This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Puck drop on Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final between the Panthers and Hurricanes is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. EDT on Thursday. The Hurricanes are slight favorites at home in the series opener. All game lines and odds used below are pulled from DraftKings Sportsbook.
SLATE PREVIEW
With only one game on the schedule Thursday, this will be a DraftKings Showdown contest. Your lineup will consist of one Captain that scores 1.5 times as many fantasy points and costs 1.5 times as much, in addition to five flex plays. There are no positional requirements for your lineup, but the breakdown below will be organized by position.
GOALIES
Frederik Andersen, CAR vs. FLA ($10,800): Andersen has been tremendous this postseason, with a 5-0 record, 1.80 GAA and .931 save percentage. The Hurricanes as a team are 5-1 on home ice in the playoffs, so Andersen should get plenty of consideration for your Captain spot.
Sergei Bobrovsky, FLA at CAR ($10,200): Brobrovsky's 7-1 in his last eight starts, and he limited Toronto to exactly two goals in each of the games in that series. The two-time Vezina Trophy winner picked a great time to start playing his best hockey of the season.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Carter Verhaeghe, FLA at CAR ($8,400): Verhaeghe topped the 40-goal threshold in the regular season and has kept rolling in the playoffs. He has managed to light the lamp in four of the past six games and is averaging a points per game overall this postseason with a 5-7-12 line.
Jordan Martinook, CAR vs. FLA ($5,000): Martinook is tied for the team lead with 10 points this postseason, and all 10 of those points came in the five-game second-round series against New Jersey. At just $5,000, he's a low-risk, high-reward option if you're looking to keep riding the hot hand.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Hurricanes vs. Panthers
Sebastian Aho (C - $9,400), Seth Jarvis (W - $7,400), Stefan Noesen (W - $6,800)
This trio skates together on both the top line and the No. 1 power-play unit. Aho's tied for the team lead in both goals and points this postseason with a 5-5-10 line, and the center's close to a career point-per-game performer in the playoffs (23-33-56 in 59 games). Jarvis has added a 4-4-8 line, and Noesen has supplied a 3-3-6 line through 11 playoff games.
Panthers at Hurricanes
Sam Bennett (C - $7,800), Matthew Tkachuk (W - $9,800), Nick Cousins (W - $3,000)
Tkachuk's arguably the Conn Smythe Trophy frontrunner at this point given his 5-11-16 line this postseason, but his linemates have had their moments as well. Bennett has supplied a 4-4-8 line, and despite missing one game, he leads all Panthers forwards with 36 shots in the playoffs. Cousins has added a 2-4-6 line, including the overtime series clincher in Game 5 against the Maple Leafs.
DEFENSEMEN
Brent Burns, CAR vs. FLA ($9,600): You don't have to roster a defenseman, but Burns could be worth paying up for thanks to his forward-like production. His 2-6-8 line has been accompanied by 41 shots, which is at least 10 more than anyone else on the Hurricanes has taken.
Gustav Forsling, FLA at CAR ($6,600): Forsling's a nice mid-range value play as the third-priciest Panthers defenseman. The top-pairing blueliner had 41 points in the regular season and has chipped in offensively with a 2-3-5 line in 12 playoff games while adding multiple blocked shots in six of those 12 games.
