The first round of the NHL playoffs isn't yet over, but Saturday sees the next stage kick off at 8 p.m. EDT with the Carolina Hurricanes hosting the Philadelphia Flyers. That means it's single-game DFS time! For your lineup, you have $60,000 in salary to allot to six players. One is your MVP, who nets 1.5 times the points, but at 1.5 times the salary. You cannot roster goalies, and that's relevant to this matchup.
Both teams have allowed under 2.00 goals per game during the playoffs. The shots allowed numbers aren't as impressive in a vacuum, though you have to account for OT - including Carolina logging one in double OT during a sweep of Ottawa. During the regular season, the Flyers only conceded an average of 25.5 shots while the Canes were at 23.9.
I'd be surprised if more than five goals are scored on Saturday. I also don't expect to see more than 60 combined shots, and we may not even get to 50. So if you want to play NHL DFS on Saturday for FanDuel, it's all forwards and defensemen and here's the lineup I landed on.
MVP
Logan Stankoven, CAR vs. PHI ($15,600): Carolina will be at home, which was one reason in favor of going with someone from the team as my MVP. It's also about how the Hurricanes are adept at preventing shots and playing lockdown defense. Stankoven has been red-hot riding a 12-game scoring streak while directing 14 shots on net against the Senators during the first round.
FLEX
Sebastian Aho, CAR vs. PHI ($11,600): I went with Stankoven as my MVP since he's been in fine form, yet Aho is Carolina's top offensive performer. He potted three goals versus Ottawa and accumulated 80 points in the regular season, including 27 on the power play. In a matchup that's likely to be light on shots and offense, man-advantage minutes could make the difference.
Trevor Zegras, PHI at CAR ($8,400): I decided to get a couple Flyers as this is Game 1 of a new series with no guarantee the Hurricanes will win, much less do so comfortably. Zegras didn't manage much of anything during the last two outings against the Penguins, but recorded four points from the first four. He also tallied 13 points over his final 13 regular-season matchups.
Andrei Svechnikov, CAR vs. PHI ($8,000): On the one hand, Svechnikov didn't find the scoresheet in the opening round. On the other hand, he contributed 18 shots while blocking four. If you're shooting that often, the results will eventually come. After all, Svechnikov potted 31 goals on 203 shots this season. The Flyers are solid at preventing shots, but in that case I want someone like Svechnikov who offers the skill to generate at least two or three pucks on net.
Owen Tippett, PHI at CAR ($7,400): Tippett only posted two points during the first round, yet previously picked up 28 goals on 220 shots to mark the third time in four campaigns with at least 27 and 200 in those categories. If the Flyers don't get shut out - and I'll grant you that's a distinct possibility - Tippett would have as good of a chance as anyone to light the lamp.
Jackson Blake, CAR vs. PHI ($7,200): I close things out with a Hurricane, and specifically Blake given the remaining salary. He also got up to 22 goals and 53 points during his sophomore season thanks to two goals and seven assists across his last 10 regular-season appearances. And like his center Stankoven, Blake stayed hot by notching four points and eight shots versus Ottawa.
