This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
The games so far in the conference finals have been tight, even if the series leads says otherwise. After winning Game 2 in overtime, the Knights are poised to take a commanding 3-0 series lead against the Stars as the series shifts to Dallas.
Scoring has been a problem for the Stars in this series. Only four different players have managed to light the lamp, and only eight have managed to score a point. In contrast, the Knights have had six different goal scorers and only four players have yet to register a point, two of which are defensemen.
The good news is the Stars' top line have combined for 29 points at home this postseason, and either they have to carry the team in Game 3 or someone else has to step up.
GOALIES
Jake Oettinger and Adin Hill are expected to start. No goalies are available for selection in showdown formats.
VALUE PLAYS
Ivan Barbashev, VGK at DAL ($7,500): Barbashev's DFS upside lies mainly with his linemates, Jack Eichel and Jonathan Marchessault, the Knights' two best offensive players. Barbashev's offensive ceiling isn't high, but sharing the ice with them makes him a viable value play, and he also plays with Marchessault on PP2.
Nicolas Roy, VGK at DAL ($7,500): Individually, Roy gives a little more offensive upside than Barbashev, but the idea remains the same: exposure to the Knights' best players. Roy joins Marchessault and Barbashev on PP2, but at even strength will play with Reilly Smith and William Karlsson, with the latter leading the Knights with two goals in the series.
LINE STACKS
Stars vs. Golden Knights
Roope Hintz (C - $14,500), Jason Robertson (W - $15,000), Joe Pavelski (W - $13,000)
You can't really go wrong with the Stars' top line, and it still remains the line with the highest upside on both teams. The Knights can afford to spread out their offense, but not so much for the Stars, who have not received much offensive supporting from their role players.
Golden Knights at Stars
Chandler Stephenson (C - $9,500), Mark Stone (W - $11,500), Brett Howden (W - $6,500)
They're the "third line" by name only, but Stone and Stephenson are Bruce Cassidy's two most trusted players. While Eichel and Karlsson's line offer very good offensive skill, this line has been their most productive as a unit this series. It's an under-the-radar play for a team that really balances it out its offense.
DEFENSEMEN
Shea Theodore, VGK at DAL ($8,000): Defensemen have not been reliable plays in this series, especially with Miro Heiskanen too busy trying to shut down the opposition to generate offense. That leaves Theodore as potentially the best value option, though his ice time has been limited, averaging less than 19 minutes per game. He's expected to quarterback the second PP unit with Alex Pietrangelo playing on the first.
