .911 save percentage this season, which was actually a personal best for him. The goalie's 2.45 GAA was bolstered by the Devils playing stingy defense, but obviously that hasn't worked out as well in this series. If a trio of forwards is particularly strong at putting pucks on net, they can overcome, to a degree, a shot-suppressing defense. Plus, the Rangers are at home now, which means they have more control over matchups. New York's top line doesn't come in at a low salary, but I think this stack is worth it Saturday.
Zibanjead didn't just have 91 points this season. He also put 251 shots on net. That includes 24 points in his last 17 outings. Kane's minutes dropped when he left Chicago for New York, which isn't necessarily a bad thing for an older forward, but he still tallied 12 points and 45 shots on net in 19 regular-season games after the trade. On top of that, he has four points in this series already. The Devils had a strong penalty kill during the regular season, but Kreider has four power-play goals in this series already. He also tallieed 229 shots on goal this year.
DEFENSEMEN
Mikhail Sergachev, TAM vs. TOR ($5,500): Whether or not Hedman is in net, Sergachev is the top defenseman for the Lightning now, particularly on the power play. He had 27 points with the extra man this season and had an assist on the power play in Game 1. This has been a weird series, but it's heading to Tampa, and Samsonov did have a .909 save percentage in away games. I lean toward this being a good day for the Lightning.
Samuel Girard, COL at SEA ($4,200): Girard had 37 points this season, and he had an assist in Game 2. Also notable to me is that when Cale Makar returned, Girard is still seeing time with the extra man, having averaged 1:23 per game in power-play time in this series. The Kraken are playing their first home playoff game, but they had the 21st-ranked penalty kill this year, and fan support can only mean so much.
