This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
Tampa Bay is coming off a convincing 5-2 Game 3 victory that included the return of Steven Stamkos to the lineup. The Lightning's stars all produced at top levels with Victor Hedman, Brayden Point, Ondrej Palat and Nikita Kucherov all registering multi-point outings. Meanwhile, Stars studs Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin have yet to register a point in the Stanley Cup Final.
GOALIES
Anton Khudobin, DAL ($15,000/$10,000): After giving up five goals on 29 shots in the first two periods of Game 3, Khudobin was given the hook in favor of Jake Oettinger. Still, it figures to be Khudobin between the pipes for Game 4 as he will look to bounce back from his disappointing outing. In the postseason, Khudobin is sporting a .918 save percentage and 2.72 GAA but he figures to continue to face significant pressure from the Lightning attack.
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TAM ($15,900/$10,600): Game 1 was a forgettable performance for Vasilevskiy and he has rebounded well with a .925 save percentage in his last two contests. The backstop was a Vezina Trophy nominee for a reason and could help close out the series during the upcoming back-to-back Friday and Saturday.
Captain Options
Goalies (See Above): To utilize a netminder as the captain, you'll need to get creative throughout the rest of the lineup given their high price tags. Still, if the keeper can limit the goals allowed, or even record a shutout, they are likely to be near the top in fantasy points, though you'll obviously have to pick the winning goaltender.
Ondrej Palat, TAM ($12,300): Of the aforementioned multi-point producers, Palat is the cheapest one which makes him an intriguing captain option. The winger is currently riding a two-game goal streak and has registered two of his three points in the Finals with the man advantage. Despite the return of Steven Stamkos (undisclosed), who is once again questionable, Palat maintained his spot on the top line and should continue to do so moving forward.
Joe Pavelski, DAL ($11,400): As mentioned above, many of the Stars' best players have been missing in action of late, yet Pavelski continues to produce with one goal and one assist in three Finals contests. The center has been anchoring the second line and has been the most consistent point producer in the club's last three games.
STACKS
Dallas Stars
Joe Pavelski (C - $7,600), Denis Gurianov (W - $6,400), Mattias Janmark (W - $2,000)
This trio is certainly worth consideration in terms of stacking lines. Gurianov is pointless in his last three games but has three multi-point efforts in the postseason. Meanwhile, Janmark has finally rediscovered his scoring touch with two points in the Finals and would allow fantasy owners to spend up at different positions given his minimal salary.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Brayden Point (C - $8,900), Nikita Kucherov (W - $11,000), Ondrej Palat (W - $8,200)
In addition to working together on the top line, this group also works together on the No. 1 power-play, making them a top-end trio. Finding other players to fill out the roster won't be easy given their high salaries but when you consider they combined for three goals and three assists in Game 3 means they are nearly a must-use combination.
DEFENSE
Since classic contests require you to utilize defensemen, looking for players that can contribute with blocks certainly is a solid strategy. However, that's unlikely to bring home the bacon when you get into the open flex format of showdown contests. As such, finding the offensive contributors will be a necessity for fantasy players.
Victor Hedman, TAM ($8,800): In the three Stanley Cup Finals contests, Hedman has racked up one goal and four helpers, including a trio of points with the man advantage. The blueliner has scored a goal in seven of his previous 11 contests and currently sits tied for second in goal scoring on the team with 10. A slightly cheaper option would be Kevin Shattenkirk ($6,200) who also has two points in the Finals.
Miro Heiskanen, DAL ($7,800): Perhaps the only knock on Heiskanen's postseason performance would've been his eight-game goal drought, but the defenseman brought that to a close in Game 3. With 24 points, Heiskanen continues to lead the way in points for Dallas during the playoffs and is ahead of the next closest player by a five-point margin (John Klingberg).
