This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
The final game of Round 2 will begin at 7:30 p.m. EDT, with the winner of the Flyers and the Islanders to face the Lightning. Philly have clawed back into the series after going down 3-1 thanks to two straight overtime wins. The Stars and Golden Knights, both of whom led 3-1 before being pushed to Game 7 showdowns, ended up winning their series.
With only one game on the slate, DraftKings will have one Captain slot worth 1.5x points and five FLEX spots for players in any position. All salaries reflected are for the FLEX slot.
GOALIES
Carter Hart, PHI vs. NYI ($11,200): Hart has looked excellent, even though he's allowed at least three goals in every game this series. It's taken some lucky bounces but the Islanders' offense has proved quite effective, which makes Hart a strong play if managers are looking for saves and the 35+ Save bonus.
Semyon Varlamov, NYI vs. PHI ($10,800): Varlamov's the better value play because the Islanders are slight favorites in this matchup. He hasn't faced a ton of shots or looked particularly sharp, so his save percentage isn't very pretty. However, the Islanders' team defense can be quite suffocating and Varlamov doesn't have to be better than Hart to earn the win.
VALUE PLAYS
Scott Laughton, PHI vs. NYI ($5,600): Laughton represent a very affordable salary as the Flyers' top center, although Alain Vigneault may put his lines in the blender if the Flyers fall behind early. Laughton centered top playmakers Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek in Game 6, logging nearly 20 minutes of ice time at even strength. The trio also turned out to be their best line by generating 14 shot attempts, according to Natural Stat Trick. After a scoring drought in the Montreal series, Laughton has scored four points in four games.
Derick Brassard, NYI vs. PHI ($3,600): Brassard is no longer a reliable playmaker, but he's definitely still got some skill. Despite sitting out as a healthy scratch earlier this series, Brassard has produced three points over his past two games. He's got the hot hand despite limited ice time.
LINE STACKS
Flyers vs. Islanders
Scott Laughton (C - $5,600), Claude Giroux (W - $8,600), Jakub Voracek (W - $7,200)
Giroux's playoff record has been spotty and Voracek has notched just one assist this series, but they performed excellent together in Game 6. Vigneault leaned heavily on this line for scoring, starting them in the offensive zone 14 times at even strength when no other line received more than two.
Islanders vs. Flyers
Mathew Barzal (C - $9,800), Jordan Eberle (W - $7,400), Anders Lee (W - $9,000)
This line didn't score a goal at even strength, but still generated plenty of chances. It's an expensive line stack, but it may be worthwhile since the Islanders rely on Barzal a lot to create offense. Eberle has also earned a reputation for scoring big goals in big games.
DEFENSEMEN
Ryan Pulock, NYI vs. PHI ($8,000): It's a bummer Pulock hasn't been able to produce many points these playoffs, but he plays in all situations and probably ranks as the Isles' best shooter and all-round defenseman. He's also hit the 3+ Blocked Shot bonus four times and the 5+ Shots bonus once this series.
Ivan Provorov, PHI vs. NYI ($7,600): Provorov has recorded four points over the past four games and remains the Flyers' minutes eater on the blue line. Even though he won't put up gaudy numbers in either the shots or blocked shots column, his ice time and skill set gives him more upside than any other Flyers D-man.
Devon Toews, NYI vs. PHI ($6,600): Toews isn't a big shooter or a creative playmaker, but he receives more minutes than any other Islander defenseman on the power play. He's registered at least three shots or three blocked shots in four of the six games, so he can provide fantasy points from other sources even if he doesn't score a point.
Travis Sanheim, PHI vs. NYI ($5,800): Sanheim has emerged as a worthy top-four defenseman with some offensive upside. Even though he logs a lot of minutes, the odd poor effort will creep up as he's already been blanked twice this series with zero fantasy points in Games 1 and 3 - both of those losses.
