NHL Showdown Playbook June 3: Top DraftKings & FanDuel NHL DFS Picks
The Vegas Golden Knights and the Florida Panthers go head-to-head in the Stanley Cup Final. Both teams are looking to secure their first Stanley Cup championship in franchise history. Not many people had the Panthers making it out of the first round, let alone to the finals. Vegas has now been to the finals twice in their six years in the league. Only one team can bring home the greatest trophy in sports, so this should be a battle for the ages. You can build daily fantasy hockey lineups on DraftKings, FanDuel, and Yahoo Fantasy for Saturday, June 3rd, 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 daily fantasy hockey top plays for tonight's NHL DFS Showdown slate.
Highest Expected Goal Totals
Vegas Golden Knights vs. Sergei Bobrovsky: (3.0)
Florida Panthers vs. Adin Hill: (3.0)
Florida Panthers Vs. Vegas Golden Knights
Players to target: Matthew Tkachuk, Brandon Montour, Carter Verhaeghe, Nick Cousins, Anthony Duclair Adin Hill, Jack Eichel, Jonathan Marchessault, Brett Howden, Alex Pietrangelo, Zach Whitecloud, Ivan Barbashev.
The total for Game 1 opened at 5.5 and should stay at that number as we approach puck drop. Sergei Bobrovsky has been elite since reclaiming his starting job. He allowed a total of six goals in four games against the Carolina Hurriances and is looking to continue his hot streak in this series. With the total so low, we can once again consider a goalie for the Captain spot. Many people are likely to back the Golden Knights in this first game, so the logical way to go would be to play Adin Hill, but we won’t go that way. Bobrovsky is going to see a healthy amount of rubber and that could help him get to over 35 saves. Even if he doesn’t win the game, he’s not likely to allow a ton of goals and can still hit value.
As for the rest of our lineup, we are going to need to find some value. On the Florida side, Matthew Tkachuk is the obvious choice. He has been nothing short of exceptional in the playoffs and the Panthers will need him to be at his best every game. He’s expensive, but he can find so many different ways to rack up fantasy points. If we’re paying up for him, we’ll need to target some forwards that are more affordable. Anthony Duclair and Nick Cousins are both skating in the top six and are under $5K. That’s pretty good value if you’re trusting the Panthers. On the back end, Brandon Montour didn’t have a great offensive series against Carolina, but he’s still a very talented defenseman that can jump up in the play and find the back of the net. Aaron Ekblad could also be an option, but I don’t see him having many offensive chances. His game will be to try and slow down the opposing team’s top players, so he could hit value by blocking shots.
On the Vegas side, it’s all about Jack Eichel and Jonathan Marchessault. Eichel has been very good in the playoffs and he loves to have the puck on his stick. He’s going to get his chances to score goals, but he needs to find the back of the net. He’s also a likely candidate to finish with over five shots on goal. As for Marchessault, We know that he can score goals. He plays on the same line as Eichel and with this game being at home, he may be able to avoid Barkov’s line. If you really want to target value, William Karlsson is a name to remember. He has 14 points in the playoffs, ten of them being goals. The offensive upside is nice, but he’s more likely to be going up against Barkov’s line and they don’t give up many scoring chances. The assignment on paper is a tough one, but his price tag is very reasonable.
On the back end, Alex Pietrangelo and Zach Whitecloud are the only two players I’d really consider. Pietrangelo should see a good amount of ice time, while Whitecloud will have his chances to block shots. I can see an argument for playing Shea Theodore because he’s an offensive defenseman who can rack up points, but I don’t think he will see enough ice time, thus limiting his upside. It’s unlikely he blocks enough shots to hit value and I don’t see the Panthers allowing him to just shoot from anywhere.
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.