NHL Showdown Playbook June 5: Top DraftKings & FanDuel NHL DFS Picks
The Vegas Golden Knights and the Florida Panthers go head-to-head in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Vegas was able to secure a 5-2 victory in Game 1 and are hoping to add another win to their total before the series shifts to Florida. The Panthers didn’t play poorly in the first game, but Vegas was a better team all around and Adin Hill made key saves and key moments. So who has the best shot at winning tonight? 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: (2.6)
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, Mark Stone.
Let's keep this short and sweet, shall we? The total for Game 6 opened at 6.0 but has since shifted to 5.5. I know we saw a total of 7 goals in Game 1, but I’m not expecting a high-scoring affair in this one. Both teams are good defensively and I expect Sergei Bobrovsky to play better tonight. With the total being lower, you can of course target a goalie in the CPT spot. Adin Hill might seem like the logical choice, but I’m going back to Bob tonight because I don’t think Florida loses this game.
As for the rest of our lineup, we are going to continue to target some good value. Nick Cousins is under $3K and is skating in the top six, so even if he does nothing, the salary relief alone is enough to get me on board. This allows us to pay up for players like Matthew Tkachuk, Brandon Montour and Carter Verhaeghe. I also like the value that Anthony Duclair provides. You can go with a combination of those four and still have some salary left over to pay up for a couple of Vegas’ top players.
Speaking of those top players, the one I will be targeting the most is Mark Stone. We don’t think of Stone as a player who shoots the puck a ton, but he has seven shots in Game 1, so we can’t ignore him tonight. I don’t know if we see the same amount of shots from him again in this game, but he could still find a way to hit value. If you want to target a second player, Zach Whitecloud is the way to go. He is seeing close to 20 minutes a game, which may not seem like much, but Vegas rolls all six defensemen and only two of them played over that mark (Alex Pietrangelo and Shea Theodore). He also managed to score a goal in the first game, but don’t bet on that to happen again. We are looking for him to block shots and he’s been doing that consistently in the playoffs.
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.