This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Wednesday's NHL slate consists of the one-game showdown contest for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Lightning and Avalanche after 8:00 p.m. EDT. Below, you'll find suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
These two teams have both deservedly made it this far, but only one will still be standing when the Stanley Cup is handed out. Colorado is favored at home in Game 1, which has an over/under of 6.0 goals. Constructing an effective lineup will require pinpointing the most effective stars out of the many elite options found on both teams while also extracting value out of the more affordable role players. Your lineup will consist of six players, including a Captain spot that costs 1.5 times as much and scores 1.5 times as many fantasy points.
GOALIES
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TB at COL ($10,000): Vasilevskiy found his form as the Eastern Conference Final went along, and he also benefits from playing behind a Lightning defense that usually stifles opposing opportunities, though he'll likely be busier than usual against the high-powered Avalanche attack. The star goalie's a high-risk, high-reward play due to the tough matchup, but Vasilevskiy comes in having allowed just five goals during his current four-game winning streak.
Darcy Kuemper, COL vs. TB ($10,200): If you're building around the Avalanche, you'll probably prefer to target the team's top forwards rather than its goalie. Kuemper's likely to start the series opener now that he's healthy after exiting in Game 1 of the Western Conference Final due to an upper-body injury, but Pavel Francouz helped the Avs sweep the Oilers, so Kuemper could be on a short leash against the top-heavy Lightning offense.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Nathan MacKinnon, COL vs. TB ($10,800): MacKinnon's a strong candidate for your Captain spot, as Colorado's top center has been absolutely dominant throughout the postseason. His 11-7-18 line and 82 shots through 14 games have helped Colorado rack up an impressive 12-2 record thus far in these playoffs.
Corey Perry, TB at COL ($5,200): Perry's in the Stanley Cup Final for a third consecutive season, this time as a member of the Lightning after losing to Tampa Bay each of the previous two years. He brings a nice mix of skill, grit and experience to his bottom-six role, though Perry's likely to be removed from the top power-play unit with Brayden Point (leg) poised to make his return barring a setback.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Lightning at Avalanche
Steven Stamkos (W - $8,600), Nikita Kucherov (W - $9,200), Ondrej Palat (W - $6,600)
Tampa Bay's top line is red-hot coming into this series. Stamkos led the way as the Lightning eliminated the Rangers in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final, scoring twice in the 2-1 win to bring his series output to a 5-2-7 line and 23 shots. Kucherov also had 23 shots in those six games, in addition to a 3-5-8 line. Palat was arguably Tampa Bay's most productive player against New York, totaling a 4-4-8 line. Colorado will have a hard time cooling these guys off.
Avalanche vs. Lightning
Mikko Rantanen (C - $8,800), Artturi Lehkonen (W - $6,000), Andre Burakovsky (W - $2,000)
It remains to be seen how the Avs line up their forwards, but using Rantanen at center is certainly an option if Nazem Kadri (thumb) can't go in the series opener. Rantanen would continue to share the ice with MacKinnon on the top power-play unit if the two are separated at even strength, and the Finn's having a strong postseason in his own right with 17 points in 14 playoff games. Lehkonen's a solid two-way forward and has been productive with a 4-5-9 line in his last eight games, while Burakovsky could provide immense value at his modest $2,000 valuation. Burakovsky's had a pretty quiet postseason (five points in 10 games), but he's a gifted scorer who topped the 60-point mark in the regular season.
DEFENSEMEN
Cale Makar, COL vs. TB ($9,600): Makar's a nice dark horse Captain option over all the high-profile forwards and goalies in this series. The highly skilled defenseman erupted for nine points in four games against Edmonton in the previous round, including a goal and four assists in the closeout game of the sweep. With more than 27 fantasy points in six of 14 games this postseason, Makar has demonstrated an elite ceiling.
Mikhail Sergachev, TB at COL ($6,200): If you believe in riding the hot hand, Sergachev's a nice value pick at $6,200. He had been mired in a slump but broke out over the final two games of the Eastern Conference Final, posting a 1-2-3 line to go with six shots and four blocks. Sergachev's normally a consistent source of offense from the blue line, having scored 30-plus points in each of the past five regular seasons.
