This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
It's playoff time! A little later than usual, the NHL playoffs begin. We've got 16 teams primed to vie for the Stanley Cup. It all starts with four games Monday, the first of which starts at 7 p.m. EDT. It's time to get to my recommendations...
GOALIE
Mike Smith, EDM vs. LOS ($8,100): I did not expect my top goalie selection to be Smith, but with Frederik Andersen banged up you can't even be sure he'll play, and if he does, he likely won't be at 100 percent. Smith, though, has a 2.13 GAA and .936 save percentage over his last 15 games. The Kings ranked 20th in goals per game, lowest among the eight teams playing Monday.
Linus Ullmark, BOS at CAR ($7,600): Ullmark is likely to get the nod over Jeremy Swayman, as he ended the year with better numbers. The Swede has a 2.45 GAA and .917 save percentage. Boston only allowed 28.7 shots on net per contest, so Ullmark might not be too busy. I'm expecting a low-scoring game, and if Andersen can't play the Bruins could eke out the road win.
VALUE PLAYS
William Nylander, TOR vs. TAM ($5,300): Nylander exploded this year with 80 points in 81 games. Down the stretch, he had eight multipoint games in his last 15 outings. Andrei Vasilevskiy is usually as steady of a hand as possible, but over his last 10 games he has a 3.17 GAA and .904 save percentage.
Ross Colton, TAM at TOR ($3,300): We have to see how the Lightning lineup reshakes out for the playoffs, as they switched their lines around quite a bit down the stretch. My guess, though, is Colton will be back on Steven Stamkos' wing on the second line, which is where he excelled. He's tallied 10 goals over his last 16 games, while Jack Campbell's struggles in the second half of the season left him with a .914 save percentage.
STACK TO CONSIDER
Blues vs. Wild: Ryan O'Reilly (C - $3,500), David Perron (W - $4,100), Brandon Saad (W - $2,900)
I'm assuming Marc-Andre Fleury will be in net for the Wild, given that they dealt for the postseason veteran during the season. However, after he joined the squad, Fleury posted a 2.74 GAA and .910 save percentage. Also, the Wild had the 25th-ranked penalty kill this year, lowest of any playoff team. All three of these guys are on the second power-play unit, so they should get some time against that penalty kill.
O'Reilly ended the regular season with back-to-back three-point games, giving him 58 points on the season. That includes three power-play points in those last two contests. Perron is a long-time power-play weapon. This was his third season in a row with over 20 power-play points, and he notched 11 of his 27 goals with the extra man. Saad joined the Blues this offseason and it paid off for him. He tallied 24 goals and 25 assists, including 11 points in his last 16 games.
DEFENSE
Torey Krug, STL at MIN ($3,800): Krug had trouble staying healthy this season, especially down the stretch, but when he played toward the end of the season he played well. Over his final seven games he tallied eight points. Krug is also a long-time power-play specialist, and he tallied 19 power-play points in 64 games. As I noted, the Wild had the 24th-ranked penalty kill.
Tyson Barrie, EDM vs. LOS ($4,200): I'm going with two defensemen known for their success with the extra man. The Kings also had a poor penalty kill, as they ranked 22nd. Barrie — who ended the regular season on a four-game point streak — tallied 21 of his 41 points on the power play.
