Fantasy: Golden Knights-Capitals Game 2 picks

With the Vegas Golden Knights and Washington Capitals set for Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, TVAS, SN), fantasy writers Pete Jensen and Rob Reese have picks and strategies for DraftKings NHL Showdown contests.

MORE FANTASY COVERAGE:
Stanley Cup Final player rankings
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Cheat sheet

Pete Jensen (@NHLJensen)

Must-own player: Reilly Smith, W, VGK ($10,000) -- The Vegas Golden Knights wing has been a fixture on their top line with forwards Jonathan Marchessault ($11,800) and William Karlsson ($10,700) and has been dominant through three games against the Washington Capitals this season (19.0 DraftKings Showdown points per game). He had two points (one goal, one assist) and two shots on goal in Game 1 and has 46 points (13 goals, 33 assists) in 41 home games in the regular season and Stanley Cup Playoffs combined. His price has become fairly steep, but he's still the cheapest among Vegas top-liners.
Value pick: Jakub Vrana, W, WSH ($4,900) -- The Capitals wing has at least 9.0 Showdown points in two of his past three games after assisting on Nicklas Backstrom's goal in Game 1 against the Golden Knights. Backstrom is heating up on the second line with Vrana and T.J. Oshie, and Vrana's price has somehow dipped $400 compared to Game 1 ($5,300). Vrana's price stands out on this Cup Final slate because of his solidified top-six role and the likelihood of him generating offense, especially if this continues to be a high-scoring series. Drafting Vrana at this price point allows you to spend up for five players of at least $7,000 apiece in your lineup.
Overall strategy: It was a quiet Game 1 for Alex Ovechkin ($12,100) with no goals, one assist and two SOG, but his 10.1 Showdown points prove he's a must-draft player the rest of the way with the highest floor in the series. Stacking Vegas second-liners Erik Haula ($7,900), who wins face-offs (6.1 per game over past 10), and James Neal ($8,100) is a sneaky Game 2 strategy. Neal has six points (three goals, three assists) and a heavy shot volume (32 SOG) in eight home postseason games. Among goaltenders, Braden Holtby ($7,000) is a much-better value than Marc-Andre Fleury ($8,500) because of his bounce-back potential, road playoff splits (8-3, .921 save percentage) and much-lower price.
Game 2 prediction: Golden Knights win, 4-3 (OT)
RELATED: [Complete Golden Knights vs. Capitals series coverage]

Rob Reese (@NHLReese)

Must-own player: Evgeny Kuznetsov, C, $11,000 -- The Capitals center had an assist, three SOG and eight face-off wins for 12.3 Showdown points in Game 1 of the Cup Final. It was Kuznetsov's seventh-straight game with at least 12.0 Showdown points, making his top price worth it. He leads the NHL with 25 points (11 goals, 14 assists) in 20 playoff games and ranks second in SOG (81) behind linemate Ovechkin (82). Kuznetsov's 16 even-strength points rank first in the playoffs and ensure that DFS players will get to to the floor even if Game 2 has low power-play opportunities, similar to Game 1 (two total).
Value pick: Deryk Engelland, D, $4,500 --The Golden Knights defenseman had a breakout performance with two assists and five SOG (20.0 Showdown points) in Game 1 against the Capitals. Generally speaking, Engelland's offensive productive leaves much to be desired in DFS, but his Game 1 usage of 20:50, including 5:57 with the Golden Knights top forward line of Marchessault, Karlsson and Smith, sets him up for more even-strength production. Even without the points, Engelland is a safe bet in DFS contests with 2.0 blocks per game in the playoffs, second among Golden Knights skaters.
Overall strategy: Game 1 was high-scoring with nine of 10 goals scored at even strength. But if Game 2 is dominated by special teams, Carlson ($8,800), who has 10 power-play points in 20 games, should prove valuable. Carlson had an even-strength goal, three SOG and three blocks for 17.3 Showdown points and led the Capitals with 24:55 in Game 1 (2:00 on power play). Surround the elite Capitals defenseman with a budget stack of Vegas' second-pair defensemen Engelland and Shea Theodore ($5,700; 8.1 Showdown points in Game 1). Then, spend up for high-end talent in Kuznetsov and Ovechkin, who are worth the cost on every Showdown slate.
Game 2 prediction: Capitals win, 3-2
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