This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
There are only three games Tuesday, as Minnesota and St. Louis are taking the day off. That leaves you with fewer players to choose from, and that number may decrease unless Columbus can avoid being swept. But your concern should be focused on daily fantasy glory, and here are some players that can help you with that:
GOALIE
Cam Talbot, EDM at SAN ($8,800): It's easy to overlook Talbot up in Edmonton, but he posted a 2.39 GAA and a .919 save percentage this season. He's currently on a run of two consecutive shutouts, and made 41 saves on 44 shots in a series-opening overtime battle. San Jose didn't exactly have a powerful offense during the season, scoring 2.68 goals per game and only averaging 29.9 shots on net per contest. Edmonton, meanwhile, allowed a mere 28.3 shots on goal after the All-Star break. The last couple games of this series have been low scoring and it wouldn't be surprising to see this trend repeat tonight.
CENTER
Evgeni Malkin, PIT at CLM ($8,800): Malkin is on the pricier side, but your pickings are slim with only three games on the slate. And with the way Malkin has played this postseason, he's well worth it. He may have missed a large chunk of action at the end of the regular season, but he's racked up six points in three games against the Jackets. He started a team-leading 43.8 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, and has also averaged 3:50 per game with the extra man. And if you needed another reason to put your trust in Malkin, Sergei Bobrovsky had a 3.61 GAA and a .883 save percentage in his last six starts – which were all losses.
Phillip Danault, MON at NYR ($4,700): In his last 10 games, Danault has seven points and 24 shots on goal. This includes notching a point in his last two contests, with six shots on net in those games. After the All-Star break, the Rangers allowed 32.1 shots on net, which was sixth most in the NHL. And although he posted a shutout in Game 1, Henrik Lundqvist hasn't been quite as good since. Even including that shutout, he has a 3.01 GAA and a .907 save percentage in his last nine games.
WING
Phil Kessel, PIT at CLM ($7,300): Kessel was outstanding with the extra man this season by amassing 30 power-play points. He averaged 3:40 per game in power-play time and also started 40.6 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, which was second most on the Penguins. He has also already had power-play success in the playoffs, with two points on the man-advantage. As previously mentioned, Bobrovsky has a 3.61 GAA and a .883 save percentage in his last six contests. Columbus has lost three games in a row, and they have not looked good defensively in this series. Maybe that could change, but things are going great right now for Kessel and the Penguins.
Nick Foligno, CLM vs. PIT ($5,600): Foligno started 36.9 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, and he played 2:47 per game with the extra man. Most of Foligno's 21 power-play points came early in the season, but he does have two power-play points in his last five games, including one in Game 3. Foligno put 185 shots on goal in 79 games, and the Penguins gave up 32.6 shots on net per tilt this season. On top of that, Matt Murray is still day-to-day, which could mean Marc-Andre Fleury (3.02 GAA, .909 save percentage during the regular season) in net once again.
Milan Lucic, EDM at SAN ($5,600): In his last eight games, Lucic has six goals and three assists. He also averaged 2:50 per game with the extra man, tallying 25 points during that time. After the All-Star break, the Sharks had the 22nd-ranked penalty kill. The Sharks also allowed 2.68 goals per game since the All-Star break, and Martin Jones had a .912 save percentage this season.
Brendan Gallagher, MON at NYR ($5,300): Gallagher has three points in his last four games, including two on the power play. In this series, he's averaged 2:08 per game of power-play time. After the All-Star break, the Rangers had the 26th-ranked penalty kill. In addition to Lundqvist's aforementioned recent struggles, he had a 2.74 GAA and a .910 save percentage during the regular season.
DEFENSEMEN
Jack Johnson, CLM vs. PIT ($3,500): With Zach Werenski out for the rest of the postseason, Johnson is now the top left defenseman on Columbus' depth chart. That should mean a larger role for Johnson, which increases his fantasy potential. The Penguins allowed 32.6 shots on goal this season, and Fleury may still be in net for Pittsburgh. Fleury started the postseason well, but allowed four goals on 37 shots in Game 3, and sported a .909 save percentage during the regular season. Additionally, the Penguins averaged 58.8 shots per 60 minutes, which was sixth most in the NHL. Johnson blocked 134 shots this season, and added seven more in Game 3.
Dan Girardi, NYR vs. MON ($3,300): Girardi is all about the blocked shots, and that's good enough at this price. He got in front of 166 pucks in a mere 63 games, and he's carried that prowess to the postseason. In three games against the Canadiens, he's totaled 11 blocked shots. Montreal ranked fourth in shot attempts per 60 minutes (59.7), so there's no reason to think Girardi can't keep this going.
