This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Wednesday's NHL slate begins at 7:00 p.m. EDT and features a trio of Game 5s from around the league. Below, you'll find a breakdown of the action and suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
Two of the series are tied 2-2, and the home team is heavily favored to take the lead in each, with the Panthers hosting Washington and the Flames at home against Dallas. Florida's game has a slate-high over/under of 6.5 goals while Calgary's is supposed to be low-scoring at 5.5. Despite the Penguins dominating Game 4 to take a 3-1 series lead, the Rangers are modest favorites to take Game 5 and extend the series.
GOALIES
Jacob Markstrom, CGY vs. DAL ($8,200): After going 37-15-9 with a 2.22 GAA and .922 save percentage in the regular season, Markstrom has kept the good times rolling in the playoffs, going 2-2-0 with a 1.27 GAA and .952 save percentage. Goals have been hard to come by in this tight-checking series, and that's unlikely to change in Game 5.
Louis Domingue, PIT at NYR ($8,000): Domingue has had a rather easy series, with the Penguins dominating play for extended stretches in front of him. Coming off a 7-2 Game 4 win, Domingue's 3-1 with a 3.40 GAA and .906 save percentage in this series.
Jake Oettinger, DAL at CGY ($7,600): Oettinger has matched Markstrom save for save, posting a 1.53 GAA and .960 save percentage in this series. If you want a little more cap space to spend on skaters, locking in Oettinger should be a safe and effective way to create that space despite the Flames being favored.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Andrew Copp, NYR vs. PIT ($5,100): Copp posted an 8-10-18 line in 16 regular-season games for the Rangers, and the trade acquisition has continued to produce in the playoffs. He has managed to light the lamp in three of this series' first four games while totaling 12 shots on goal.
Joe Pavelski, DAL at CGY ($5,000): The most affordable member of Dallas' top line should continue to deliver strong bang for the buck. Pavelski has scored three of his team's seven goals in this series and assisted on another. His ability to carve out space near the front of the net allows Pavelski to remain productive, even against Calgary's stout defensive system.
T.J. Oshie, WAS at FLA ($3,800): Oshie's an excellent value play at his sub-$4,000 valuation. The veteran winger has gone to the dirty areas in this series and been rewarded, posting a 3-1-4 line through four games. With plenty of big-game experience under his belt, Oshie should bring his A-game for this pivotal Game 5.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Penguins at Rangers
Sidney Crosby (C - $7,300), Jake Guentzel (W - $7,200), Bryan Rust (W - $5,700)
The Rangers have had no answer for this line, and goalie Igor Shesterkin hasn't bailed them out for defensive mistakes after masking their deficiencies in the regular season. With Shesterkin playing like an average goalie at best rather than the presumptive Vezina favorite, this trio should continue to pile up points. Crosby has a 2-7-9 line through this series' first four games, Guentzel's at 5-1-6 and Rust has added a 1-4-5 line.
Panthers vs. Capitals
Sam Bennett (C - $5,000), Jonathan Huberdeau (W - $7,000), Carter Verhaeghe (W - $3,600)
This line's members have continued to produce in the playoffs after strong regular seasons. Huberdeau hasn't been able to replicate his prolific regular-season scoring, but he has a three-game point streak going after tying for second in the league with 115 points in the regular season. Bennett scored 28 goals in the regular season and has added a goal and an assist in this series. Verhaeghe was the Game 4 hero, scoring two goals, including the overtime winner. Given Verhaeghe's 3-2-5 line in this series, he's a steal at just $3,600.
Flames vs. Stars
Elias Lindholm (C - $6,200), Johnny Gaudreau (W - $6,200), Matthew Tkachuk (W - $5,900)
This line has generated the vast majority of Calgary's offense in this series, but its members are available at reasonable valuations due to the low-scoring nature of these games. Lindholm has goals in three of the four games, while Tkachuk has assists in three of the four. Gaudreau has piled up a 1-2-3 line and 11 shots in the last two games after notching just one assist through the first two.
DEFENSEMEN
Aaron Ekblad, FLA vs. WAS ($6,100): Ekblad took a game to get up to speed after returning from an extended injury lay-off in the series opener, but he has gone back to dominating from the blue line with a 1-3-4 line over the three subsequent games. Florida's No. 1 defenseman had a 15-42-57 line in 61 games during the regular season and should continue to pile up secondary stats in addition to the scoring given his heavy all-situations workload.
John Carlson, WAS at FLA ($5,900): Washington's top blueliner has also been effective in this series. Carlson has a 1-3-4 line during his current three-game point streak, and he's flirted with a point per game all season, notching a 17-54-71 line in 78 games during the regular season.
Noah Hanifin, CGY vs. DAL ($4,800): Hanifin has just one assist in this series after finishing the regular season with a 3-11-14 line over his last 12 games, but the well-rounded blueliner has continued to generate fantasy value. He has 13 shots and six blocks through four games, so Hanifin's contributing at both ends despite the lack of points thus far.
Mike Matheson, PIT at NYR ($3,700): Matheson has played a part in four of the Penguins' 14 goals over the past two games, scoring one himself in Game 4 after assisting on three in Game 3. The affordable defenseman also had an assist in Game 2 and a four-shot, three-block mix in Game 1, so Matheson's been effective in every game of this series.
