This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
The Eastern Conference Finals will begin Tuesday at 8:00 p.m. EDT with the Hurricanes hosting the Panthers. FanDuel's format is different from normal because there's only one game on the docket. You'll have a budget of $60,000 to select six players, including an MVP, who will both provide you with 1.5 times the points and come with a salary that's 1.5 times what he would cost as a utility player. Here are my recommendations for Tuesday's action.
SLATE PREVIEW
Carolina is the favorite for tonight's matchup, but just barely with a -120 on FanDuel's Moneyline. The over/under is at 5.5, with the over being +110.
MVP
Brad Marchand, FLA at CAR ($14,400): Marchand has been exactly what the Panthers were hoping for when they acquired him from Boston. He's supplied three goals and 12 points across 12 playoff outings this year, bringing him up to 59 goals and 150 points across 169 career postseason games.
UTIL
Sam Reinhart, FLA at CAR ($13,600): Either Reinhart or Jarvis would look good in the MVP slot, but by using Marchand instead, that frees up enough cap space to include both as utility players. In the case of Reinhart, he has four goals and 11 points in 12 playoff appearances this year after supplying 39 markers and 81 points across 79 regular-season outings in 2024-25. He's also blocked at least one shot in each of his past seven games, which isn't huge, but does give him a little extra value in addition to his offense.
Seth Jarvis, CAR vs. FLA ($12,800): Jarvis is coming into this series having scored four goals and 10 points over 10 appearances across the first two rounds. He's also on a four-game point streak with two markers and five points over that span.
Andrei Svechnikov, CAR vs. FLA ($9,200): There's enough room in the budget to swap Svechnikov out for Sam Bennett ($9,800) if you prefer. I've been impressed by Svechnikov, who has eight goals and nine points across 10 playoff outings this year, including an active three-game goal-scoring streak, so that's why I'm recommending him. Bennett is a viable alternative though, especially if you want to lean more on the Panthers tonight.
Eetu Luostarinen, FLA at CAR ($4,800): Now we're onto the discount players to balance this lineup. Luostarinen is coming off a fantastic Game 7 against Toronto on Sunday in which he had a goal and three points, so I'm looking for him to carry some of that momentum into the Eastern Conference Finals. He's had some other impressive games in the 2025 playoffs, resulting in him contributing three goals and 12 points in 12 postseason outings despite being limited to 24 points in 80 regular-season appearances in 2024-25.
Sean Walker, CAR vs. FLA ($4,400): Walker has a goal and three points over his past two appearances, so he's also going into tonight's action with some offensive momentum. Walker has 21 shots and 15 blocks across 10 appearances in the playoffs, giving him a bit of utility.
