There are two NHL games on Saturday in two series that may soon be over. I mean, Carolina could literally sweep Philadelphia while Colorado seems destined to beat Minnesota in five games. Are we heading toward a Hurricanes-Avalanche final? First puck drops at 6 p.m. EDT. Here are my DFS lineup recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
Owen Tippett is still considered day-to-day, but it is starting to feel like he may not return anytime soon (especially if the Flyers get eliminated on Saturday). Minnesota has bigger questions. In addition to Joel Eriksson Ek and Jonas Brodin possibly coming back, the Wild still have to decide between Jesper Wallstedt and Filip Gustavsson in net.
GOALIE
Frederik Andersen, CAR at PHI ($8,100): I mean, why get cute? Carolina's elite defense has been on full display during the playoffs after once again finishing first in shots allowed. The two times Andersen has faced more than 27 shots went to overtime. He's also posted a 1.02 GAA and .957 save percentage in the postseason. The Flyers will be going all out to avoid elimination, though I also don't think it'll really matter.
VALUE PLAY/ONE-OFF
Gabriel Landeskog, COL at MIN ($4,700): For Landeskog - and for the Avs and their fans - it was nice for the captain to finally play some regular-season hockey again. He did miss some time, but still notched 35 points. Landeskog is currently on a five-game scoring streak where he's tallied seven points while skating on Colorado's top power play.
FORWARD LINE STACK TO CONSIDER
Hurricanes at Flyers
Logan Stankoven (C - $5,900), Jackson Blake (W - $5,000), Taylor Hall (W - $4,600)
The Flyers' defense and Dan Vladar got the team into the playoffs. They got by an aged (in NHL terms) Penguins squad in the first round, though Vladar wasn't great. Carolina is rolling and he's struggled to an .895 save percentage this series to go with a 3.09 GAA. In fact, Vladar has allowed at least three goals from five of his last six outings. If the Hurricanes get over the hump and finally make it back to the Final, the emergence of this second line will have played a key role in that.
Prior to the last two matchups, Stankoven had been riding a 13-game scoring run that included 13 goals. While he hasn't found the scoresheet in either of the last two, he put six pucks on target while potting two on five shots during Game 1. Blake is a young player on the rise alongside Stankoven who's benefited from a larger role and a better linemate. He delivered 22 goals this season with eight points during the playoffs on a 13.3 shooting percentage. I mention that last stat as it isn't uncommon for unsustainable conversion rates to occur in the postseason. Hall is the veteran of the trio, a former first-overall pick with an MVP to his name. While he's probably going to fall short of a Hall-of-Fame career, the nine points he's contributed since the regular season has him clearly motivated for that career-capping championship ring.
DEFENSEMAN
Devon Toews, COL at MIN ($3,800): Toews may only participate on the second man-advantage, yet he's also the defender who teams up with Cale Makar at even-strength. And his ice time has increased during the postseason at 24:45 per outing. While four of Toews' seven points came in Game 1 of this series, that's a level of upside most blueliners lack. And if you take that effort out, that still leaves him with three points from five games.
