This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
On Mother's Day maybe you can hit the motherlode when it comes to DFS success. Or maybe just pay for a nice bouquet with your winnings. There are four games on the slate, and in the playoffs I always enjoy tackling every game in my contests. That means getting your lineup in by 12:30 p.m. EDT Sunday, but it's worth it to be part of the postseason action.
GOALIE
Mike Smith, EDM at LOS ($8,400): Smith is the clear top choice for me. He's managed an 1.46 GAA and .958 save percentage in his last 11 games and has a shutout in this series already. The Kings scored 2.87 goals per game, which ranked 20th this year. I'll go with the hot goalie who also happens to have gotten 14 goals in support from his team over the last two games.
Jeremy Swayman, BOS vs. CAR ($8,200): Picking a second goalie was difficult. I don't want either goalie in the Minnesota-St. Louis series, given that both teams had top-five offenses. Jack Campbell struggled a bit in the second half of the season, and Andrei Vasilevskiy has allowed at least three goals in his last four starts. Antti Raanta is a backup, and the Kings have allowed 14 goals across two goalies in their last two games. Swayman isn't just a process-of-elimination pick, to be fair. He did have a 2.41 GAA this year, and the Bruins ranked third in shots on net allowed per game.
VALUE PLAYS
Ryan Hartman, MIN at STL ($5,100): Hartman has two assists in each of his last two games. That's what happens when your wingers, Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello, both had seasons that rank in the top five in points in Wild franchise history. Ville Husso was a good goalie this season – he had a .919 save percentage – and he had a shutout in Game 1. That being said, he's allowed nine goals over the last two games, and this Wild offense is looking white hot.
Michael Bunting, TOR at TAM ($4,200): Bunting missed the first game of the series, but he's back and on the top line with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. Also, he has a point in both games in this series he's played in. Vasilevskiy has allowed 11 goals across three outings in this series, and Bunting lineup positioning is quite favorable.
LINE STACK TO CONSIDER
Oilers vs. Kings: Leon Draisaitl (C - $7,700), Zach Hyman (W - $4,900), Kailer Yamamoto (W - $3,300)
The only question was whether to go with Connor McDavid's line or Draisaitl's. Both feature an elite center. Both feature two players on Edmonton's first power-play unit. Ultimately, you can save a smidge of salary with the Draisaitl line, but lose little to no upside. The Kings had the 22nd ranked penalty kill, which is partially why they've allowed 14 goals over their last two games. Plus, Jonathan Quick only had a .910 save percentage this season.
Draisaitl is on an eight-game point streak, which surely surprises nobody. He had a prolific, symmetric campaign with 55 goals and 55 assists. Apparently symmetry is in with the Oilers, as Hyman had 27 goals and 27 assists. He also had three points in Game 3, including a power-play goal. Yamamoto hasn't been in on the fun over the last two games, but he still has eight points over his last eight contests.
DEFENSE
Justin Faulk, STL vs. MIN (4,800): The Kings had a below-average penalty kill to be sure, but the Wild were even worse. Minnesota ranked 25th on that front. Usually, that means good things for Torey Krug, but he left Game 3 with an injury and did not return. If he can't play, my guess is Faulk takes on a bigger role. Not that he needed the power play to excel this year. He finished with 16 goals and 31 assists in 76 games.
Tyson Barrie, EDM at LOS ($4,200): Why get off the Oilers train? Barrie has a point in six of his last seven games, and two power-play points in his last two outings. That's not a surprise, given that he has 44 power-play points since joining the Oilers last season. The Kings, as I noted, had the 22nd-ranked penalty kill.
