NHL DFS Showdown Playbook June 26: Tampa Bay Lightning vs Colorado Avalanche Stanley Cup Finals Game 6
Game six of the Stanley Cup Finals between the Colorado Avalanche and the Tampa Bay Lightning goes tonight. Tampa Bay was able to do something only one team has done this postseason: win in Colorado. The Avalanche are 8-1 on the road this season, but can they close things out tonight? You can build daily fantasy hockey lineups on DraftKings, FanDuel, and Yahoo Fantasy for Saturday, June 18th 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
Tampa Bay was able to secure a 3-2 victory against the Avalanche in Game Five and are looking to make one more trip back to Colorado with a win tonight. Andrei Vasilevskiy was exceptional and he’s going to need to be just as good tonight if his team wants any chance at winning this game. Colorado doesn’t have to push the panic button just yet, but they certainly don’t want to give Tampa any life. It would be wise to wrap things up tonight.
We know how critical the captain spot is when building a Showdown lineup and tonight it’s going to be extra important. A lot of people are going to be looking on the Colorado side, but we are going to go the other way completely and target someone like Steven Stamkos or Ondrej Palat. Even if Colorado has one loss on the road in the playoffs, the home team has had a lot of success in these playoffs and that trend should continue tonight. Stamkos only has one goal in the Finals, but he has had eight goals on home ice since the beginning. He’s a good target to consider at the top spot.
As for the rest of your lineup, we can continue to target some familiar faces. We know Palat is great value and the same can be said about Valeri Nichushkin, who continues to see time on the top line and find the back of the net. If you want to trust Colorado tonight, you can use him in the captain's spot. Nikita Kucherov and Nazem Kadri are also two options to consider, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to get either player into my lineup.
Defencemen who block shots are my favorite players to roster in NHL DFS and I’ll have a decent amount of them tonight from both teams. Cale Makar, Victor Hedman, Ryan McDonagh, Mikhail Sergachev and Erik Cernak are all great options tonight at different price points. Makar and Hedman lead the way, followed by McDonagh. There is also some value in playing Bowen Byram. We know that the kid has a ton of offensive potential, but the points just haven't been there in the playoffs and he’s very inconsistent. He finished the last game with five shots on goal and three blocked shots, easily hitting value without having to register a point. Can he do it again? Maybe, but at $5000, I’ll take my chances if it means I can pay up for an elite forward.
The goalie situation when building a Showdown lineup is to just say no, but not tonight. Andrei Vasilevskiy is elite when facing elimination and he’s now faced over 35 shots in three straight games. He’s consistently hitting value and is the key to Tampa Bay’s success. Darcy Kuemper is a flaming pile of nothing good, and if he can’t figure it out tonight, that gives Vasilevskiy the possibility of also picking up the win. I would even go as far as using the Russian netminder in the captain’s spot. He’s proven that he can get the job done, and with the momentum behind the Lightning for this matchup, anything is possible.
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.