NHL DFS Showdown Playbook June 9: Tampa Bay Lightning vs New York Rangers
We have an NHL DFS showdown slate for today’s game five in the Eastern Conference Finals as the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs roll on. The ECF series shifts back to New York with Igor Shesterkin and the New York Rangers hosting Andrei Vasilevskiy and the Tampa Bay Lightning. You can build daily fantasy hockey lineups on DraftKings, FanDuel, and Yahoo Fantasy for Thursday, June 9th NHL playoffs action. Before you build those NHL daily fantasy lineups, don’t forget to check out our NHL DFS projections, the NHL Value Finder, and the NHL DFS lineup generator. Let's now take a closer look at the daily fantasy hockey top plays for tonight's NHL DFS Showdown slate.
The Captain
We have some solid options on both teams for the captain spot.
Andrei Vasilevskiy was very good in-game four stopping 34 of 35 shots he faced and getting the win. He hasn’t played as well in New York in this series, but when he gets hot he can stay hot for weeks on end.
We continue to see consistency from Nikita Kucherov who has scored in three straight games and has averaged more than four shots per game in this series.
Statistically speaking Igor Shesterkin wasn’t at his best in game three, but largely the goals he gave up were largely out of his control. He has been spectacular at home all season long, so I would look for him to be good today.
While Mika Zibanejad’s goal streak ended at three games in game four, he did still put five shots on goal, and it will be more difficult for the Lightning to slow him down when the Rangers are at home.
The Rest
It was a rare zero game from Adam Fox in game three, but he continues to be a solid option as it is unlikely we see back-to-back games where he misses the scoresheet entirely.
We did get an assist and a couple of shots from Chris Kreider in game four, I would look for bigger games from him when he is at home as the Rangers will try to take advantage of offensive zone faceoffs.
Artemi Panarin continues to be solid in this series with five points in four games, and in the only game, he didn’t get any points he had five shots.
Steven Stamkos continues to be a useful piece, and you could consider him in the captain spot as well if you want. He has scored in three of the four games, and he is averaging more than four shots per game as well.
Corey Perry continues to be a nice option with him getting time on the top power-play. He isn’t as inexpensive as I might like with him only playing 10 minutes a night five on five, but that has been enough for him to be effective on many nights.
It wasn’t a banner game on the scoresheet for Victor Hedman in game four, but we know he is capable of getting you scoring in all three scoring categories so he should continue to be considered even when coming off a lackluster game.
Ondrej Palat has come out of nowhere it seems to be red hot in this series. He has scored three goals and has five points while playing more than 16 minutes per night on average.
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Player News
Dolphins signed No. 13 overall pick DT Kenneth Grant to a four-year contract.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that Grant will sign his contract today. The former Michigan defensive tackle is expected to fill a major void left by Christian Wilkins, who left for the Raiders in the 2024 offseason. Grant totaled 32 tackles, three sacks, and seven TFLs in his final season at Michigan and excelled at stopping the run while also generating 27 pressures in his final season, per PFF.
Daulton Varsho picked up three hits, three RBI and a homer in a win over the Angels on Thursday.
Varsho has only played in seven games this year, but they’ve been seven good ones. He’s homered three times already, and his slugging percentage is a remarkable — and entirely unsustainable — .727 over 22 at-bats. Varsho has been a mediocre offensive player in his two seasons with the Blue Jays, but it’s possible at the age of 28 he’s having a breakout campaign. Far from a guarantee, but possible.
Taylor Ward hit a two-run homer in a loss to the Blue Jays on Thursday.
Ward, 31, gave the Angels a 2-0 lead with a two-run homer off Chris Bassitt in the first inning. He’s now gone deep in two of his last three games, and it ‘improves’ his slash to .181/.224/.391. Ward has been one of the most hot/cold players players in the sport over the last few years, so fantasy managers who can afford to make some roster moves may want to look at Ward while the going is good.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. picked up three hits and scored twice in an 8-5 win over the Angels on Thursday.
Guerrero also drew a walk. It gives the first baseman multiple hits in back-to-back games, and it’s the third time in May that he’s reached that mark. That’s helped raise his average from .268 to .295, and the only thing fantasy managers can be disappointed with is his .432 slugging percentage. That number should continue to climb as the season unfolds, but Vladdy Jr. has had some inconsistent seasons when it comes to power production.
Chad Green picked up his first save of 2025 with a scoreless ninth against the Angels on Thursday.
Green got the save after Jeff Hoffman worked in back-to-back games — and struggled — in the first two contests against the Angels. He struck out two and looked the part while needing just nine pitches to get through the inning. Hoffman should remain the closer, but Green is on his tail if the struggles were to continue.
Chris Bassitt allowed five runs — four earned — while working six-plus innings against the Angels on Thursday while picking up a win.
Bassitt allowed three runs over the first two innings on a pair of homers, but settled down over his next four frames. He came out to work the seventh, but ended up being charged for two more runs after leaving the contest. The 36-year-old veteran has forged a 3.35 ERA and outstanding 49/8 K/BB ratio over the first quarter of the season, but this wasn’t him at his best. He’ll get the Rays next week if the rotation order stays the same for Toronto.