This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
With the qualifying round in the books, Tuesday marks the start of the NHL's usual playoff format. Tuesday's slate begins at 3 p.m. EDT and features Game 1s from four different series. Below, you'll find an overview of the matchups and suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
Both Eastern Conference matchups are rematches of 2019 sweeps; the Blue Jackets shocked the top-seeded Lightning in the first round, while the Bruins easily dispatched of the Hurricanes in the Conference Finals. The tides could turn in the latter matchup this year, as Carolina's coming off a three-game sweep of the Rangers while Boston went winless in round-robin play. In the Western Conference, the Stars will look to stifle the Flames with a sturdy defense, while the Golden Knights look to add to their young franchise's playoff success against a top-heavy Blackhawks team that's playing with house money. Boston, Dallas and Columbus were the league's three stingiest defensive teams in the regular season, while Chicago and Calgary tied for most goals allowed per game among these eight teams at 3.06.
GOALIES
Andrei Vasilevskiy ($8,300) is this slate's priciest goalie against a Blue Jackets team that averaged the fourth-fewest goals per game in the regular season (2.57). The Columbus team that shocked Vasilevskiy's Lightning last season undeniably featured more talent up front, but it's still hard to completely trust him against this foe. He set aside 82 of 89 shots for a .921 save percentage in three games during the round robin stage.
Like Vasilevskiy, Petr Mrazek ($7,200) will be looking to avenge a playoff defeat. Carolina's affordable netminder won the first two games of the team's qualifying series against the Rangers before yielding the crease to James Reimer ($7,200), who salted the series away on the second night of a back-to-back. If the Hurricanes carry their dominant form into this series, Mrazek could be a terrific value option against a Bruins team that mustered only four total goals over three round robin defeats.
There's an air of mystery around every absence since the league's not allowed to disclose any information regarding injuries, but Ben Bishop's ($7,700) full practice Saturday prior to a scheduled absence from Sunday's game puts him on track to suit up against the Flames in Game 1. His 21-16-4 record, 2.50 GAA and .920 save percentage in the regular season make Bishop an enticing option, though backup Anton Khudobin ($7,500) would also be a fine choice if he gets the call. Khudobin was 16-8-4 with a 2.22 GAA and .930 save percentage this season.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
If Bishop's at less than 100 percent, this could be the time to deploy top Flames center Sean Monahan ($5,700), who led the team in points and tied for the lead in goals with a 2-4-6 line during Calgary's four-game series win over Winnipeg.
If Carolina's able to turn the tables on the Bruins, expect Sebastian Aho ($6,900) to play a huge part. His expectations are dampened by the tough matchup, but Aho posted a stellar 3-5-8 line in the three-game sweep of the Rangers following 38-28-66 regular season.
Brad Marchand ($6,600) failed to get revved up during the round robin, but don't be surprised to see him flip the switch now that the games count. This could be a nice buy-low opportunity on a player coming off a dominant regular season (28-59-87 in 63 games) against a Hurricanes team with mediocre goaltending.
Cam Atkinson ($5,500) was productive in Columbus' five-game triumph over the Maple Leafs, posting a 2-3-5 line and 13 shots. One of the prominent holdovers up front from last year's win over the Lightning will look to keep his momentum from the last round going here.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Golden Knights vs. Blackhawks
William Karlsson (C - $5,500), Max Pacioretty (W - $7,200), Mark Stone (W - $6,700)
Pacioretty (undisclosed) is ready to make his postseason debut for the Golden Knights after leading the team in goals (32), points (66) and shots (307) over 71 regular season games. Stone was hot on Pacioretty's heels with 63 points in 65 appearances, while Karlsson was in the midst of a down year but has been highly impressive in his complete body of work with Vegas. The top-line center has an 82-98-180 line in 227 regular season games and 10-13-23 line in 30 postseason appearances for the Golden Knights franchise. Chicago allowed a league-high 35.1 shots per game in the regular season, and that leaky defensive play should catch up to the Blackhawks before long.
Blackhawks at Golden Knights
Jonathan Toews (C - $5,300), Dominik Kubalik (W - $5,000), Brandon Saad (W - $4,400)
Toews (4-3-7) and Kubalik (3-3-6) led the way for Chicago's offense in a four-game upset over Edmonton to get to this stage, while Saad added a respectable 2-1-3 line. Toews and Saad are no strangers to playoff success given their prominent roles on Chicago's past championship teams, while Kubalik has been by far the best rookie goal scorer all season. This line should offer great bang for the buck regardless of whether Marc-Andre Fleury or former teammate Robin Lehner starts in the Vegas net.
Lightning vs. Blue Jackets
Brayden Point (C - $6,100), Nikita Kucherov (W - $8,000), Ondrej Palat (W - $4,500)
Columbus is stout defensively, but even the best defensive teams have a hard time defending Tampa's top offensive players. Point has a 66-90-156 line over the past two regular seasons, while Kucherov's at 74-139-213 over that same span. Palat's a great value, as he's being deployed in a fantasy friendly situation alongside these two while Steven Stamkos (lower body) continues to sit out.
DEFENSEMEN
Miro Heiskanen ($4,700) has quickly turned into one of the league's premier all-around defensemen since being drafted third overall in the 2017 draft. His ability to pile up secondary stats raises Heiskanen's floor, and he comes in riding a hot streak offensively; the Finn dished four helpers in three round robin games after posting an 8-31-39 line in 71 regular season contests.
Shea Theodore ($6,500) has earned his spot as this slate's priciest defenseman, as he comes in with a tremendous 2-2-4 line and 11 shots in his last two games. His 15-35-50 line over the regular season wasn't too shabby, either, and the Flames don't represent a particularly difficult matchup.
Erik Gustafsson ($3,800) has had a down year, but he rediscovered his offensive touch with three helpers in four games against the Jets. The Swedish blueliner recorded a 60-point campaign with Chicago in 2018-19, and the offensive presence he brings to Calgary's blue line isn't done justice by Gustafsson's $3,800 valuation.
