NHL DFS Showdown Playbook June 15: Colorado Avalanche vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Stanley Cup Finals Game 1
The 2022 NHL Stanley Cup Finals start tonight with the Colorado Avalanche and the Tampa Bay Lightning going head-to-head for Game 1 of the series. There are plenty of ways to go with NHL DFS lineups ahead of the Wednesday, June 15th matchup. Can Tampa Bay win on the road to start the series? Is this the year we see Colorado go all the way and capture its first championship since 2001? Which Lightning and Avalanche players should you get into NHL daily fantasy lineups? You can build daily fantasy hockey lineups on DraftKings, FanDuel, and Yahoo Fantasy for tonight's Stanley Cup Finals matchup. 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. Be sure to also read our free preview of the 2022 Stanley Cup Finals matchup before building those daily fantasy hockey lineups. Let's now take a closer look at the NHL DFS top plays for tonight's showdown slate between the Lightning and Avalanche.
2022 Stanley Cup Finals Game 1
There is a lot of love on the Colorado side and that should surprise no one. The Avalanche are starting the series at home and no team has scored more goals in the NHL Playoffs than them. While they do offer a ton of value, it would be foolish to discredit Tampa Bay. They have a ton of firepower and are getting some help for game one.
The Captain spot is going to be critical tonight. Vegas has the total for this game set a 6.0, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see this game be a low-scoring affair. The two players I would consider on each side are Cale Makar and Victor Hedman.
With so many talented forwards to choose from, there’s a good chance we can get both players at low ownership in that spot. Makar is a fantastic skater and is coming off a five-point performance against Edmonton in Game 4 of the last series. He’s also able to block shots, so the upside here is just massive. Hedman hasn’t been as productive, but he’s going to see a lot of ice time and Colorado is not afraid to shoot the puck. If he can get a couple of shots on goal, a point, and hit the blocked shots bonus – he can easily return value.
As for the rest of your lineup, don’t make life too complicated. You’ll want pieces of Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, Steven Stamkos, and Nikita Kucherov. If you have to pick just one player out of the gang, make it MacKinnon. He might see a lot of Anthony Cirelli and Nick Paul, but we know he loves to shoot the puck and he will have a ton of chances to do that tonight.
If you need some value, Artturi Lehkonen, Ondrej Palat, and Corey Perry are three names to remember. Lehkonen has been great in the playoffs and he continues to see top-six minutes. Palat is skating on the top line and just finds a way to score goals. He finished with seven points in the last four games and is still a respectable $6600 on DK. Perry is a risky play, but he continues to skate on the top power-play unit and could be on a line with Brayden Point. Point is an offensive player who can move the puck and Perry has no problem getting to the front of the net. You could consider both as a mini-stack if you really want some upside.
We’ve already talked about two defensemen to consider, but there are still a few more to take into consideration. Devon Toews, Ryan McDonagh, and Mikhail Sergachev are all great options.
Toews finished the last game with a goal, five shots on goal, and three blocked shots. He hit the double-bonus, which alone would be enough for him to hit value. Don’t be scared to have Toews and Makar in the same lineup. McDonagh and Sergachev are purely options because of how many shots they *could* block. Sergachev does have more upside, but McDonagh had six blocked shots last game and is a steal at some of his price points. No team shoots the puck more than Colorado, so the upside is there.
I don’t like goalies when building my Showdown lineup and tonight is no different. Andrei Vasilevskiy is elite, but he struggled in game one against Toronto and New York and he could be in for a VERY long night in Colorado. He could see upwards of 40-shots, so the save bonus is in play. If your lineup has Makar/Toews/Lehkonen, then you could consider Vasilevksiy as a high-risk/high-reward play in a GPP.
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Jahmyr Gibbs rushed 22 times for 67 yards and two touchdowns in the Lions’ Week 3 win over the Ravens, adding 32 yards on five receptions.
Gibbs handled 22 carries and six targets to the 13 opportunities of David Montgomery, but it was the latter back that stole the show while amassing 151 yards and two scores on the ground. Even so, the 28 opportunities were the most in a game in which Montgomery also was on the field during Gibbs’ three-year NFL career - a solid sign for what is to come for the talented back. Gibbs could find the sledding difficult again in Week 4 against a Cleveland defense leading the league in yards allowed per carry through three games.
David Montgomery rushed 12 times for 151 yards and two touchdowns in the Lions’ Week 3 win over the Ravens, adding 13 yards on one reception.
Montgomery played well behind backfield mate Jahmyr Gibbs as far as snap rate and opportunity count are concerned. He put the Lions on his back when it mattered most, however, with carries of 72 yards and 31 yards in the fourth quarter, the latter of which put the Lions up by 14 points with under two minutes to play as he found paint for the second time. The bulk of Montgomery’s fantasy value remains tied to his high touchdown expectancy in one of the league’s top offenses, making him a more difficult weekly start than others drafted around him this offseason.
Jared Goff completed 20-of-28 passes for 202 yards and a touchdown in the Lions’ 38-80, Week 3 win over the Lions, adding six yards on four carries.
Goff’s 28 pass attempts were a product of the team’s successes on the ground, with David Montgomery (151 yards and two touchdowns) and Jahmyr Gibbs (67 yards and two touchdowns) taking over the game in the second half. The veteran signal caller made numerous elite throws, the highlight of which came on fourth down with just over two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter when he dropped a dime into the bread basket of alpha wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. That drive would eventually culminate in a 31-yard Montgomery touchdown to push the lead to 14 points, a lead the Lions would not relinquish as they vault into a tie atop the NFC North with the Packers and Vikings. Up next for Goff and the Lions is a matchup against the surprisingly stout Cleveland defense in Week 4.
Ronald Acuña Jr. walloped his 19th home run of the season and walked three times, leading Atlanta to an 11-5 blowout win over the Nationals.
Acuña has caught fire down the home stretch following a prolonged slump coming out of the All-Star break, homering four times in his last 11 games. The 27-year-old generational talent took Nationals lefty MacKenzie Gore deep in the opening frame and wound up reaching base safely in four of his six plate appearances in the one-sided affair. He’s looked like a fantasy superstar again of late, batting an absurd .346 (18-for-52) with four homers, 13 RBI and two steals over his last 15 games.
Nasim Nuñez went 3-for-4 with a solo homer in Monday’s blowout loss to Atlanta.
Nuñez walloped his first career leadoff homer when he took Atlanta ace Chris Sale deep to right field. It was his fourth round-tripper since returning to the big leagues back in early September. He came a few feet shy of his second big fly on the night a couple frames later and finished the one-sided affair with a season-high three hits, reaching base safely in four of his five plate appearances. He’s shown enough down the home stretch to be considered a serious contender for an everyday role next spring.
Michael Harris II went 3-for-5 with three RBI and three stolen bases in Monday’s lopsided win over the Nationals.
Harris kicked off an impressive three-hit performance with a 109-mph line-drive to right field that brought home Ha-Seong Kim from second base in the second inning. He scorched a run-scoring single as part of Atlanta’s five-run outburst in the ensuing frame. He wasn’t done yet as he drove in another run on a fielder’s choice in the fourth before adding a sixth-inning single. The three steals matched his previous career-high mark set back on July 16, 2022 during his stellar rookie campaign. It also puts him one theft shy of reaching the 20-steal threshold for the third time in the last four seasons.