New Jersey Devils at Tampa Bay Lightning
The Devils’ have their backs up against the wall today, as they are facing an elimination game in a very tough environment. Tampa Bay comes in as a -230 favorite at home, and need to simply do what they’ve done all year to come away with this series win. They have shown to be the better team all series long, and are outscoring the Devils 15 to 11. Tampa has scored three goals or more in three of the four games, and we should be in for much of the same tonight.
The Lightning has eight players who have scored three points or more in this series, and it’s the familiar names you would guess. Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos, JT Miller, and Brayden Point. But there are also some names that you wouldn’t normally expect to be there, Alex Killorn, Ondrej Palat, and Ryan McDonagh. This is a nice diverse group since we have both forwards and defenders, high priced players and lower priced ones. Also, all of these players are on either the first power-play or second power-play, meaning you can pick and choose your stacks. They are the better team here, and their high powered offense should prevail at home.
For the Devils, they haven’t played a terrible series, they are just up against a better team, which truly shines through. The truth of the matter for the Devils is that they are a one-man show on offense, who is none other than Taylor Hall. In the regular season, he had 93 points, with the next highest Devils player having just 52 points. That type of unbalance offense can prove to be an issue in the playoffs, where you need the depth to compete. They are a clear GPP option on this slate, with Hall being the one who is viable in all formats. If you choose to stack them up, go with the first power-play of Hall, Travis Zajac, Kyle Palmieri and Will Butcher. Even on this three-game slate, they are clearly one of the bottom options in terms of offenses.
Columbus Blue Jackets at Washington Capitals
This series has been a very exciting one to watch, and we should be in for a wild few games to close out the series. Both offenses in this have shown plenty of power, while the defenses are lacking a bit of stopping power. I don’t see either goalie as an option in this one since we should be looking at plenty of scoring chances.
For the Blue Jackets, it really comes down who will be doing the scoring for them, since they have so many different players with points this offseason. It’s hard to pass on someone like Artemi Panarin, given how much upside he has shown this postseason. He has seven points in the first four games, and with him being on the first power-play unit, he could be a component to stack around. The first power-play for the Blue Jackets isn’t that expensive if you add Pierre-Luc Dubois, Thomas Vanek or Seth Jones. Solid upside for them, as we should expect a strong effort for them to bounce back after two straight losses.
On the Capitals side of things, you have to think this is their chance to take control of the series. From being down 0-2, to now tied up, they have a chance to break the spirit of the Blue Jackets. As always with the Capitals, it has been the salary of the players, and how many of them you can fit into your lineup. The first power-play stack is very expensive, so consider going down to the second one, to take the savings. Whichever route you decide to go, you should be looking to have John Carlson in your lineups, since he has been so consistent for the Capitals in the playoffs. He has eight points, which is a team high and has taken 12 shots on goal.
Toronto Maple Leafs at Boston Bruins
We have seen a good amount of scoring in this series, and now have the Bruins holding a commanding 3-1 lead. They were able to win Game 4 on the road, despite not having their captain Patrice Bergeron. His status for today's has yet to be determined, but he did practice yesterday. This is the night game, so we likely won’t know until right before puck drop.
The Bruins have been putting up plenty of goals this series, and they are led by their young winger, David Pastrnak, who has 11 points in these four games. With a player that hot, you should be looking to roster him, and any part of the first forward line or the first power-play. Either stack has big-time multi-point upside, and are the type of stack which can win you a tournament. If Bergeron is out again, we should Riley Nash up on the top line, as he was earlier in the year. Really any player on the Bruins top two power-play units should be in consideration tonight. They are looking to be the chalk team of the night with this matchup, and the depth that has for scoring.
The Maple Leafs are on the brink of going home in the first-round for the second year in a row and have seen a lack of production from Auston Matthews. Their best player only has one point in this series and is sporting a -4 rating. The good part for him is that he leads the team with 17 shots in the series, so not that he isn’t getting the chances, just not converting. The production is lacking from Matthews and the rest of the team, making them a clear GPP option on this slate. When it comes down to it, they need to do something or their season is over. Unfortunately, that desperation doesn’t show up in fantasy points. Roll with Mitch Marner, James van Riemsdyk, Moran Rielly or Patrick Marleau in your lineups.