This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Saturday features four NHL games. It also features two teams, the Islanders and Lightning, at home facing sweeps. As an impartial fan, which is to say a Red Wings fan with no skin in the postseason game, I'd prefer not to see sweeps. Plus, the more games we have the more DFS opportunities we have! DraftKings has not included the 2 p.m. ET game between the aforementioned Islanders and the Hurricanes in the main slate of contests, leaving it as a single-game offering. That means I picked my recommendations from the other three games.
SLATE PREVIEW
Of the two uncertain goaltending situations, the Islanders made one clear by going with Semyon Varlamov in this must-win game. The Bruins, unsurprisingly, have been coyer. If they stuck to the rotation, it would be Linus Ullmark's turn. However, head coach Jim Montgomery literally said Jeremy Swayman maybe in the Maple Leafs' heads, so he might move away from the routine.
GOALIE
Jeremy Swayman, BOS at TOR ($7,500): I'm doing it! I'm buying what Montgomery was selling. Swayman has an 1.55 GAA and .955 save percentage in his two starts in this series. He's a road warrior, having posted a .920 save percentage in away games, including Game 3's win. The Maple Leafs are going to be facing…urgency from the fan base, and they also may lack William Nylander once more.
VALUE PLAY
Jamie Benn, DAL at VGK ($4,700): The Stars have lacked luster to start the postseason, but Benn can't be blamed. He has a point in both games of this series, and in Game 1 he put seven shots on target. Since the start of March, he has 27 points in 22 contests. Logan Thompson has had one great game in this series and one so-so outing, but during the regular season he posted a .908 save percentage.
FORWARD LINE STACK
Panthers at Lightning
Aleksander Barkov (C - $6,700), Sam Reinhart (W - $7,300), Vladimir Tarasenko (W - $4,800)
The thing about line stacks in the playoffs is that the best teams team to have, you know, a lot of talent. High-salaried talent, to be specific. Florida's first line isn't exactly a bargain option, but its second line features Matthew Tkachuk and Carter Verhaeghe. Go with a big line and then work around the margins. Andrei Vasilevkiy had a .900 save percentage this season. If you were thinking, "Well, sure, but it's the playoffs, and Vasilevskiy has come up big again and again in the playoffs," he has a 3.01 GAA and .904 save percentage in this series.
Barkov came into the playoffs with 14 points over his final 11 regular-season games and then tallied two assists in Game 1. While the Finn doesn't have a point since, he's averaged 22:29 per game in ice time, and the Panthers are going to rely on their star captain. Reinhart refuses to slow down. Sure, he had 57 goals with a 24.5 shooting percentage during the regular season, but he's added two more goals in the playoffs. Reinhart refuses to regress toward the mean! It helps that he shoots a ton, having put 14 shots on net in this series. The Panthers added Tarasenko in hopes of getting over the hump this year now that they aren't the feel-good Cinderella. So far, the move has paid off. He had 14 points in 19 regular-season games with Florida, and he has a point in each of his last two outings.
DEFENSEMAN
Hampus Lindholm, BOS at TOR ($3,200): Charlie McAvoy is the points producer on the Bruins' blue line, but Lindholm has two points in this series. He also has seven blocked shots. Lindholm averaged 23:17 per game in ice time this season, so clearly Boston leans on him. Meanwhile, Ilya Samsonov had an .890 save percentage this year, and he has an .895 save percentage in this series.
