This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
There are four playoff games on Friday. We have one Game 4 between Boston and Washington, a couple of Game 3s, and a Game 2 between Edmonton and Winnipeg. The first game starts at 6:30 p.m. ET, so keep that in mind when submitting your DFS lineups. I'm curious how Connor McDavid and company will rebound after struggling offensively in the opener and if the Blues and Predators can get a win now that they're at home. If not, get your brooms ready.
GOALIE
Alex Nedeljkovic, CAR at NAS ($8,400): The Predators scored 2.70 goals per contest, which is the lowest of any team that made the playoffs. Their leading scorer, Roman Josi, netted 33 points. The Preds just got blanked by "Ned" and have managed two goals across two games. Nedeljkovic surprised with an 1.90 GAA and .932 save percentage. That seems like no fluke at this point.
Philipp Grubauer, COL at STL ($8,300): The Blues were pretty solid offensively this season at 13th in goals per game, but the Avalanche are just too strong defensively allowing a league-low 25.4 shots on net per outing while Grubauer posted a 1.95 GAA and .922 save percentage. Even being on the road doesn't concern me, as I have total faith in the German netminder.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Andrei Svechnikov, CAR at NAS ($6,600): Svechnikov really packs a punch on the power play having tallied 20 points with the extra man in 68 games last season and 17 in 55 this year. Meanwhile, the Predators struggled with the 29th-ranked penalty kill. Svechnikov recorded an assist on the power play in Game 2 and could easily get on the scoresheet with the man advantage again in Game 3.
Tyson Jost, COL at STL ($3,500): Nazem Kadri delivered a nasty hit to Justin Faulk in Game 2 that will see him sidelined for the Avalanche. This likely means Jost stepping up to center the second line and also possibly getting some power-play time. That adds to his upside, especially at this salary. Also of note, Jordan Binnington produced a .910 save percentage this season.
LINE STACKS TO CONSIDER
Jets at Oilers: Mark Scheifele (C - $7,400), Kyle Connor (W - $6,400), Blake Wheeler (W - $6,800)
The Jets have one of the best top lines in the league. In the playoffs, you aren't often going to find easy matchups. Teams with questionable goaltending don't tend to make it to the postseason. However, I do think it's reasonable to have skepticism about Mike Smith. He's 39 and surprised with a 2.31 GAA and .923 save percentage and posted a 2.83 GAA and .900 save percentage over the previous two campaigns. Prior to this year, the last time he had a save percentage higher than .916 was way back in 2011-12 with the then Phoenix Coyotes.
Scheifele ended the regular season on a five-game point streak and opened this series with two assists. Connor scored over 30 goals in each of his first three seasons and potted 24 in 56 games this year - including 10 with the extra man - and comes in on a four-game goal streak. After returning from an injury absence, Wheeler has recorded 16 points in 12 appearances. He also started 60.6 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, second highest on the Jets.
Bruins vs. Capitals: David Krejci (C - $5,800), Taylor Hall (W - $6,800), Craig Smith (W - $4,800)
OK, so I just said that teams with questionable goaltending rarely make the playoffs. The Capitals are the exception that tests that adage. Washington managed a .906 team save percentage while Ilya Samsonov managed a .902 mark and was in net for Game 3. The addition of Hall to Boston's second line completely changed the squad. Krejci ended the regular season with 21 points over his last 16 games. Escaping the Sabres completely reinvigorated Hall, who notched 14 points in 16 regular-season games with the Bruins, including eight goals. He's also tallied a goal in each of Boston's last two playoff matchups with the Caps. Smith scored the OT winner in Game 3 for the Bruins, giving him points in back-to-back games. He also produced 13 goals on 132 shots on net in 54 outings with Boston in his first year with the team.
DEFENSE
Charlie McAvoy, BOS vs. WAS ($5,400): McAvoy has really picked up his offensive activity in the playoffs. In this series, he's notched two assists and more notably a whopping 13 shots on net. McAvoy normally doesn't shoot that much, but it's been three games now. And he's had at least 28 points in every season of his career, even though he's never played more than 67 games in a season. As I mentioned before, Samsonov had a .902 save percentage. And even if Vitek Vanecek is healthy enough to return, he posted a .908.
Samuel Girard, COL at STL ($4,400): Girard racked up 32 points in 48 games, including nine with the extra man. The 23-year-old averaged 2:16 on the power play, and that's potentially beneficial in this series. St. Louis struggled with a bottom-five penalty kill while Colorado's lineup is loaded with so much talent even the second power-play unit is dangerous.
Brett Pesce, CAR at NAS ($4,100): If you want a defensive option for the Hurricanes that can save you a little salary, I like Pesce. It's not just because he's managed three points in two contests this series. He also averaged a career-high 22:48 this season and notched 25 over 55 games. Dougie Hamilton is the clear top dog here, but salary-cap management is key sometimes and Pesce can be helpful there.
