NHL Showdown Playbook May 23: Top DraftKings & FanDuel NHL DFS Picks
The Vegas Golden Knights and the Dallas Stars go head-to-head in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals. Vegas did exactly what every team should do: win games on home ice. They head to Dallas up 2-0, but that doesn’t mean they can just sit back and let the Stars win both games. Jason Robertson is starting to find his groove and the Stars ars a team are playing a lot better. The previous two games went into overtime, so the margin for error in this series is extremely slim. You can build daily fantasy hockey lineups on DraftKings, FanDuel, and Yahoo Fantasy for Tuesday, May 23rd, 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 Golden Knights vs Stars Game 3
Highest Expected Goal Totals
Vegas Golden Knights vs. Jake Oettinger: (2.6)
Dallas Stars vs. Adin Hill: (3.1)
Dallas Stars Vs. Vegas Golden Knights
Players to target: Roope Hintz, Joe Pavelski, Miro Heiskanen, Wyatt Johnston, Tyler Seguin, Ryan Suter, Adin Hill, Jack Eichel, Mark Stone, Jonathan Marchessault, Zach Whitecloud, Brayden McNabb, Alex Pietrangelo.
The total for Game 3 opened at 5.5 and should stay at that number as we approach puck drop. I don’t see this game being a high-scoring affair, so we need to make sure to find a ton of value when building our lineups. The Stars can’t afford to drop this game on home ice, so I expect them to come out and set the pace early. They need to be able to solve the Golden Knights in regulation and I like their chances of doing so in this matchup.
In the CPT spot, It’s going to be a goalie for me. Jake Oettinger hasn’t played badly in this series, but Adin Hill has just been better at winning games. He’s 5-1 with a 2.28 GAA and a .930 SV%, but because I like the Stars here, I’m going to roll with Oettinger and hope he isn’t highly owned. He’s under $16K on DK in the top spot, so it still gives us enough flexibility to build a pretty good lineup.
For the rest of our lineup, we need to focus on players to create chances and generate offense. Jonatha Marchessault is the one Vegas skater that I will be behind 100%. Even if he doesn’t score a goal, you know he’s going to get a healthy amount of chances. Jack Eichel and Mark Stone are also good options, but I won’t force myself to pay up for those two.
The real value for the Golden Knights can be found on the blue line. In Game 1, we saw all six defensemen play about the same amount of minutes, but that wasn’t the case in Game 2. Alex Pietrangelo saw over 25 minutes and played more than another other Vegas blueliner. Zach Whitecloud and Brayden McNabb still saw a healthy amount of ice time on the penalty kill, so I’ll gladly have some exposure to them since they could very well block over three shots in this game. I won’t target Alec Martinez or Shea Theodore, mainly because both players are just not returning value. Martinez played the second most in Game 2, but that didn’t lead to any positive results, while Theodore played just over 16 minutes. He did finish with three blocked and an assist, but the limited ice time just doesn’t sit well with me and we know he’s not out there because he a shutdown defenseman.
For the Stars, this may be the night to pay up for Jason Robertson, but I’d rather go with Roope Hintz or Joe Pavelski. I don’t think that Robertson is a bad play, but he hasn’t been great in the playoffs and he just isn’t shooting the puck enough. I know Hintz is $1000 more expensive, but the results have been there in the playoffs. If that ship ends up sinking, so be it. I’ll also have a healthy amount of Tyler Seguin and Wyatt Johnston. They don’t play together five-on-five, but they do see time on the second power play unit. Neither line is going to be tasked with going up against Jack Eichel, so they should see some positive matchups. They are also quite affordable.
On the back end, it’s Ryan Suter all day. The veteran defenseman has been very good in the first two games and I expect him to be just as good tonight. Despite hitting value in the last two games, his price tag has dropped to $3600 on DK. Not sure how that’s possible, but we will take the savings and run. I can also see myself having some exposure to Miro Heiskanen, but I wouldn’t want to sacrifice Hintz or Pavelski for him.
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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.