DraftKings NHL: Friday Breakdown

DraftKings NHL: Friday Breakdown

This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.

The Montreal Canadiens continued their Cinderella run Thursday by eliminating the Vegas Golden Knights. We will know who is meeting them in the Stanley Cup Finals after Friday. The Lightning and Islanders are facing off in Game 7 of their series. It may be your seventh time playing a single-game DFS contest in this series, so you may know how it goes. If not, all you have to do is choose six players from this game. One of there is your captain, and their salary is inflated, but their numbers are also worth more fantasy points. 

The uncertain health of Nikita Kucherov -- the leading scorer in the playoffs -- definitely complicates putting together a roster, but here goes...

CAPTAIN

Brayden Point, TAM vs. NYI ($14,400): How can you not be in on Point at this, um, point? He's scored a goal in nine straight games. Point has notched a goal in every game in this series, and he's added an assist in each of his last two contests. You've got to have the hottest (healthy) player in the postseason in your lineup.

FLEX

Andrei Vasilevskiy, TAM vs. NYI ($10,400): I think the Lightning will win Game 7 at home, which would mean a win for Vasilevskiy. That's a strong starting point for DFS purposes. If that wasn't enough, he has a 2.11 GAA and .933 save percentage in the playoffs. The Russian goalie is playing great, and his team are the favorites in this game. That works for me.

Mathew Barzal, NYI at TAM ($8,800): Barzal avoided a suspension and came up big in Game 6 with two assists and two shots on goal. He's been about the only reliable scorer in the playoffs for the Islanders. Over his last 11 games he has 11 points, and Barzal also centers the top line and plays the point on the top power-play unit for New York.

Jordan Eberle, NYI at TAM ($7,400): Eberle came up big in Game 6 with a goal on five shots on net, but there are other reasons to like him for DFS purposes. During the regular he started 60.2 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, second most on the Islanders. In the playoffs, that number is up to 73.7 percent, which is highest for New York. That opportunity could turn into fantasy points.

Blake Coleman, TAM vs. NYI ($4,800): If Kucherov can't play, or is limited, that will change minutes distribution for the Lightning. Steven Stamkos will likely be the biggest beneficiary of that, but Coleman would likely see more ice time in that case as well. The 29-year-old has three assists in this series, and during the regular season he had 14 goals in 55 games.

Nick Leddy, NYI at TAM ($4,200): Coleman and Leddy are on this roster to allow me the salary to spend on the bigger names. At this salary the Islanders defenseman has some upside. He had 31 points during the regular season, including 11 with the extra man. Leddy has averaged 23:03 in ice time in the playoffs, which is enough time to potentially make a fantasy impact.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Chris Morgan plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: cmorgan3, DraftKings: cmorgan3.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chris Morgan
Chris Morgan is a writer of sports, pop culture, and humor articles, a book author, a podcaster, and a fan of all Detroit sports teams.
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