This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
The Eastern Conference Finals begins Wednesday, and Game 1 between the Panthers and Rangers at 8:00 p.m. EDT is the only game on the NHL schedule. You can still play DraftKings NHL DFS on Wednesday by entering a one-game Showdown contest. Below, you'll find a breakdown of the action and suggested options for crafting an effective DraftKings DFS lineup. All game lines and odds used below come courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
SLATE PREVIEW
The Rangers swept the Capitals in the first round, then knocked off the Hurricanes in six games, while the Panthers beat the Lightning in five games and the Bruins in six. Wednesday's series opener is viewed as a toss-up and has an over/under of only 5.5 goals. Your DraftKings Showdown contest lineup will consist of one Captain, who has a 1.5X multiplier on both his cap hit and his fantasy points, as well as five FLEX spots. There are no positional requirements for your lineup, but the below breakdown will follow the usual format.
GOALIES
Igor Shesterkin, NYR vs. FLA ($10,400): Shesterkin is in the midst of another terrific postseason, as he's 8-2 with a 2.40 GAA and .923 save percentage. He had a streak of 30 consecutive playoff starts without more than three goals allowed snapped during the Carolina series, but there's no goalie you would rather have in net for the playoffs than Shesterkin, who has a career 2.43 GAA and .927 save percentage in 38 playoff starts. Shesterkin's worth paying up for as your Captain if you like the Rangers in Game 1.
Sergei Bobrovsky, FLA at NYR ($10,200): Bobrovsky's an X-factor in this series, as he's one of the few goalies capable of matching Shesterkin save for save, and the Panthers would be in a great position if goaltending is roughly a wash. Bobrovsky is 8-3 with a 2.37 GAA and .902 save percentage this postseason, having generally faced much lighter workloads than Shesterkin. If Game 1 is low-scoring as expected, Bobrovsky could provide strong value, even if he doesn't face many shots.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Chris Kreider, NYR vs. FLA ($8,200): Kreider's coming off a legendary performance to close out the Hurricanes, as his natural hat trick turned a 3-1 third-period deficit into a 4-3 lead to help the Rangers finish the series in Game 6 on the road. Overall, Kreider's seven goals this postseason are the most among players in action Wednesday, and he has needed only 10 games to accrue them. He has 52 power-play goals over the last three regular seasons, and while officials swallow their whistles more in the postseason, the Rangers are still likely to get some power-play opportunities against a Panthers team that was the most penalized in the league during the regular season.
Evan Rodrigues, FLA vs. NYR ($5,800): Rodrigues is a nice value considering his third-line role at even strength is accompanied by a prominent role on the power play, as Rodrigues is one of nine Panthers to post multiple power-play points in these playoffs. Rodrigues has been boom-or-bust this postseason, but he's returned good value lately with two multi-point outings in his last four games.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Rangers vs. Panthers
Vincent Trocheck (C - $8,800), Artemi Panarin (W - $9,800), Alexis Lafreniere (W - $6,600)
This trio has been New York's most productive at even strength all year, while Panarin and Trocheck are also key cogs on the top power-play unit. Panarin is a strong choice for your Captain spot considering he has four game-winning goals among his 11 points this postseason after posting a massive 49-71-120 line in the regular season. Trocheck has been even better in the playoffs with a 6-8-14 line that has him tied with Mika Zibanejad ($8,000) for the team points lead. Lafreniere is averaging a point per game in the playoffs with a 4-6-10 line. The Rangers control the matchups with the last change on home ice, and it will be interesting to see whether coach Peter Laviolette goes strength vs. strength with this trio against the Aleksander Barkov ($9,000) line or prefers to hunt for easier matchups here while leaving Zibanejad to deal with Barkov.
Panthers at Rangers
Anton Lundell (C - $5,400), Matthew Tkachuk (W - $9,600), Carter Verhaeghe (W - $8,400)
This line offers a nice mix of production and value. Tkachuk leads the Panthers with 14 points in 11 games this postseason, while Verhaeghe leads the team with six goals. This production is hardly surprising considering Tkachuk was second behind Barkov in the regular season with 88 points, while Verhaeghe was second on the team in goals behind Sam Reinhart ($9,400). Lundell's a nice value skating between the two star wingers, and he has chipped in a 2-7-9 line. Tkachuk has plenty of Captain spot appeal given his postseason production.
DEFENSEMEN
Brandon Montour, FLA at NYR ($7,200): Montour is Florida's best source of offense from the blue line, as he leads the team's defensemen in goals (three), points (eight) and shots (28) this postseason. He has plenty of opportunities to rack up value given his team-high average of 23:14 TOI this postseason, which includes a role on the top power-play unit.
Ryan Lindgren, NYR vs. FLA ($4,000): Lindgren has missed the last three practices for maintenance reasons, but the tough blueliner has a long history of playing through injuries, so he's unlikely to sit out the series opener. Adam Fox ($7,600) does most of the heavy lifting offensively on New York's top pairing, but Lindgren offers physicality and just enough skill to occasionally capitalize on the open ice created by the attention Fox draws with his puck handling and passing. The affordable Lindgren had his best game of the playoffs in Game 6 against the Hurricanes, dishing an assist while coming millimeters from scoring a goal before it was swept off the goal line by Jordan Martinook.
