Game 1 between the Islanders and Lightning in Tampa Bay is the only matchup on Sunday and Yahoo has a single-game contest where you're not position-restricted and can select five players while staying under a $115 salary cap.
It's worth noting Tampa Bay is a sizable home-ice favorite with the Lightning and Islanders ranking second and third in goals per 60 minutes during the playoffs. Here are a handful of picks and pans from the player pool. The contest begins at 3 p.m. EDT.
All statistics from Natural Stat Trick and Hockey Reference.
Picks
Semyon Varlamov, NYI vs. TB ($35): Turn to the underdog as a potential contrarian option. Varlamov won four of five starts with a .934 save percentage and 2.26 GAA after reclaiming the starter's role early in the previous series against Boston.
Brayden Point, TB vs. NYI ($24): The top-line center was tremendous to finish off the Hurricanes with three goals, two assists and eight individual high-danger scoring chances over the final three games of the series. There will probably be fewer high-quality opportunities, but Point has proven to be matchup-proof.
Brock Nelson, NYI at TB ($17): There's been some hit or miss in Nelson's game all playoffs. And while he's definitely not a lineup lock, he's posted six goals and four assists through 12 contests. Even though he's only managed 24 shots, he's attempted 45 and generated 15 individual high-danger scoring chances.
Anthony Cirelli, TB vs. NYI ($13): It's been a solid but unspectacular postseason for Cirelli. He's recorded a respectable six points - including three goals - through 11 appearances while having the most individual high-danger scoring chances on the Lightning. With such a low salary, Cirelli is easy to slide into lineups.
Mikhail Sergachev, TB vs. NYI ($12): With just two assists through 11 postseason contests, it's been a disappointing offensive start to the playoffs for Sergachev - although the Russian defenseman has topped 30 points in each of the past three regular seasons. He's locked into a role quarterbacking the No. 2 power-play unit and has been on the ice for 34 high-danger scoring opportunities in the second season.
Pans
Josh Bailey, NYI at TB ($17): The 31-year-old winger recorded consecutive multi-point efforts against Boston to help New York move onto Round 3. However, he's only recorded six individual shots all playoffs and his 20.8 shooting percentage is likely unsustainable. After all, Bailey's posted an 11.1 mark over the past five regular campaigns.
Kyle Palmieri, NYI at TB ($17): With five tallies, two helpers and a 33.3 shooting percentage through his past seven postseason contests, Palmieri has been exactly what the Isles were looking for when acquiring the winger ahead of the trade deadline. However, his shooting percentage is unsustainably high while only averaging 15:36 of ice time during the playoffs.
