This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
There are three NHL games Saturday, with two of them starting at 3:00 PM ET. That means you'll want to get your daily fantasy lineup in early. Well, by 'want', I guess I mean 'need'. Here are my player recommendations.
GOALIE
Andrei Vasilevskiy, TAM vs. NJD ($8,900): There was some fretting when Vasilevskiy struggled down the stretch of the regular season, but he's put that all behind him in the playoffs with a 2.26 goals-against average and .937 save percentage in this series. And even with those late hiccups, the Russian still posted a 2.62 GAA and .920 save percentage this year.
CENTER
Nicklas Backstrom, WAS vs. CLM ($6,500): Backstrom didn't grab a point in Game 4, which ended a six-game streak. During that run, he tallied 11 points, including seven on the power play. As for the Blue Jackets, they haven't done well on the road all season giving up 3.15 goals per outing.
David Krejci, BOS vs. TOR ($6,300): Krejci notched 17 goals and 27 assists in 64 games during the regular season, and has five points over his last five contests. He has also added two power-play points in this series, after 13 over the previous 64. Frederik Andersen has been struggling in net for the Leafs for some time, sporting a 3.54 GAA and .894 save percentage over his last 18 appearances.
WING
Cam Atkinson, CLM at WAS ($6,800): Atkinson didn't record a point in Game 4, ending a 12-game stretch where he notched 10 goals and seven assists. Even though he didn't score, he still put three shots on net, so he was still active. Though Braden Holtby has played better recently, the fact remains he slumped a bit this year with a 2.99 GAA and .907 save percentage.
Rick Nash, BOS vs. TOR ($5,700): Nash only has one goal in this series, but he's managed 14 shots on net. That's not surprising, given that the Maple Leafs allowed 33.9 shots on net per contest. Given Andersen's issues in net, if Nash keeps shooting, he may light the lamp again.
Alex Killorn, TAM vs. NJD ($4,200): Killorn has gotten hot in this series, with four goals and an assist in four games – with four of those points coming on the power play. Though it's a smallish sample size, Killorn's minutes – 17:36 per game and 3:43 with the extra man – have increased. Cory Schneider has played well in this series, but both of his starts have come at home. Will he be the same on the road?
DEFENSEMEN
John Carlson, WAS vs. CLM ($6,400): Carlson has a whopping seven points in this series, not to mention 22 points in his last 19 outings. The defenseman was also a power-play force this year, averaging 3:42 per game and tallying 32 points on the man-advantage. That success could easily continue, as the Blue Jackets ended up with the 26th-ranked penalty kill.
Will Butcher, NJD at TAM ($4,400): Speaking of power-play mavens, Butcher racked up 23 points with the extra man this season and has already added three more power-play points in this series. That's not surprising, given the Lightning struggled with the league's fifth-worst penalty kill. Even with Vasilevskiy playing better, that's something Butcher can take advantage of.
