We have three games on tap today for the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Florida Panthers are hoping to avoid a 3-0 hole against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the New York Rangers are looking for any kind of offense against the Carolina Hurricanes, and the Calgary Flames continue to look for a way to slow down Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers. Don’t forget about our award-winning tools either when you are building your lineup with the NHL Matchup Report, NHL DFS Projections, and the NHL Value Finder with all tools working with DraftKings, FanDuel and Yahoo!.

 

Florida Panthers  Vs. Tampa Bay Lightning

The Florida Panthers are in a really tough situation and need to turn things around immediately. They lost both games on home ice and now travel to Tampa Bay for game three. There are a ton of players with skill on both teams, but some of those players just haven’t shown up.

For Tampa Bay, there are a few names to consider. Nick Paul has been really good in the playoffs and he continues to be really affordable. There aren’t a ton of great centre options to choose from on the Tampa side, so it’s him or no one else.

Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos are always good options to consider, but today, only Kucherov is worth considering. He’s the best player on the ice and has been consistently putting up points. Stamkos isn’t a bad bet, but I don’t think we see a ton of goals in this game, so there’s no point to go crazy stacking the entire top line.

Corey Perry continues to find ways to get the job done. He has goals in back-to-back games and is only $3000 on DraftKings. You can use him as a single-bullet in any format. 

Victor Hedman is always a great play, but we need to save some salary for some of the other matchups, so the two players I’d look to target are Ryan McDonagh and Erik Cernak. Both players are capable of blocking shots, which is all we really need them to do to hit value. Florida could come out swinging in this game, so there is a ton of upside for both players. 

Florida's offence has been awful to start this series. They’ve scored only two goals and have yet to find the back of the net on the power play. Andrei Vasilevskiy is an elite goalie and there’s no reason to fear playing him today. He’s allowed a total of three goals in the last three games and continues to hit value easily.

For the Panthers, there is very little to love. Without their power play, they just aren’t as dangerous. You can always target players like Jonathan Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov, but I’ll limit my exposure to their second line, specifically Sam Bennett and Anthony Duclair. Both players are affordable and they have a decent matchup on paper. 

On the back end, Aaron Ekblad at $5300 is criminal. Even if the Panthers are a mess, he’s by far their best defenceman and he can shoot the puck and block shots. He’s by far one of my favourite defenceman on the slate. 

 


Carolina Hurricanes vs. New York Rangers

This series has been all about goalies and lack of goals. The Rangers have scored just one goal in two games and it won’t be any easier for them on home ice. They don’t shoot the puck enough, and until they start to push the pace, they won’t win a game.

I’ll keep this section real short: There’s no forward that I really like. Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov are very well priced on DK, but neither player shoots the puck enough to warrant spending even a modest amount on them. I’ll save my salary and look for better value elsewhere.

On the blue line, there are a couple of options to consider on both sides. Ryan Lindgren and Jacob Trouba are two good options on the New York side, while Tony DeAngelo and Jaccob Slavin are good options on the Carolina side. It’s key to look for defencemen who can block shots, and all four of these players can do that. DeAngelo has the most offensive upside, so he would be my favourite of the gang. 

We’ve seen a total of five goals in two games so far this series, so both goalies are a real option tonight. Antti Raanta has the best chance of winning, but the Rangers just don’t shoot the puck enough. If he gives up more than one goal, it could be really hard for him to hit value. Igor Shesterkin has played very well in this series, but it’s hard to win games when your team doesn’t score goals. His price tag and upside make him a great play in any format.

 


Calgary Flames  vs. Edmonton Oilers

I’m saving as much salary as possible so I can stack this series. The Battle of Alberta has been filled with goals and excitement, and that will continue tonight. The other two series have been good, but they haven’t come close to being as exciting as this one.

Connor McDavid is on a missing to take his team to the next round. He might have to do it alone, but he’s not going down without a fight. He already has 20-points in the playoffs and could certainly add a few more before the end of the night. 

I’d love to play Leon Draisaitl tonight, but we probably can’t afford it. Evander Kane is back on the top line and is very well priced at $6000. McDavid and Draisaitl are great at moving the puck and Kane can certainly finish. Any combination of those three works for me in a GPP.

On defence, Darnell Nurse is the only name I’ll consider. There are so many great defencemen to choose from on this slate that we don’t need to waste time trying to find value. Nurse can do it all, and that is something that we shouldn’t pass up on.

For Calgary, their top line of Johnny Gaudreau, Elias Lindholm and Matthew Tkachuk are always in play, but if you need some extra value, their second line is worth considering. We know how much Andrew Mangiapane loves to score on the road, while Blake Coleman and Mikael Backlund have been pretty decent in this series. They are a cheaper alternative if you are tight to the salary cap.

Noah Hanifin is probably my favourite defenseman on the slate. He’s become a modern-day Brent Burns, meaning he can shoot the puck, block shots and rack up points. It’s also wild that we can get him at $5000 on DK. There’s no reason to fade him tonight.

I’m just going to skip over both goalies in this matchup because you’d need to be crazy to play either one. Mike Smith is #NotGood and Jacob Markstrom can’t stop a beach ball. I don’t know why anyone would consider playing those two. 


Showdown: Calgary Flames vs. Edmonton Oilers

Showdown slates are going to become the norm in the next few days, so if you want to get some practice in, now is the time to do it. Building a successful showdown lineup is a real skill, and it isn’t easy. I’ve targeted this game today because it’s going to feature a ton of goals and it shouldn’t be impossible to build a good lineup.

The captain spot is the one spot you want to get right. You can’t go wrong here, because if you do, it’s extremely hard to recover. 

Connor McDavid is always a good choice because of his upside, but he’s expensive and that really sets the rest of your lineup back. Leon Draisaitl is almost $2K cheaper and can give you just as much upside. The savings alone is worth playing him in that spot.

As for the rest of your lineup, you’ll want to look for players with upside. Connor McDavid is a lock, but players like Jesse Puljujarvi at $2400 are just too good to say no to. He’s not seeing top line minutes, but he’s on the second line and finished with four shots last game. Considering how bad Markstrom has been in the first two games, all Puljujarvi needs is one point to hit value.

On the Calgary side, Blake Coleman and Andrew Mangiapane are two players who are going to be forgotten tonight. Mike Smith is bad, and that is going to be on display tonight. Calgary’s second line played well and they will continue to cause trouble. Noah Hanifin is a lock for me because of the upside he offers, and if Chris Tanev is ready to return to the lineup, he would be another name to consider playing. If you need to really save salary, you can play both defencemen. 

 

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