This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
After a weekend of three-game slates, it's back to just two contests with a pair of Game 5's for Monday night. The Stars and Avs will head into a back-to-back with Colorado on the brink of elimination, while the Bruins will also need to stave off elimination versus the Lightning.
GOALIES
Pavel Francouz, COL vs. DAL ($8,200): There is no guarantee that Francouz will get the starting nod after giving up five goals on 26 shots in Game 4 before getting the hook. In 9:21 of substitute action, Michael Hutchinson ($8,000) faced a mere three shots, though he kept all of them out of the net. Considering he has conceded 13 goals in his last three appearances, Francouz probably isn't worth the high price tag.
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TBL vs. BOS ($8,000): After falling behind in Game 1, Vasilevskiy is riding a three-game winning streak in which he posted a 1.63 GAA and .937 save percentage. In the postseason, the Lightning are allowing 31.0 shots per game, so the Russian netminder could return decent value even if he can't secure a series-clinching win.
Jaroslav Halak, BOS vs. TBL ($7,500): Despite dropping three straight games, Halak shouldn't have to worry about getting replaced between the pipes by Daniel Vladar ($7,300). In those three outings, Halak is sporting a disastrous 4.30 GAA and .866 save percentage. Unfortunately, the Slovakian hasn't been able to rely on much in terms of offensive support, as the Bruins' offense has averaged a mere 2.25 goals per game.
Anton Khudobin, DAL vs. COL ($7,400): While Khudobin managed to secure the win in Game 4, his numbers were less than stellar as he stopped just 33 of 37 shots on goal for a .892 save percentage. Still, the fact that the 33-year-old veteran is being peppered with pucks to the tune of 34.75 shots per game in this series, and comes in at the lowest price tag among projected starters, makes him an intriguing option.
VALUE PLAYS
Roope Hintz, DAL vs. COL ($3,900): While Hintz is currently anchoring the Stars' third-line, he is seeing plenty of power-play minutes (2:18 per game) in the postseason and has garnered six of his eight playoff points with the man advantage. With the power play converting at 25.0 percent, the fact that Hintz still comes in under $4,000 will make him hard to pass up and could see his drafted percentage increase Monday.
Yanni Gourde, TBL vs. BOS ($3,000): The Lightning third line has been stellar during the postseason, with Gourde accounting for three goals and four assists. None of those points have been recorded with the man advantage, despite averaging 1:28 of power-play ice time with the No. 2 unit but his five-on-five production makes him worth an extended look.
Valeri Nichushkin, COL vs. DAL ($2,600): As the old adage goes, strike when the iron is hot. That certainly applies to Nichushkin, who ended a 14-game goalless streak dating back to Mar. 6 versus Vancouver with a pair of goals in Sunday's Game 4. Locked into a second-line role, the Russian winger should get plenty of opportunities to add to his goal total.
STACKS GAA
Boston vs. Tampa Bay
Yanni Gourde (C - $3,000), Blake Coleman (W - $4,300), Barclay Goodrow (W - $2,700)
As mentioned above, the third line for Tampa has been putting up impressive numbers in the postseason. In addition to Gourde's seven points, deadline acquisitions Coleman and Goodrow have racked up six and three points respectively. With a limited slate, an argument could be made for leaving Goodrow off the stack considering he has registered just four shots in his last five games but may still stumble into a point or two thanks to his linemates.
Dallas vs. Colorado
Nathan MacKinnon (C - $8,500), Gabriel Landeskog (W - $6,300), Mikko Rantanen (W - $7,200)
If the Avs are going to avoid getting bounced from the Edmonton bubble, it will no doubt be on the back of MacKinnon. The Nova Scotia native has at least picked up a point in all 12 playoff appearances and has averaged 5.25 shots per game in the series against Dallas. Meanwhile, Rantanen is riding a seven-game point streak of his own and has been left off the scoresheet just once in the postseason, while Landeskog saw his run of five straight outings with a point come to an end in Game 4. If the Avs extended the series, this trio will almost certainly be the reason why.
DEFENSE
Cale Makar, COL vs. DAL ($5,800): If there was one knock on Makar's recent run of form, it was the fact that he was bogged down in a four-game goal drought, however, that streak came to an end in Sunday's Game 4, in which he also picked up an assist. It was the third multi-point effort for Makar in 11 postseason appearances.
Miro Heiskanen, DAL vs. COL ($5,400): Much like Makar, Heiskanen has been unstoppable of late as he is riding a five-game point streak. Despite logging less power-play ice time than John Klingberg ($5,000), the 20-year-old Heiskanen picked up his fifth point in the man advantage during the playoffs.
Mikhail Sergachev, TBL vs. BOS ($3,800): It's been all boom or bust for Sergachev this postseason, as all four of his playoff points have come in two contests. Despite the slump, the Russian blueliner continues to see opportunities with the man advantage, as he's averaged 2:25 of power-play ice time in 12 games. Sergachev's lack of consistency makes him a high-risk, high-reward option, but he won't break the bank like teammate Victor Hedman ($5,600).
