This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
The Hurricanes needed OT, but they finally pulled through and have a chance to even up the series against the Lightning in Game 4 (4 p.m. EDT). Rod Brind'Amour said he wanted to give Alex Nedeljkovic some rest, but will he give Petr Mrazek the opportunity to win his second straight? In a strange turn of events, the team with more shots has lost every game this series.
Brad Marchand's bad-angle shot put the Bruins ahead in Game 3, while the Islanders also have a goalie conundrum: is Semyon Varlamov the guy? A pivotal Game 4 (7:15 p.m.) could put the Isles on the brink of elimination, but scoring goals has been very difficult for them all series.
GOALIES
Tuukka Rask, BOS at NYI ($8,300): Rask has been brilliant throughout the playoffs with a .934 Sv% and 1.93 GAA, thanks in part to a solid defense and the fact he's only faced 90 shots through the last three appearances. Each contest this series has been close with two games going to overtime, but the Bruins are providing superior goal support and Rask has played well enough to give them a chance to win.
Petr Mrazek, CAR at TB ($8,000): Mrazek and Nedeljkovic ($7,600) both come with slight discounts compared to Andrei Vasilevskiy ($8,200), which means the Canes' goalies may be better value plays in a close battle. Carolina's forwards are banged up and goal support may be difficult to come by, but their defense is healthy with Jaccob Slavin, Dougie Hamilton and Brett Pesce all logging big minutes.
VALUE PLAYS
Jesper Fast, CAR at TB ($3,400): Fast is one of the few value plays because the other three teams playing today are relatively healthy. He's on the third line, but could move up depending on Warren Foegele's status and adds value skating on PP2.
Brock McGinn, CAR at TB ($3,900): McGinn is normally Fast's linemate, but the units will certainly get mixed up due to injuries. McGinn generally offers more upside than Fast - which explains the $500 premium - but generally doesn't play on the man advantage. He's fifth on the team with five shots in three contests this series.
LINE STACKS
Bruins at Islanders
David Krejci (C - $5,800), Taylor Hall (W - $6,300), Craig Smith (W - $4,800)
The B's second line accounted for 10 shots in Game 3 and represents a solid value play with the top-six being heavily relied upon. Krejci also leads all Bruins forwards with 16 shots this series.
Lightning vs. Hurricanes
Brayden Point (C - $7,400), Nikita Kucherov (W - $8,200), Ondrej Palat (W - $5,800)
The upside to this trio is obvious, but the matchups should favour the Lightning with the Canes suffering key injuries up front. Tampa's offense has been much better at home during the playoffs averaging 4.25 goals per game compared to 2.60 on the road.
DEFENSEMEN
Charlie McAvoy, BOS at NYI ($6,200): McAvoy continues to play a big role for the Bruins and could be the top play among the three elite defensemen in the $6,000-range. He plays all situations and his role on the power play significantly enhances his value. Of note, McAvoy has scored a point in every appearance this series.
Jaccob Slavin, CAR at TB ($3,900): For the amount of minutes Slavin receives, he's a very attractive value play at this salary. He recorded an assist, two shots and two blocked shots in Game 3 while providing similar fantasy production to Brett Pesce ($4,100).
Jake Bean, CAR at TB ($3,600): Bean doesn't see that much ice time relative to the other defensemen, but presents a nice value proposition because of his role on the power play. The Canes' lack of personnel has hurt the talent level of their second unit, but it also features Andrei Svechnikov, who is arguably their second-best player after Sebastian Aho.
