NHL DFS Picks: DraftKings Plays and Strategy for Wednesday, May 8

NHL DFS Picks: DraftKings Plays and Strategy for Wednesday, May 8

This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.

The second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs continues Wednesday with two games after 7:30 p.m. ET. Below, you'll find a breakdown of the action and suggested options for crafting an effective DraftKings DFS lineup. All game lines and odds used below come courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.

SLATE PREVIEW

The Panthers are favored on home ice against the Bruins as Florida looks to even the series after dropping the first game, while the Oilers are slight road favorites in Vancouver in the first game of their all-Canadian matchup. Bruins-Panthers has an over/under of 5.5 goals, while Oilers-Canucks comes in at 6.0.

GOALIES

Sergei Bobrovsky, FLA vs. BOS ($8,000): A rare lapse in concentration from Bobrovsky cost the Panthers the series opener, as he gave up four goals in the span of five Boston shots after Florida took a 1-0 lead in the second period. The Panthers will likely come out desperate in front of him to avoid falling behind 2-0 heading to Boston. Bobrovsky will probably be sharper in this game considering he allowed two goals or fewer in three of his previous five starts this postseason.

Stuart Skinner, EDM at VAN ($7,800): Skinner was sharp over the final three games of Edmonton's first-round series against the Kings, allowing just four goals after surrendering nine across the first two games. Vancouver struggled to generate chances in the first round against the Predators. With the high-powered Edmonton offense skating in front of Skinner, he's well-positioned to pick up a road win.

Jeremy Swayman, BOS at FLA ($7,400): Swayman held the Panthers to one goal in the opening game of this series, giving him a stellar 1.42 goals against average (GAA) and .955 save percentage in seven games this postseason. Given his form so far in the playoffs coupled with the Bruins' stout defensive play, Swayman's a strong bargain option at $7,400.

VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS

Leon Draisaitl, EDM at VAN ($7,600): Draisaitl has been a strong DFS play throughout the postseason. He costs $2,000 less than Connor McDavid. While McDavid's tied for the postseason lead with 12 points, Draisaitl isn't far behind with a 5-5-10 line. The star German's production includes seven power-play points. Draisaitl had at least one point on the man advantage in all five games of the Oilers' first-round series.

Brad Marchand, BOS at FLA ($5,800): Marchand's assist in Game 1 boosted his postseason stat line to 3-6-9, while no teammate has scored more than six points. He's the Bruins' all-time franchise leader with 56 playoff goals. The 35-year-old captain is showing he still has some strong postseason hockey left in him.

Elias Lindholm, VAN vs. EDM ($4,000): Lindholm delivered two goals and an assist in the first round, and he could be bumped up from the third-line center role into the top six if Elias Pettersson (illness) is unable to play Wednesday. Either way, Lindholm should continue to skate on the top power-play unit and is a bargain at just $4,000 considering Lindholm has twice surpassed 75 points.

Anton Lundell, FLA vs. BOS ($3,900): Florida hasn't gotten much secondary scoring so far this postseason, but Lundell has been serviceable, as he had a four-game assist streak snapped in Game 1 against the Bruins. Sam Bennett (upper body) has been sidelined lately. If Bennett doesn't get the go-ahead to return for Game 2, Lundell should continue to see elevated ice time while centering Florida's second line and second power-play unit.

FORWARD LINE STACKS

Oilers at Canucks

Connor McDavid (C - $9,600), Zach Hyman (W - $7,700), Mattias Janmark (W - $2,500)

McDavid has looked unstoppable in the playoffs with 12 points through five games, while Hyman has potted seven goals through five playoff games after scoring 54 in the regular season. Adam Henrique (lower body) has been skating on this line but was sidelined for the series opener. Janmark is slated to join McDavid and Hyman at even strength, making Janmark a low-risk, high-reward option at the minimum $2,500 valuation. Vancouver managed to get through the first round of the postseason despite losing star goalie Thatcher Demko to a knee injury. Unheralded third-stringer Arturs Silovs (G - $7,600) is unlikely to replicate his success against the Predators when facing Edmonton's much more potent offense.

Panthers vs. Bruins

Aleksander Barkov (C - $6,700), Matthew Tkachuk (W - $7,500), Carter Verhaeghe (W - $6,300)

This line produced Florida's only goal in Game 1, which Tkachuk scored on an assist from Barkov. Tkachuk's 4-6-10 line has him leading the team in points, while Verhaeghe (5-4-9) leads the team in goals. Barkov's 2-4-6 line has him third on the team in points through six games this postseason. No other Florida skater has more than four points and Sam Reinhart (W - $7,200) is the only other Panther with multiple goals. If Florida's going to even the series in Game 2, this trio will likely lead the way.

Canucks vs. Oilers

J.T. Miller (C - $6,900), Brock Boeser (W - $6,000), Pius Suter (W - $2,900)

This is the only line that showed up offensively for Vancouver in the first round. Boeser leads the team with four goals in six postseason games, and his six points are tied with Miller for the team points lead. The affordable Suter lit the lamp twice in the opening round, including the only goal scored by either team in the clinching Game 6. Miller (17), Boeser (16) and Suter (14) were the Canucks' team leaders in shots on goal in the first round as well, while no teammate had more than 10.

DEFENSEMEN

Evan Bouchard, EDM at VAN ($6,500): Bouchard's a key fixture on Edmonton's potent power play, as five of his nine points this postseason have come on the man advantage. Those nine points are second-most among defensemen in the playoffs, trailing only the 12 of idle Cale Makar. Bouchard finished the regular season fourth in scoring from the blue line with 82 points.

Brandon Montour, FLA vs. BOS ($4,900): Montour has established a high floor with a healthy mix of shots and blocks, as he has 16 shots and 13 blocks through six games this postseason to go along with a 1-2-3 line. He skates on the top power-play unit and had eight goals and five assists in 21 games last postseason. Montour's point production so far this postseason has been closer to his floor than his ceiling.

Tyler Myers, VAN vs. EDM ($3,400): Myers used his 6-foot-8 frame effectively in the opening round, blocking multiple shots in every game he played. Dating back to the regular season, he has multiple blocks in eight consecutive appearances, a streak unlikely to come to an end against an Oilers team that will likely tilt the ice towards the Vancouver goal consistently based on what we saw from these two teams in Game 1. Myers can also chip in offensively, as he came one point shy of a fifth career 30-point season this year.

Mason Lohrei, BOS at FLA ($3,100): Lohrei stuffed the stat sheet in Game 1 with a goal, an assist, two shots and two blocked shots. It was his third consecutive game with multiple shots on goal. The rookie defenseman has blocked nine shots over the last four games, so he has consistently proven to be a nice value play at just $3,100.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Sasha Yodashkin plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: Youngsash, DraftKings: Yashdogg,Yahoo: Sasha, Fanball: Yashdogg.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sasha Yodashkin
Sasha has been contributing NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB and Tennis content to RotoWire since 2015, with an emphasis on DFS. He is a huge New York sports fan who has been playing fantasy sports since middle school.
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