Welcome to Thursday’s Showdown NHL slate. The Toronto Maple Leafs were able to force a Game 6 and are now trying to extend their series by one more game. Boston has been great on the road in this round and are hoping they can hand Toronto another first-round exit. Showdown lineups can be difficult to build but don’t worry, we got you.

 

 

 

You can build Daily Fantasy hockey lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel for Thursday, May 2nd, but 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 top plays for tonight's NHL DFS picks.

Expected Goalie Totals Today, 5/2

 

 

 

Boston Bruins vs. Toronto Maple Leafs DFS

We have a matchup between two excellent teams, but the total is 5.5, so we shouldn’t expect many goals to find the back of the net. Using a goalie in the Captain Spot is always a risk due to paying up for the position, but Jeremy Swayman is a great option. He has been elite in this series and that won’t change tonight. 

I expect this to be a low-scoring game with maybe some overtime, so this means Swayman could pick up the win and hit the save bonus. There is an argument to be made for Joseph Woll, but Toronto hasn’t been good at home, and I don’t think he will see enough show to flirt with value. I also don’t know why you would want to pay more for him when Swayman has proven that he can get the job done.

For the rest of our lineup, we are going to need to target some value. There is nothing wrong with a player like David Pastrnak or William Nylander, but I can’t justify spending that much on a player who absolutely needs to score to hit value. I also don’t see either player hitting the shot bonus, so that limits their upside.

For those reasons, Max Domi, Matthew Knies, Brad Marchand and Charlie McAvoy are all options to consider. Auston Matthews is missing his second game in a row, so Domi will get another look on the top line. He was good last game and has a chance to hit value. Matthew Knies came up clutch with an overtime goal, so his confidence is high. 

He’s skating in the top six and should continue to see a healthy number of minutes. Brad Marchand has eight points in the playoffs but is significantly cheaper than Pastrnak. If you want to “spend up” on a forward, he is by far the best choice. Charlie McAvoy’s price tag is up there, but he also has a really high floor. We know what he can bring to the table offensively, but he can also block shots, so he is a threat to hit that bonus and to pick up a point. 

You might not be able to get all four players into the same lineup, but any three would be a good choice. Fill out the rest of your lineup with a defenseman who blocks shots or a forward that could see a slight bump in ice time.