It's properly the NHL playoffs now! On Sunday we got our first overtime game, and on Monday we get our first Game 2s and also the final first-round series kicks off. There are four games on the slate, and the first starts at 7 p.m. EDT. Here are my DFS lineup recommendations.
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SLATE PREVIEW
Thanks to having a few Game 1s in the book, the goaltending situation seems clear. The Stars aren't going to turn away from Jake Oettinger after Game 1, but Frederik Andersen and Jesper Wallstedt turned in strong Game 1 performances that all but ink them in as starters Monday. Lukas Dostal was always going to start for the Ducks, and Connor Ingram is likely to go for the Oilers given his workload down the stretch.
GOALIES
Frederik Andersen, CAR vs. OTT ($7,800): I always trusted the Hurricanes' defense would be locked in for Game 1. That's just how this team rolls. Once again Carolina led the NHL in shots on net allowed per game, and they have consistently turned it up to 11 on the defensive front in the playoffs. The only question was in net, as Andersen didn't have a good season but rookie Brandon Bussi did. Ultimately, Rod Brind'Amour went with the veteran in net, and he responded with a 22-save shutout. Having that game in the books, I now know I want to roster Andersen.
Dan Vladar, PHI at PIT ($7,100): Only Dostal, who visits Connor McDavid and the Oilers, and a bunch of depth netminders have lower salaries than Vladar. That's even though in Game 1 he only allowed two goals in a road win for the Flyers. Now, he faced only 17 shots, but maybe the main takeaway there is that he faced only 17 shots. Philly finished fourth in shots on goal allowed per contest, so maybe it can keep the Penguins in check again.
VALUE PLAY/ONE-OFF
Matt Savoie, EDM vs. ANA ($4,100): Stacking an Oilers line is usually tricky, given that you have to work around Connor McDavid and/or Leon Draisaitl's salary, but there's room for a one-off. The Ducks may be returning to the playoffs, but they finished the regular season with the fourth-highest GAA in the NHL. That's bad in general, but terrible for a playoff team. This isn't just about Savoie's hat trick in the regular-season finale. He actually has 12 points and 47 shots on net over his last 16 games.
FORWARD LINE STACK TO CONSIDER
Wild at Stars
Joel Eriksson Ek (C - $5,600), Matt Boldy (W - $7,800), Marcus Johansson (W - $2,800)
Maybe I am a day late and a dollar short. The Wild scored six goals in Game 1, but they are on the road again in Game 2 and they aren't likely to score six goals again. That is true, but the fact they scored six goals opens up questions about the Stars defensively. Also, about Jake Oettinger in net. This isn't the first concerning outing for Oettinger, who has an .869 save percentage over his last 10 outings. Given that, I'll take a chance on this Minnesota line to see if there is anything approaching an encore from this team in Game 2.
Eriksson Ek missed the last three games of the regular season, but he had two goals and an assist in Game 1. Plus, in the seven games before he was rested down the stretch he notched seven points. Boldy also had two goals and an assist in Game 1 of this series, but he also put eight shots on net. Already an impressive offensively player, he kept pace with Kirill Kaprizov this year, tallying 42 goals on 254 shots on net. Johansson fell one point shy of his first 50-point season in a decade. He gave it a shot down the stretch, notching nine points over his final 14 regular-season games.
DEFENSEMEN
Jackson LaCombe, ANA at EDM ($4,500): My initial plan in a vacuum was to go with John Carlson, since he is a veteran defenseman who has been around the block, but his salary is $1,200 higher, and at this point in their respective careers LaCombe is the better player. This season he had 58 points, 157 shots on net, and 128 blocked shots. LaCombe also enters the playoffs on a three-game point streak. The Oilers finished in the bottom eight in GAA, and do you recall that I noted Connor Ingram is likely to start for them in net? That would be the 29-year-old on his third NHL team with the career .901 save percentage.
Mattias Ekholm, EDM vs. ANA ($3,200): Sure, the Oilers' 3.23 GAA was bad, but the Ducks' 3.51 GAA was worse. Evan Bouchard racked up the points on the blue line for Edmonton, but Ekholm is his partner on defense and his salary is easier to work around. The Swede had 41 points this season and was an impressive plus-32. He also blocked 125 shots. In this matchup, I don't think you need to pony up to pay Bouchard's salary. Ekholm has enough upside.
