Monday opens the third of four second-round series in the NHL playoffs. We also have our first Game 2 of this round. The first game starts at 7 p.m. EDT. Here are Monday's NHL DFS lineup recommendations from yours truly.
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SLATE PREVIEW
With everything John Tortorella put up with performance-wise in the first round, it's safe to assume Carter Hart is the guy in net for Vegas, making the goaltending picture clear across the board. Injury-wise, the only question mark is Owen Tippett, who was noted as doubtful to play in Game 1 and then sat out with an undisclosed injury.
GOALIE
Dan Vladar, PHI at CAR ($7,200): As the goalie with the lowest salary Monday, I'm going with Vladar. Both the Flyers and Hurricanes finished in the top four in shots on net allowed per game during the regular season. There were, in total, 42 shots on net in Game 1, with Vladar facing 23 of those. While he allowed three goals, by no means did he play poorly. He has an 1.28 GAA and .928 save percentage in the playoffs, so I'll definitely roster him given his salary situation.
VALUE PLAY/ONE-OFF
Ivan Barbashev, VGK vs. ANA ($4,500): Jack Eichel is the best player on the Golden Knights, and Pavel Dorofeyev had the narrative of moving to the top line and scoring four goals in three games. Those elements have led to Barbashev being overshadowed. He had a point in every game of the first round! Anaheim is here because its offense outpaced Edmonton's, not through defensive prowess. That's not surprising, as the Ducks had a 3.51 GAA this season.
FORWARD LINE STACK TO CONSIDER
Ducks at Golden Knights
Leo Carlsson (C - $6,400), Troy Terry (W - $5,700), Chris Kreider (W - $4,000)
The Ducks scored 4.33 goals per game against the Oilers, and their top line paced the performance in the clinching Game 6. Of course, these three have a track record that goes beyond one game. On the Vegas front, Hart did play well in Game 6, but that was a change of pace. In the first round he had an .892 save percentage, and in three games in a row he allowed four goals.
Carlsson had a goal and two assists in Anaheim's last game, and prior to that he was absolutely driving the offense. He had at least four shots on net in each of the first five contests in the first round. In the last 15 games, the Swede has tallied a whopping 66 shots on net and scored eight goals. Terry bookended the series with Edmonton with games with three points and five shots on target. Mostly skating next to Carlsson when both guys were healthy, the veteran Duck had 57 points in 61 games this season. Kreider had a big birthday in Game 6 against the Oilers, notching a goal and two assists. Yes, all three of these guys had three points to eliminate Edmonton. Here's hoping they carry that into Game 1 of this series.
DEFENSEMAN
Noah Hanifin, VGK vs. ANA ($3,800): I am sure you are shocked my offense-focused recommendations eschewed the game between two teams that allowed fewer than 26 shots on net per contest this season. Reunited with his former Flames teammate Rasmus Andersson on Vegas' second pairing, Hanifin had five assists in the first round. He hasn't scored a goal in forever, but he's notched 10 assists over his last 14 games. The Ducks finished in the bottom four in GAA this season. Maybe somebody else lights the lamp, but Hanifin could add another helper.
