This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Tuesday's NHL slate begins at 8:00 p.m. EDT and features Game 2s from the Stars-Golden Knights and Islanders-Lightning series. Below, you'll find an overview of the matchups and suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
Defense reigned supreme in Sunday's Game 1 between the Stars and Golden Knights, as Dallas came away with a 1-0 win in the opener. Vegas has mustered just two non-empty net goals in the team's last four games, while Dallas has proven capable of winning both high-scoring and low-scoring affairs throughout the postseason. The Islanders and Lightning will play Game 2 on Wednesday night after Tampa Bay cruised to an 8-2 Game 1 victory Monday.
GOALIES
Anton Khudobin ($7,100) has carried Dallas throughout the postseason with Ben Bishop bothered by an injury after the pair split work in the regular season. The Russian veteran was 16-8-4 with a 2.22 GAA and .930 save percentage in the regular season, and he has gone 9-5 with a 2.74 GAA and .914 save percentage in these playoffs, including a 25-save shutout in Game 1 against the sputtering Vegas offense.
Robin Lehner ($8,200) ceded the Vegas net to Marc-Andre Fleury in Game 1 after taking both legs of the Thursday-Friday back-to-back in Games 6 and 7 against Vancouver. Vegas' preferred netminder had three shutouts in the series against the Canucks and should return to the crease in Game 2 against a Stars team that only got one puck past Fleury.
Andrei Vasilevskiy ($8,000) has benefited from superb play in front of him, going 8-1 with 19 goals allowed over his past nine starts for the Lightning. He stopped 23 of 25 shots in Monday's 8-2 Game 1 win and will be heavily favored to take home another victory in Game 2 based on how the series opener unfolded.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Radek Faksa ($3,100) had an assist on Game 1's only goal, giving him a respectable 3-4-7 line over the past nine games. He usually serves in a bottom-six capacity but was moved into a top-six role when the Stars shuffled their lines in Game 1, making Faksa a nice cheap filler who has proven capable of chipping in offensively regardless of where he's deployed.
Chandler Stephenson ($2,900) is a nice value play given his deployment as the center on a line with two of this slate's three most expensive healthy wingers (Max Pacioretty - $7,300 and Mark Stone - $6,500). As long as the speedy pivot is deployed in this role by Vegas, Stephenson makes for a high-upside cheap filler.
Yanni Gourde ($3,500) was a key piece of the Lightning's attack in Game 1, scoring two goals to give him a 3-2-5 line over the past five games. The affordable center has been a key cog on Tampa Bay's third line all postseason, and his 64-point season in 2017-18 shows Gourde is capable of remaining a consistent contributor.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Lightning vs. Islanders
Brayden Point (C - $6,400), Nikita Kucherov (W - $8,000), Ondrej Palat (W - $5,100)
Point and Kucherov led Tampa Bay's Game 1 demolition of the Islanders with five points apiece, giving the former an 8-15-23 line in 14 games this postseason and the latter a 5-16-21 line. Palat potted a goal in Game 1 and is as hot as anybody right now, with at least one goal in each of the past five games and at least one point in each of the past six (6-2-8).
Golden Knights vs. Stars
Paul Stastny (C - $4,000), Alex Tuch (W - $4,600), Ryan Reaves (W - $2,500)
This line offers a nice mix of production and affordability. Tuch leads Vegas with eight goals this postseason, while Stastny's 17-21-38 regular season line suggests his 2-3-5 line through 14 appearances this postseason is due for improvement. Reaves is set to return after being suspended for Game 1, and he could move back down to the fourth line before long, with fellow affordable winger Nicolas Roy ($2,600) moving back up to the third line.
Islanders at Lightning
Brock Nelson (C - $5,900), Anthony Beauvillier (W - $5,200), Josh Bailey (W - $4,300)
Look for New York to put up a better fight in Game 2 and for the team's most productive line this postseason to lead the change. Bailey leads the team with 17 points in 17 games, while Beauvillier has a team-high eight goals. Nelson's just one goal and two points back of the team leads with a 7-8-15 line.
DEFENSEMEN
John Klingberg ($4,700) scored the only goal for either team in Game 1, giving him a 3-10-13 line this postseason. He has played second fiddle to $5,400 teammate Miro Heiskanen (5-16-21) this postseason, but both Stars defensemen are solid options here. Klingberg managed a 6-26-32 line in 58 regular season appearances to Heiskanen's 8-27-35 in 68 games, and the Swede remains the lone defenseman on Dallas' top power-play unit.
Shea Theodore ($6,700) should be worth his high valuation if you can carve out the cap space for him. He has scored both of Vegas' non-empty net goals over the past four games and leads the Golden Knights with 16 points in as many games this postseason (6-10-16).
Kevin Shattenkirk ($3,700) dished out three assists in Monday's win over the Islanders, giving him five helpers in the past two games for Tampa Bay. Keep rolling the six-time 40-point scorer out there while he's hot.
