This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
GOALIE
Pekka Rinne, NSH vs. STL ($8,800) – He's been the best goalie in the playoffs this year, and he'll be playing in front of a raucous home crowd for the first time in Round 2. A friendly reminder: the Predators lost just nine times in regulation at home this season, and outscored the Blackhawks 7-3 to become the first No. 8 seed to sweep a heavily favored No. 1 seed in NHL history. Confidence is sky-high at the home rink, and they've looked like the better team against the Blues. The Predators get last change and Rinne stopped 64 of 66 shots in his last two starts at home.
CENTER
Connor McDavid, EDM vs. ANH ($8,400) – The Oilers return home with a surprising 2-0 lead in the series despite getting outplayed and outshot by the Ducks, but the better news is that McDavid looks much more like the McDavid that won the Art Ross. The Ducks are having a bit of trouble containing his speed, which is surprising given how well their defensemen skate, and haven't been able to neutralize his playmaking ability as much as the Sharks did. He has five shots on goal through two games, and now Todd McLellan gets to hide him from Ryan Kesler on home ice in what will surely be a very noisy and supportive home crowd.
Ryan Johansen, NSH vs. STL ($6,300) – The Blues snapped his playoff scoring streak at five games, but Johansen has shown throughout the playoffs that he's really grown into his role as a No. 1 center. He's the team's best playmaking pivot by a country mile, and despite his previous reputation as a big player who gets soft when the going gets tough, he has been a very effective playoff performer the past two seasons, totaling 15 points in 20 games.
WING
Vladimir Tarasenko, STL at NSH ($7,800) – He netted two goals in Game 2 and is averaging more than four shots per game in the playoffs. Against Rinne, it simply becomes a numbers game — the more pucks thrown on net, the more likely one will find its way in. Tarasenko's the best bet of any Blues forward to score.
Filip Forsberg, NSH vs. STL ($7,600) – Forsberg scored two goals and an assist in two games against Chicago, and has already solved Jake Allen with a goal in Game 1. The Predators will be counting on him even more with Kevin Fiala suffering a broken femur, and Vern Fiddler only has so many goals in him. The good news is that Nashville's top line has been excellent for most of the postseason, and Forsberg already had eight shots in the series. So far in his career, Forsberg has scored 25 more points at home than on the road, and 10 goals in 18 games against the Blues.
Viktor Arvidsson, NSH vs. STL ($6,200) – Why not complete the trifecta and go all-in on Nashville's top line? Arvidsson is a spark-plug forward who gets a lot less attention than he deserves for being one of the better volume shooters in the league. He led all Predators forwards with 246 shots during the season (12 more than Forsberg), and has another 14 more in the playoffs. He's not flashy at all, but he's quietly broken out with 31 goals, and may be the most overlooked forward in the series.
Jakob Silfverberg, ANH at EDM ($6,000) – Can we all agree now that exposing Silfverberg to the expansion draft isn't the best idea? With the Ducks trailing 2-0, Silfverberg has been one of their more productive players, scoring a goal in each game. That gives him four in six games in the playoffs, and interestingly enough, the Swede is one of the few players whose home-road splits aren't much different. In Edmonton, the Ducks won't have the advantage when it comes to line changes, but their immediate goal should be to find a way to beat Cam Talbot. Look for Anaheim to try and push the offensive pace and test Talbot early, which means Silfverberg, who has six shots in his past two games, should be looking to shoot a little more often than usual.
DEFENSE
P.K. Subban, NSH vs. STL ($5,600) – Subban must get a huge kick out of playing in what should be a very, very raucous home crowd, as he returns home a hero after scoring three points in Game 1. The former Has has been a significant factor this series, and he's played at least 23 minutes in each of his past four playoff games. He leads all Nashville defensemen with three power-play points and a plus-5 rating.
Oscar Klefbom, EDM vs. ANH ($4,700) – He's yet to blow a Klef-bomb past John Gibson this series, but through two games he's already fired seven shots on goal, so he's getting his opportunities. Klefbom really emerged as a top-tier defenseman this season and is proving it's no fluke with his performance in the playoffs. He's averaging less ice time than Andrej Sekera and Adam Larsson, but he's their best puck mover and logs more power-play minutes than either of them.
