This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
GOALIE
Philipp Grubauer, COL at SJ ($7,200): There's a chance the longer break kills the Avs' momentum, but Grubauer has been fantastic after a shaky start in Game 1, rewarding Jared Bednar's confidence in him. He allowed seven goals in just four games, and the Sharks are coming off a pretty exhausting series against the Knights and will be without captain Joe Pavelski. The Avs have the ability to provide enough goal support to stage an upset in Game 1.
CENTER
Nathan MacKinnon, COL at SJ ($7,300): He's the best player in the playoffs right now after he ripped up the Flames, and now faces a team he's also had lots of success against in the past. He scored three points in three games against them during the season, and even though the Sharks have their own big three on the blue line, none of them can contain MacKinnon one-on-one. It also helps the ever-shaky Martin Jones is in net.
Logan Couture, SJ vs. COL ($6,000): He's turned into a really underrated clutch-time player for the Sharks, leading them to a Game 7 win with two power-play goals on Cody Eakin's major penalty. He's slightly cheaper than Tomas Hertl ($6,300) even though the Sharks deploy them as 1A and 1B centers, and both have four goals in their past three games. The Avs defense ranks lower than the Knights'.
WING
Timo Meier, SJ vs. COL ($5,600): He has an assist in three straight games and blossomed into a bona fide top-six winger this season. He played just 14 minutes in Game 1 against Vegas, but by Game 7 played 23 minutes with 10 shots on goal. Meier will anchor the first line with Couture with possibly Gustav Nyquist ($4,800), Lukas Radil ($2,600, possible value play) or Kevin Labanc ($4,200) playing the right side.
Teuvo Teravainen, CAR at NYI ($5,200): We'll refrain from picking Justin Williams ($4,600) until there's a Game 7. Teravainen scored three goals in the final four games of the series against the Caps, and after a timid showing in the first two games has been a good addition to the top line with Sebastian Aho. (Unfortunately, the other Sebastian Aho won't play, robbing us of a Aho vs. Aho series). The Islanders are suffocating on offense so don't expect many goals, but if they do score it's going to their top line that does it.
Brock McGinn, CAR at NYI ($3,000): Teammate Warren Foegele ($3,400) is also an option here, but McGinn's playing on the second line and had a great showing in Game 7 with two points and over 25 minutes of ice time. He's been a good fit for that second line and given the upward trend in his play recently has a good chance to outplay his price tag. He registered at least a shot in every game against the Caps.
DEFENSE
Ryan Pulock, NYI vs. CAR ($5,000): With Johnny Boychuk out 3-4 weeks and Nick Leddy topping out as a second-pairing defenseman, all eyes will be on Pulock, who is currently the team's leader in ice time. The Isles are very structured on defense but they'll need their blue line to contribute offensively at some point, and that responsibility will fall on Pulock, who's emerging as a legitimate first-pairing defenseman who can both score and defend.
Cale Makar, COL at SJ ($3,900): He burst onto the scene against the Flames and by his third NHL game has already become the team's second or third-best defenseman. Tyson Barrie ($6,000) is still the No. 1 option on defense, but Makar's upside is much higher and it wouldn't be surprising to see him average over 20 minutes a game in this series. He had two points and was plus-4 against the Flames.
