This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
Get ready for some afternoon NHL action! It's Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final with the Panthers hosting the Rangers at 3 p.m. EDT. On FanDuel, you get $55,000 in salary for five players. That includes your Captain, who earns 1.5 times the points. These are two stout defensive teams with Vezina winners in net and scoring may be at a premium, but I still like this lineup.
CAPTAIN
Vincent Trocheck, NYR at FLA ($13,500): I've gone ahead and selected the top scorers from both clubs. But Trocheck gets my nod at center over Matthew Tkachuk as he's potted more playoff goals (seven compared to five) and is coming off a performance where he produced a goal, assist, and four shots to mark his seventh multipoint effort this postseason. So even on the road, he earns the slight edge.
UTILITY
Matthew Tkachuk, FLA vs. NYR ($14,500): That being said, Tkachuk is no slouch either. Like Trocheck, he's recorded 16 playoff points - including two in Game 1. Tkachuk started on a six-game scoring run before cooling down a bit, which contributes to why he isn't my Captain. But I trust Tkachuk will be active as he's fired 46 shots on target during the postseason and 280 the rest of the campaign.
Adam Fox, NYR at FLA ($10,500): Fox logs the most ice time for the Rangers and is a staple of their power play having managed at least 29 points there in three straight seasons. He's also averaged 3:28 while up a man in the postseason. Even if the Panthers are strong on the penalty kill - and they ranked sixth over the regular season - the promise of major minutes on the man-advantage gives Fox a fantasy edge.
Anton Lundell, FLA vs. NYR ($9,500): Sometimes it's not what you know, but who you know. And sometimes it's not your skill on the ice, but the skills of your linemates. Lundell is a decent player who accumulated 35 points on the season, but he's currently centering Florida's second line between Tkachuk and Carter Verhaeghe. That's a great place to be. And Lundell has gone on to register two goals and eight assists from 13 playoff games.
Filip Chytil, NYR at FLA ($7,000): With my remaining salary - which was exactly $7,000 - Chytil offered the most upside. After breaking through last year with 22 goals and 23 assists, the 24-year-old basically didn't play this season due to injury. Chytil got in one game against Carolina once healthy, and he's skating alongside Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider in this series. He posted three shots on Friday while receiving his first real playing time in a while.
