It turns out that Marc-Andre Fleury is human. That does not mean he did not make some fantastic saves, a couple of which were against Nick Suzuki who we highlighted yesterday as an interesting pick. Suzuki flew in over the blue line, got knocked down but managed to sweep a shot on and then made another shot while still on the ice from his own rebound. MAF stopped both and made it look easy.
The Eastern Conference Finals are heading up to Long Island to the Barclays Center. If you want some home ice advantage, this is it. The fans are going to go bonkers. That barn gets so loud even the announcers feel the need to comment on it constantly. We will see if Varlamov’s poor performance leads to a goalie change, but we doubt it. Trotz loves his veterans. The series is tied and it is anyone’s guess where this goes.
Here’s a fishy lineup For DFS Hockey 6/17/21 (using DraftKings Values)
| Captain | N. Kucherov | $16,500 | |
| Flex | Stamkos/Hedman | ~$8,500 | |
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It is not exactly a stretch to put Nikita Kucherov as your Captain when he puts up the points he does. Three more assists in the last match gives him ten points in his last five games. You kind of have to go with him.
Before we get to our thoughts on Islanders players you may take, it will be useful to get one more Lightning player. We are looking at both Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman. They are right next to each other in price but offer some different upsides. Hedman actually has a goal more recently but Stamkos is overall a more offensive driven player. Take a look at their peripherals to help guide your decision.
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•Which second pairing defenseman looks the best tonight?
•Fourth line comparisons between the two teams
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Which second lineer should you grab from the Islanders? Anthony Beauvillier or Brock Nelson? We know Beau has not scored in a while but it really feels like he is on the verge of something. Nelson is certainly the safer play with goals more recently but we are not sure he is the right choice tonight. If you are looking to save some cash you can always go with their other linemate in Josh Bailey who comes at a big discount and does play with the big boys.
Just to mix things up a little we are looking at the second defense pairing today for some fun players. Nick Leddy has been quietly picking up assists in the last few games and has earned himself some second power play time. Scott Mayfield on the other hand has been putting up a lot of shots and blocks. Leddy is much cheaper but Mayfield feels more consistent. Who are you feeling tonight?
We talk a lot about depth here and we spent some time looking at average time on ice for both teams’ fourth lines. We were actually quite surprised by what we found. Compare Tyler Johnson and Casey Cizikas. Cizikas is playing WAY more than Johnson and while he does not get on the scoresheet a lot he blocks shots and even gets a couple on net. That is some cheap upside if we have ever seen it.
This heat wave is really starting to set in, but we have the AC on blast and are staying out of the sun as best we can. Come find us on Twitter (@FantasyDFSX). Stay well hydrated!
