This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
Saturday sees the Western Conference Finals move to Edmonton. The Avalanche took the first two at home, the second one in commanding fashion. What will Game 3 bring? Can the Oilers get in the win column? For single-game DFS contests, you have a salary of $55,000 to use on five players. Your Captain will earn you 1.5 times the points. Here's a roster that looks good to me.
CAPTAIN
Connor McDavid, EDM vs. COL ($16,000): Who else would I want with the Oilers at home with their backs against the wall? McDavid won the scoring title with 123 points, and he's followed that up with 29 points across 14 playoff games. The only two outings he didn't registered a point were ones where Edmonton was shut out, and both of those were on the road. In every game at home this postseason, McDavid has registered at least two points.
UTILITY
Mikko Rantanen, COL at EDM ($12,000): Though Rantanen started regularly skating on Colorado's second line late in the year, it hasn't slowed down his offensive production and that's continued into the playoffs. He's been particularly strong this series with a goal and an assist in each of the first two games. Mike Smith has had his ups and downs in the playoffs, and so has the team in front of him. He's posted a .916 save percentage, albeit with a 3.19 GAA.
Gabriel Landeskog, COL at EDM ($11,500): I couldn't really manage to fit Nathan MacKinnon under my salary structure, so his winger (and Colorado's captain) will hopefully perform nearly as well at a lower salary. This is, after all, a player who managed 30 goals and 21 assists in only 51 games this season. Landeskog has been healthy in the postseason with seven goals and seven assists.
Artturi Lehkonen, COL at EDM ($8,000): Lehkonen was dealt from lowly Montreal and was then gifted a role as a top-six forward, which he has taken to. He potted six goals on 45 shots on net in 16 regular-season appearances for the Avs, and has managed six points over his last six games, including three this series.
Bowen Byram, COL at EDM ($7,500): I didn't seek out four Colorado players after McDavid, but that's the way the salaries shook out. This final pick came down to Byram and Tyson Barrie, but the latter hasn't done anything on the power play since the first round and that's his bread and butter. Byram, meanwhile, is now playing second-pairing minutes with Samuel Girard out. He ended the St. Louis series with five assists over three games. And while he hasn't yet earned a point against the Oilers, I like his upside slightly more than Barrie.
