NHL Showdown Playbook June 8: Vegas Golden Knights vs Florida Panthers Stanley Cup Game 3 DFS Picks
The Vegas Golden Knights and the Florida Panthers go head-to-head in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals. The Panthers are probably happy to be out of Las Vegas after putting together a very poor performance. They return down 0-2, but they still have a chance to keep this series alive. They’ll need Sergei Bobrovsky and Matthew Tkachuk to be better, but there are other players that need to step up their game. You can build daily fantasy hockey lineups on DraftKings, FanDuel, and Yahoo Fantasy for Thursday, June 8th, 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.
NHL DFS Picks Stanley Cup Finals Game 3
Highest Expected Goal Totals
Vegas Golden Knights vs. Sergei Bobrovsky: (3.0)
Florida Panthers vs. Adin Hill: 3.2)
Florida Panthers vs. Vegas Golden Knights Stanley Cup Game 3 Preview
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.
The total for Game 6 opened at 6.0 and will probably stay at that number as we approach puck drop. The Panthers have been doing themselves no favors by taking bad penalties at bad times. Matthew Tkachuk has 36 minutes in penalties after just two games and needs to find a better way to channel his energy. There are other Panther plays that also need to step up, most notably Aleksander Barkov and Cater Verhaeghe.
I know we’ve been burned by Bob twice already, but I am going right back to him in the CPT spot. Florida has played well on home ice and they should be able to clear some traffic from in front of their goalie. It’s hard for a goalie to stop the puck when he doesn’t see it. If you don’t want to play a goalie, then I would look to target Jonathan Marchessault. He’s been absolutely amazing in the playoffs and even better in the last two games. If Vegas is going to continue to fill the net, he’s going to be part of it.
As for the rest of my lineup, I’ll probably have a good mix of value plays and elite players. I’ll gladly pay up for Matthew Tkachuk and Carter Verhaeghe because both players are too good to be this bad. If Florida is going to find a way to get pucks past Adin Hill, one of those two guys is going to be doing the damage.
On the Vegas side, I’ll look to target two defensemen, specifically Zach Whitecould and Alex Pietrangelo. Whitecloud has been really good in the playoffs and continues to see a healthy amount of ice time. We are rooting for three blocked shots here, which is something he is very capable of doing. For Pietrangelo, he plays in all situations; he can register a point, shoot the puck and pick up those important blocked shots. I know he’s more expensive, but he is certainly worth the price on this Showdown slate, especially if we think that the goals will be kept to a minimum.
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.