This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
Here we go — the NHL playoffs are here! That means a couple things for daily fantasy players. Firstly, there are fewer players to choose from than usual. Also, there are no bad teams left to take advantage of, which makes your choices a bit more difficult. Maybe I can help.
GOALIE
Marc-Andre Fleury, VGK vs. LOS ($8,700): Fleury's last start was a forgettable one, but even with that over his last seven outings he has a 2.15 GAA and .931 save percentage. Plus, the Golden Knights have a 2.49 GAA at home. The Kings have scored 2.89 goals per game, which isn't bad but is the lowest of any team in action Wednesday.
CENTER
Mark Scheifele, WPG vs. MIN ($7,800): Scheifele had 60 points this season, but considering he only played in 60 games, that's impressive. He also managed 16 points with the extra man. The Wild have struggled defensively on the road, as they have a 3.41 GAA in away games.
Nolan Patrick, PHI at PIT ($4,700): The second-overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft didn't light the world on fire as a rookie. However, over his last four games he's notched five points and 13 shots on net. Now he's facing a Penguins team with a 3.02 GAA. That's the highest of any team that made the playoffs.
WING
Phil Kessel, PIT vs. PHI ($7,800): Kessel averaged 3:46 per game with the extra man and notched a whopping 42 power-play points. That should be enticing enough. However, this is also a particularly good matchup for a power-play maven. The Flyers have the 29th-ranked penalty kill.
Nikolaj Ehlers, WPG vs. MIN ($5,900): Ehlers scored four points in his last five games to give him 60 points on the season. The Danish winger also managed a career-high 29 goals this year. As previously noted, Minnesota has a 3.41 GAA on the road, bottom five in the NHL.
Jake Guentzel, PIT vs. PHI ($5,400): Guentzel managed 22 goals and 26 assists this season, and he gets the benefit of skating alongside Sidney Crosby. Also, while he only averaged 1:46 per game on the power play he did manage 12 points with the extra man. That may be enough power-play time against the Flyers and their 29th-ranked penalty kill. Additionally, Philly's Brian Elliott has only played in two games since returning from an injury and has a .909 save percentage on the season.
DEFENSEMEN
Shayne Gostisbehere, PHI at PIT ($6,300): Gostisbehere has started 57.5 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, highest on the Flyers. He also managed a whopping 52 assists and 65 points in 78 games. As noted earlier, the Penguins have a 3.02 GAA. The American defenseman also tallied 33 points with the extra man, and Pittsburgh's 17th-ranked penalty kill shouldn't challenge him too much.
Ivan Provorov, PHI at PIT ($5,700): Yes, I'm doubling down on Flyers defensemen. Provorov didn't rack up as many points as Gostisbehere, but he notched 17 goals on 203 shots, which is impressive. He also blocked 169 shots, so he can of assistance on the defensive end of things. The Russian also ended the season hot, as he registered four goals and three assists in his last six games.
