This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
Florida eked out a 3-2 overtime victory over the Rangers in Game 4 to even the Eastern Conference Finals at 2-2. Edmonton will attempt to do the same Wednesday as it hosts the Stars at 8:30 p.m. ET in a series where Dallas holds a 2-1 edge. With just one contest on the schedule, you'll be asked to assemble a roster of five players with a $55,000 budget. You'll have to pick a Captain who will provide you with 1.5 times as many fantasy points and four utility slots. Here are my recommendations.
SLATE PREVIEW
FanDuel has set the over/under for tonight's matchup at 5.5 goals, which at first glance sounds low for a clash featuring Dallas and Edmonton, who ranked third and fourth offensively, respectively, during the regular season. However, the under was the correct play in Games 1 and 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals before things opened up more in Dallas' 5-3 victory in Game 3.
Getting much past Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger has been a particularly tall task in the 2024 playoffs. He has a 2.09 GAA and a .920 save percentage through 16 postseason starts despite facing strong adversaries in Vegas, Colorado and now Edmonton. He isn't infallible by any means, but his presence is worthy of special consideration when selecting Oilers players tonight.
CAPTAIN
Zach Hyman, EDM vs. DAL ($13,000): One of the few Oilers who has seen success against Oettinger in this series is Hyman. The 31-year-old forward has two goals and three points through three games this series and has found the back of the net in four of his past five contests. I also considered Connor McDavid ($15,500) and Jason Robertson ($14,000) for the captain slot but settled on Hyman because his lower price left me with enough leeway in the budget to select the utility players I wanted.
UTILITY
Evan Bouchard, EDM vs. DAL ($12,000): Bouchard has been amazing in the 2024 playoffs, leading all defensemen with 22 points (five goals) through 15 contests. His pace has slowed in the Eastern Conference Finals, but he still has supplied two assists over the first three contests of this series. If you want to take Robertson over Hyman in the captain slot, you could swap out Bouchard for Ryan Nugent-Hopkins ($11,000). I'm a touch wearier of Nugent-Hopkins after recording zero points and just one shot over the past two games, but the 31-year-old forward still has four goals and 17 points in 15 postseason contests this year, so there would be some merit to the swap.
Tyler Seguin, DAL at EDM ($10,500): Seguin is red hot with five goals and nine points over his past eight outings, including two goals and four points across three appearances versus Edmonton this series. It helps that he's projected to play on the top line alongside Robertson and Roope Hintz.
Roope Hintz, DAL at EDM ($10,000): Speaking of Hintz, he returned from an upper-body injury for Game 3 and went right back to work by supplying two assists in that 5-3 victory over Edmonton. He's up to a goal and seven points across his past four appearances.
Jamie Benn, DAL at EDM ($9,500): Benn is entering tonight's contest on a four-game scoring streak in which he's provided two goals and six points. That run has pushed him up to four goals and 13 points through 16 playoff outings this year.
