This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Thursday's NHL slate begins at 7:00 p.m. EDT and consists of Game 2s from two second-round playoff series. Below, you'll find a breakdown of the action and suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
Colorado's heavily favored at home against the Blues after winning Game 1. It took overtime to decide the series opener, but the Avalanche carried play throughout, finishing with a 54-25 edge in shots in the 3-2 win. Tampa Bay won Game 1 by a convincing 4-1 margin, but Florida's favored to bounce back in Game 2 at home. Both games have over/unders of 6.5 goals.
GOALIES
Darcy Kuemper, COL vs. STL ($8,500): Kuemper was the least busy of the four goalies in action Tuesday, and that could well remain the case here again. While his save total will be lower as a result, there's a good chance he will also allow fewer goals as Colorado's skaters continue to tilt the ice the other way. Kuemper has the highest floor thanks to the dominant team in front of him.
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TB at FLA ($7,900): Vasilevskiy took a while to lock in, but he has managed to string together his two best performances of the postseason between Game 7 against Toronto and Game 1 of this series, stopping a combined 63 of 65 shots. Given his history of playoff success, that's bad news for the Panthers.
Jordan Binnington, STL at COL ($7,700): Binnington's floor remains low due to the daunting matchup, but he was brilliant in Game 1, setting aside 51 of 54 shots. That was the latest in a string of strong performances from the Blues' netminder this postseason, as he's 3-1 with a 1.94 GAA and .944 save percentage.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Nazem Kadri, COL vs. STL ($6,000): Kadri was noticeable in Game 1, notching an assist and five shots on goal. Colorado's second-line center has a 1-3-4 line and 18 shots through five playoff games on the heels of a tremendous regular season during which Kadri notched a 28-59-87 line in 71 appearances.
Ryan O'Reilly, STL at COL ($4,600): O'Reilly scored in Game 1 to extend his goal streak to five games, and he has a 6-3-9 line in seven games overall this postseason. The 2019 Conn Smythe Trophy winner is a terrific playoff performer through and through. Lock him in at $4,600 and don't look back.
Carter Verhaeghe, FLA vs. TB ($4,000): Verheaghe was held off the scoresheet by his former team in the series opener, but he compiled a 5-4-9 line over the previous three games. Given his top-line deployment, it's worth giving the affordable winger another chance to prove that he's still hot before jumping ship.
Corey Perry, TB at FLA ($2,600): Perry is far removed from his days of competing for the Rocket Richard Trophy, but he still brings a nice blend of skill and grit to a bottom-six role for the Lightning. That skill was on display in Game 1, as he picked up a power-play goal, an assist and four shots on goal. At just $100 above the minimum valuation, it could be worth seeing if Perry's capable of putting together a repeat performance in Game 2.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Avalanche vs. Blues
Nathan MacKinnon (C - $9,000), Mikko Rantanen (W - $6,700), Valeri Nichushkin (W - $4,500)
This will continue to be the line to build around until further notice. MacKinnon extended his point streak to five games in Game 1 and threw in another eight shots, giving him 37 shots over that stretch to go with a 5-2-7 line. Nichushkin has a three-game goal streak going after lighting the lamp in the series opener, and he has racked up 24 shots in five playoff games. Rantanen has been comparably quiet, though it's hard to complain too much about six assists in five games. It likely won't be long until the 92-point regular season scorer steps up as well.
Lightning at Panthers
Anthony Cirelli (C - $2,800), Nikita Kucherov (W- $7,000), Steven Stamkos (W - $6,400)
Kucherov and Stamkos are easily Tampa Bay's two best forwards, while Cirelli's a nice value option as long as he's skating in between those two. Stamkos led the Lightning with 106 points in the regular season and has consistently generated offense over the last five games, notching a 2-2-4 line and 19 shots. Kucherov has been the team's top scorer in the playoffs, notching a 3-7-10 line in eight games, including a goal and an assist in Game 1 against Florida. Cirelli has been quiet outside of a spinorama shorthanded goal in Game 6 against the Maple Leafs, but he's a low-risk, high-reward play given the Lightning's current lineup configuration.
Panthers vs. Lightning
Sam Bennett (C - $4,400), Jonathan Huberdeau (W - $6,200), Anthony Duclair (W - $3,300)
This line produced Florida's lone goal in Game 1 and offers some nice potential value for Game 2. Huberdeau tied for second in the league with 115 points in the regular season, so he's capable of much more than the four points in seven games he's supplied this postseason. Perhaps the prominent winger's assist in Game 1 will get him going. Duclair scored Florida's goal in Tuesday's 4-1 loss to Tampa Bay, and he had 31 others in the regular season. Bennett had 28 goals of his own during the season and scored in Florida' first game of the postseason but has been mired in a drought since. This could be a buy-low opportunity on Bennett, though, as he's been knocking on the door lately with 15 shots in the past four games.
DEFENSEMEN
Cale Makar, COL vs. STL ($8,200): Makar was uncharacteristically quiet in Game 1 against the Blues, but he was bound to look human in a game sometime after exceeding 27 fantasy points in each of his first four games this postseason. He continues to rival MacKinnon for the highest ceiling among any skater from the four teams in action Thursday.
Victor Hedman, TB at FLA ($6,600): Hedman has a 2-6-8 line for a point per game pace this postseason, and he's up to a 14-34-48 line in 56 games over the last three playoff runs. The star blueliner's noticeable on a nightly basis and complements his scoring output with a nice base of shots and blocked shots while munching major minutes; Hedman has skated at least 25 minutes in each of his last five games.
Justin Faulk, STL at COL ($4,400): Faulk dished out a helper in Game 1, giving him four assists in his last four games. He also has nine shots and five blocked shots over that stretch and has exceeded 25 minutes of ice time in six of seven games this postseason. Faulk's heavy usage should allow him to continue compiling well-rounded, fantasy-friendly stat lines.
Brandon Montour, FLA vs. TB ($2,800): Montour has underrated offensive ability on the back end. He dished a helper in Game 1, giving him an 11-29-40 line in 88 appearances this year between the regular season and playoffs. If you don't have much cap space left and need to fill a spot on the blue line, Montour's your man.
