This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
In Game 1 of their semifinal matchup, the New York Islanders stole a win on the road over the Tamp Bay Lightning by a score of 2-1. What does Game 2 in Tampa have in store for us? Well, there's DFS hockey for starters. You can pick five players and spend $130 in salary on them. Your "Superstar" player is worth 1.5 times the fantasy points. Here's one potential roster you could put together for Tuesday.
SUPERSTAR
Nikita Kucherov, TAM vs. NYI ($34): I have to start with the top scorer in these playoffs. Kucherov has 19 points in 12 playoff games and has been held off the scoreboard only twice. He even assisted on Tampa's lone goal in Game 1. The Russian had 85 points in 68 games last season. He had 128 points and won the Hart the year prior. Nobody is as reliable as Kucherov when it comes to scoring.
FLEX
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TAM vs. NYI ($40): One goalie has to win this game. Part of me admittedly just doesn't expect the Lightning to lose twice at home to start the series. However, there are numbers that support my feeling as well. The Islanders have allowed 37.2 shots on net per game in the playoffs, considerably more than the Lightning's 34.1. Vasilevskiy had a 2.21 GAA and .925 save percentage during the regular season and he has a 1.77 GAA and .945 save percentage over his last nine games. Semyon Varlamov had better numbers during the regular season, but in the playoffs his 2.43 GAA and .930 save percentage in eight postseason games aren't quite as good as Vasilevskiy's numbers.
Mathew Barzal, NYI at TAM ($19): After a slow start to the playoffs Barzal has been on fire. He has a point in five of his last six games, and seven points total in that time. On top of that, he's put 19 shots on net in those games as well. Barzal centers the top line and plays the point on the power play, so he has as much opportunity to score as anybody on the Islanders.
Kyle Palmieri, NYI at TAM ($19): Surprisingly, Palmieri has been the top goal scorer for the Islanders in the playoffs. He's tallied seven goals, including four in his last six contests. Yes, I like Vasilevskiy in net, but we're talking about only two teams worth of players. The first game was competitive and low scoring, so I don't want to go all in on either team.
Anthony Cirelli, TAM vs. NYI ($12): Cirelli can be hit and miss, but at this salary that's what to expect. What you get here, though, is a player who centers a line with Steven Stamkos and Alex Killorn. That gives him upside. He also sees a bit of power-play time (1:06 per game in the playoffs) and has 29 shots on goal in 12 playoff games. I needed a player on a lower salary to be able to afford everybody else, and Cirelli has the potential to really pay off with one pass over to Stamkos for a one-timer.
