STEADY PERFORMER:
Jonathan Drouin, Tampa Bay Lightning ($4,800)
Plain and simple, Drouin needs to be on your DFS roster. He has points in three straight games, 10 points in his past nine games and two goals in two games against the Penguins this series. Drouin scored in transition late in the first period of Game 2, and has points in each of his past three games at Amalie Arena. He's still somehow priced below $5,000 despite playing on the first power-play unit with Tyler Johnson and Nikita Kucherov and on the second line with Ondrej Palat and Valtteri Filppula.
AFFORDABLE FLIER:
Bryan Rust, Pittsburgh Penguins ($3,200)
Sidney Crosby had his long-awaited bounce-back showing in Game 2, and Evgeni Malkin, who has 19 SOG in his six-game pointless streak, could be next. Malkin leads the Penguins with seven points (three goals, four assists) in five road playoff games. Rust, who weathered the storm of the constant line shuffling by Penguins coach Mike Sullivan in Game 2, played a good amount on Malkin's wing at even strength and assisted on Crosby's overtime goal. The appeal to Rust is his exposure to Pittsburgh's top forwards and, of course, his price ($700 above DraftKings minimum). Stack him with Malkin to offset the center's high cost.
LINEUP CHANGE:
Ryan Callahan, Tampa Bay Lightning ($4,300)
Callahan missed Game 2 because of the flu, but is expected to return to the lineup for Game 3 on Wednesday. He has gone three games without a point dating to his outburst in Game 3 at the New York Islanders in the second round, when he had one goal, one assist and one SOG for 5.5 DraftKings points. At this point, Callahan's peripheral coverage is limited and it's extremely risky to roster him, especially considering he's not currently among the Lightning's top-six forward group.
GOALIE MATCHUP:
Matt Murray ($8,300) vs. Andrei Vasilevskiy ($8,100)
With Ben Bishop skating and potentially nearing a return later in the series and Marc-Andre Fleury waiting to pounce on an opportunity for playing time, there's no question this is prove-it time for 21-year-old goalies Vasilevskiy and Murray. Vasilevskiy was 6-2-0 in eight home starts in the regular season and has a .925 save percentage through three games against the Penguins (including playoffs). He was strong in Game 2 with 38 saves on 41 shots for a total of 4.6 DraftKings points in defeat. It will be a tougher environment for Murray, especially considering the Lightning average more than three goals per game at home this postseason (20 goals in six games). Vasilevskiy almost needs to have a shutout or stand on his head for a win in order to earn a Game 4 start over Bishop, and don't be surprised if the athletic goalie seizes the moment.
---
Check out DraftKings.com to play 1-Day Fantasy Hockey today. Entering is quick and simple: sign up for a free account, enter the $3 1-Day Fantasy Hockey contest and set your lineup, catch the games and win!
DraftKings fantasy hockey contests are operated by DraftKings Inc. and are in no way sponsored or administered by the NHL and/or any of its affiliated entities. Prohibited and/or not available in Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New York, and Washington. Offered in Illinois and Texas pending litigation. See Official Rules for additional eligibility rules and further details.
