This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Tuesday's NHL slate consists of the one-game showdown contest between the Lightning and Hurricanes at 8:00 p.m. EDT. Below, you'll find suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
Tampa Bay won Game 1 in Carolina 2-1. The defending champs are looking to grab a commanding 2-0 series lead on the road in what's expected to be a toss-up against the upstart Hurricanes, who finished atop the Central Division standings in the regular season.
GOALIES
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TB at CAR ($10,800): Vasilevskiy was excellent in the series opener, setting aside 37 of 38 shots to give him 66 saves on 67 shots over the past two games. He's 5-2-0 with a 2.41 GAA and .936 save percentage overall this postseason and should be a leading candidate for your Captain spot given his strong play.
Alex Nedeljkovic, CAR vs. TB ($10,400): Nedeljkovic let in a short-side goal off his pad that he would like to have back for the Game 1 winner, but he's still enjoying a strong postseason, with a 2.19 GAA and .923 save percentage through seven contests. Add in his outstanding 1.02 GAA and .962 save percentage in three regular-season meetings with Tampa Bay, as well as the extra motivation Carolina will have as the team looks to avoid dropping two home games to start the series, and there are plenty of factors working in favor of a Game 2 bounce-back for Nedeljkovic.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Jordan Staal, CAR vs. TB ($6,600): Staal ranks second on the Hurricanes in both goals (four) and points (five) through seven games this postseason, trailing only Sebastian Aho ($9,800), who has a 5-2-7 line. Despite that success, Staal's more affordable than five other Hurricanes forwards, making him a strong value option.
Anthony Cirelli, TB at CAR ($4,400): Cirelli's 2-2-4 line through seven games this postseason is nothing to write home about, but he's likely to pick up the pace given all the chances he's been generating. He leads the Lightning with 22 shots in this playoff run, including a team-high four in Game 1 against the Hurricanes, so the second-line center's a nice bargain at just $4,400.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Lightning at Hurricanes
Brayden Point (C - $8,000), Nikita Kucherov (W - $10,200), Ondrej Palat (W - $7,000)
Tampa Bay has gotten most of its offense this postseason from the top line, including a Point goal assisted by Kucherov in Game 1 of this series. Overall, Kucherov leads the team in points this postseason with a 3-9-12 line through seven games, while Point has the team goals lead with five and has added a pair of assists. Palat has a muted 2-1-3 line but is capable of breaking out at any moment given his deployment alongside this pair of star scorers. Kucherov's a strong contender for the Captain spot if you don't use a goalie there.
Hurricanes vs. Lightning
Vincent Trocheck (C - $7,600), Martin Necas (W - $6,800), Jordan Martinook (W - $2,000)
This line did everything except score in the series opener, as Trocheck had a game-high seven shots on goal and Necas was hot on his heels with six. Overall, Necas is tied with Staal for second on the team in points with a 2-3-5 line, while Trocheck's added a 2-1-3 line this postseason. Martinook has just two helpers this postseason, but he's an appealing lineup filler at the minimum price of $2,000 while he's moved up to this line with Nino Niederreiter (undisclosed) unavailable.
DEFENSEMEN
Brett Pesce, CAR vs. TB ($6,000): Pesce has been excellent all postseason, scoring fewer than 8.6 fantasy points only once and averaging 11.6. In addition to a 1-3-4 line, he's added a well-rounded 19 shots and 18 blocks, making Pesce a strong play on Carolina's back end.
Ryan McDonagh, TB at CAR ($5,600): McDonagh can't match the offensive upside of fellow Lightning blueliner Victor Hedman ($8,800), but he's a capable two-way contributor in his own right. He's dished out four helpers in the playoffs and has blocked multiple shots in all but two of the Lightning's seven games. If you're more concerned with a high floor than a high ceiling, McDonagh's a strong choice. His 25:13 of ice time in Game 1 against Carolina was second-most among players from either team, trailing only Hedman's 27:36.
