The quest for the Cup…well, it doesn't begin Saturday, but the next step of that quest starts. Half the teams have been eliminated and we now get to the first-round playoff series. There are three games on the Saturday docket with the first at 3 p.m. EDT. Let's get the postseason started with a bang! Here are my NHL DFS lineup recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
No worries about back-to-backs as the playoffs begin. So how about a quick availability check-in. The one notable forward is Roope Hintz, who continues to be out and will miss at least the first two games. Speaking of Dallas, Miro Heiskanen missed the end of the regular season with a lower-body injury and is considered questionable for the opener. On the flip side of that series, Quinn Hughes is apparently dealing with an illness. Maybe he'll be fine or be limited, so it's probably best to steer clear of him Saturday.
GOALIE
Linus Ullmark, OTT at CAR ($7,200): Ullmark is the goalie on the lowest salary aside from third-stringers. After he returned from an absence, he posted a 2.41 GAA and .904 save percentage with a 1.83/.926 line over the last six outings. Both Carolina and Ottawa allowed under 25 shots per game this season. And in the playoffs, Rod Brind'Amour and company will be fully dedicated to choking the life out of games. There's a chance we may not see 40 total pucks in this matchup, so Ullmark could still deliver decent DFS value.
VALUE PLAY/ONE-OFF
Tyson Foerster, PHI at PIT ($4,000): When I was reading articles about the Flyers' surge down the stretch, Foerster got a lot of love. Of course there are no DFS points for being a tone setter, though he skates on the first line and receives some power-play time. Foerster tallied four points and 20 shots across eight appearances since returning from injury while potting 25 goals last season. Two playoff teams allowed more goals than the Penguins (Oilers-Ducks is going to be a lot of fun), yet they still finished bottom-10 in GAA.
FORWARD LINE STACK TO CONSIDER
Stars vs. Wild
Wyatt Johnston (C - $7,500), Mikko Rantanen (W - $7,300), Sam Steel (W - $2,600)
This is a classic "two-stars-and-a-third-guy" line, though that other player is always key in terms of making salaries workable. Having Linus Ullmark as your goalie also makes it more logistically feasible to stack this trio. The Wild finished bottom-10 in shots allowed and 16th in penalty-kill percentage. Maybe Minnesota will take a shot on the rookie Jesper Wallstedt on the road in Game 1 playoff game. And if they don't, Filip Gustavsson has really struggled of late with an .853 save percentage from his last nine outings.
Johnston had already established himself as a 30-goal performer, yet took it to a new level this year with 45 on 206 shots with a whopping 42 power-play points. Rantanen's 77 points look solid in a vacuum, but then you have to account for the fact he only made 64 appearances with eight of them coming during the last 10. Steel got back in the lineup for the regular-season finale after a hip issue cost him a few weeks. He produced 33 points overall and could be a great salary saver if Johnston and/or Rantanen help him get on the scoresheet.
DEFENSEMAN
Travis Sanheim, PHI at PIT ($4,400): Sanheim is a defender who can be inconsistent, though he's tallied three goals, three assists, 14 shots, and 16 blocked shots over his last eight games. This was his third straight season establishing at least 30 points and his second in three with double-digit goals. The Penguins finished sixth in penalty-kill percentage, even though they were bottom-10 in GAA. Sanheim only averaged 1:06 on the power play, so that's not really concerning.
