This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
The Lightning and Stars will probably advance to the next round, but how many games will it take? Coverage will begin at 7 p.m. EDT with Lightning-Bruins, and it's a slightly early start for Stars-Avalanche at 9:45 p.m. EDT.
The Bruins have scored only two games in the past two games, and if they lose, it'll be the second time in three seasons they've been ousted by the Lightning in the second round in five games. Jaroslav Halak has lost three straight with 11 goals allowed.
The Stars has inexplicably become a goal-scoring machine, averaging 3.25 GF/GP after finishing 26th during the season with 2.58 GF/GP. The Avs continue to consistently outshoot their opponent so the series won't be easy to close, but there's nothing they can do about their poor goaltending other than crossing their fingers.
GOALIES
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TB vs. BOS ($8,500): The Bruins offense is slumping and the Lightning have been lights-out in closing out games in the playoffs. They're 6-0 when leading after the first period and 5-0 when leading after the second, the only Eastern Conference team that's remained perfect in protecting leads. He's probably the surest bet tonight and his salary reflects it.
Pavel Francouz, COL vs. DAL ($7,900): Even if Francouz gets the win, it'll probably be costly because this series has seen a lot of bad goals. Francouz's 3.99 GAA in this series basically means he's a net negative even if he gets the win, and if managers want to rack up the easy saves, Anton Khudobin is the better choice.
Jaroslav Halak, BOS vs. TB ($7,500): It looks like he's running out of gas and the Lightning's depth is putting the Bruins on their heels. That's now two straight games he's had a Sv% below .900. He's kept his opponents to two goals or less just three times in seven playoff games, two of which came against Carolina. The Bruins have been excellent at blocking shots so Halak may not get a chance to get a lot of saves.
Anton Khudobin, DAL vs. COL ($7,500): He's a much stronger play than Halak even though his own numbers aren't very good, either. Khudobin's upside comes from making a lot of saves; the Avs continue to heavily outshoot their opponents. Only Jacob Markstrom has faced more shots per game in Round 2.
VALUE PLAYS
Radek Faksa, DAL vs. COL ($3,200): Centering the fourth line with a defense-first philosophy makes it difficult for Faksa to earn fantasy points, but with another PPG in Game 4, that's now three in his past five games. The Stars power play has converted 40 percent of their chances and the second unit's effectiveness is a big reason why they've been so successful.
Blake Coleman, TB vs. BOS ($3,800): He's registered at least three shots in six of his nine playoff games. The Lightning third line has been very good this series with a 63.78 CF% in 141 minutes of even-strength play, significantly better the second line with an additional edge in xGF, 5.91 to 3.25, according to Natural Stat Trick.
LINE STACKS
Lightning vs. Bruins
Yanni Gourde (C - $4,000), Blake Coleman (W - $3,800), Barclay Goodrow (W - $3,200)
If you've got cap space, might as well get the entire line. It's really good value because they've been so good. The drawback is that only Gourde plays on the power play and the Bruins don't usually allow a lot of goals. There's a nice floor, though, because Gourde and Coleman both shoot the puck.
Avalanche vs. Stars
Nazem Kadri (C - $6,000), Andre Burakovsky (W - $4,900), Valeri Nichushkin (W - $3,300)
All three play on the power play, which makes it a better play on special teams than the Stars' second line. Kadri has been involved in three of Burakovsky's six points in the playoffs and Burakovsky assisted on both of Nichushkin's goals yesterday.
DEFENSEMEN
Victor Hedman, TB vs. BOS ($6,700): He's in a class of his own. He does everything for the Lightning and continues to play close to 30 minutes a night.
Miro Heiskanen, DAL vs. COL ($5,800): You can stack him on defense with John Klingberg ($5,700) but Heiskanen still has way more upside on offense.
Cale Makar, COL vs. DAL ($5,600): He rounds out the top defenders available on Monday's slate. A goal and an assist last night gives him six points in his past three games.
Samuel Girard, COL vs. DAL ($4,500): He had two helpers yesterday, his second multi-point game of the series. Even though he plays less than Mikhail Sergachev and quarterbacks the second unit, Girard is likely the better value play with his strong transition game. He's traditionally been a very strong possession player and very good at generating shots.
Ryan Graves, COL vs. DAL ($3,800): He's their best all-round defender and picking up some of the minutes left by Erik Johnson. He's registered at least three shots or three blocked shots in his past three games.
