This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Wednesday's NHL slate consists of the Game 3 showdown contest between the Lightning and Stars, at 8:00 p.m. EDT. Below, you'll find suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
Tampa Bay came out of the gates hot in Game 2, taking a 3-0 lead into the first intermission. The Lightning managed to hang on from there and pull out a 3-2 win to even the series after dropping Game 1 by a 4-1 score. After Tampa Bay had last change in the first two games, Dallas will now get to dictate matchups as the designated home team.
GOALIES
Anton Khudobin ($10,400) bricked up the net with 35 saves on 36 shots in the series opener. The first-period blip in Game 2 cost his team the contest, but he still finished with a respectable 28 saves on 31 shots. In order for the Stars to win, Khudobin has to be one of the team's best players.
After a Game 1 dud in which he allowed three goals on 19 shots, Andrei Vasilevskiy ($10,200) rebounded with 27 saves on 29 shots in Game 2. The Lightning are less reliant on their goaltender than the Stars, but both teams' defensive aptitude means the winning goalie is a strong play more often than not.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Alexander Radulov ($7,600) assisted on both of Dallas' Game 2 goals, and he's tied with defenseman John Klingberg for the team lead with three points in this series' first two games. The veteran Russian winger's riding a five-game point streak but still comes in cheaper than three other Dallas forwards.
Yanni Gourde ($5,800) scored Tampa Bay's lone Game 1 goal and has a 3-3-6 line in eight games since the start of the Eastern Conference final. With much of Tampa Bay's secondary scoring drying up, the third-line center is one of the few forwards outside of the top line that's still delivering.
Roope Hintz ($5,600) had a modest two-game point streak snapped Monday, but he still tied for second on the team in shots with three, trailing only Joe Pavelski's five. The second-year forward potted 19 goals in 60 regular-season games but has been limited to two goals in the playoffs due to a 4.3 shooting percentage that's about one third of his career 12.8 percent mark. If Hintz can turn his puck luck around, he'll outperform his middling $5,600 valuation.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Lightning at Stars
Brayden Point (C - $9,000), Nikita Kucherov (W - $11,200), Ondrej Palat (W - $8,400)
After a quiet series opener, this line accounted for both of the goals scored by Lightning forwards in Game 2. Point's goal was his 10th of the playoffs, tying him with Bo Horvat and Joe Pavelski for the postseason lead. His 10-16-26 line puts the first-line center second in points among all players this postseason, trailing only Kucherov (6-22-28), who dished out a pair of helpers in Game 2. Palat's tally Monday was his ninth goal in the last 12 games.
Stars vs. Lightning
Joe Pavelski (C - $7,800), Denis Gurianov (W - $6,600), Mattias Janmark (W - $2,000)
Pavelski and Janmark were the Stars' goal-scorers in Game 2. The center's tally gave him the team lead in goals with 10 this postseason, putting Pavelski one ahead of Gurianov, who has eight assists to Pavelski's five. Janmark's goal was his first of the postseason, but the defensively responsible forward is a nice value play given his affordability and top-six deployment.
DEFENSEMEN
Victor Hedman ($9,400) looks to be three Lightning wins away from taking home the Conn Smythe trophy as playoff MVP. In addition to providing shutdown defense in his own end, Hedman still finds time to deliver elite contributions on offense. His pair of Game 2 helpers gave Hedman an 8-6-14 line in 13 games since the start of the conference semis.
John Klingberg ($7,000) has dished out six helpers during an active four-game point streak. While fellow Dallas blueliner Miro Heiskanen ($8,000) was the driver of the team's offense early in the postseason, Klingberg has mustered a 1-6-7 line in seven games since the start of the Western Conference final, while Heiskanen has been limited to 0-2-2 over that span.
Kevin Shattenkirk ($6,400) has been a standout performer in this series, scoring what turned into the game-winning goal in Game 2 after going unrewarded for six shots in the series opener. With a career average of 0.56 points per game, Shattenkirk's a reliable source of offense from the blue line for the Lightning.
