This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
There's nothing like afternoon playoff hockey. You have some lunch, and before you know it there is puck on your TV. Of course, that also means you have to get your daily fantasy lineups in earlier than usual. There are two NHL games Saturday, the first of which is at 3:00 PM ET. Here are my recommendations.
GOALIE
Jordan Binnington, STL vs. DAL ($7,800): Binnington has been the model of consistency the last few games. He's allowed exactly two goals in each of his last four starts, which is actually not as good as during the regular season, when he had a 1.89 GAA. The Stars ranked 29th in goals scored per game on the road, and the addition of Mats Zuccarello wasn't enough to give them the huge boost needed to even be considered an average offense.
CENTER
Pierre-Luc Dubois, CLM at BOS ($4,900): Despite the presence of Matt Duchene, Dubois is still centering Columbus' top line alongside Artemi Panarin. The 20-year-old center had three points in the Game 4 win over the Lightning, and he scored a goal on five shots in Game 1 versus the Bruins. That's after a regular season in which he tallied 27 goals and 61 points.
Roope Hintz, DAL at STL ($4,500): Hintz suddenly found himself with a significant role in Dallas' offense down the stretch. He's now the second-line center for the Stars, and he's getting plenty of power-play time. The Finn has also been performing well recently, as he's tallied 10 points in his last 15 contests. With only four teams playing, you can't really get too concerned about matchups either, which is why I'm recommending a guy going against the goalie I recommended. Part of that is about prices, naturally.
WING
Vladimir Tarasenko, STL vs. DAL ($6,500): While Ben Bishop has had a great year, that didn't stop Tarasenko from lighting the lamp twice in Game 1. Perhaps we shouldn't be surprised, given that the Russian winger has never failed to score at least 33 goals in seasons where he has played more than 64 games. Tarasenko has nine goals in his last 15 contests, and it's nice to have a reliable forward in your lineup.
Oliver Bjorkstrand, CLM at BOS ($4,100): What has gotten into Bjorkstrand recently? Over his last 13 games he has 10 goals on 46 shots while adding four assists. That's earned him a spot on Columbus' top line. Meanwhile, over his last 12 starts Tuukka Rask has a .906 save percentage.
Marcus Johansson, BOS vs. CLM ($4,000): The depth forwards for the Bruins have been coming up big in this postseason. That includes Johansson, who has three points over his last two games. While Sergei Bobrovsky has played well in these playoffs, he came into the year with a lot of skepticism about his postseason play. Why not grab a cheap option like the former Devil, who will give you some upside while also helping you save some money for players like Tarasenko?
DEFENSE
Seth Jones, CLM at BOS ($5,400): Jones has tallied six points in five playoff games. That includes three points with the extra man after he had 10 in 75 games during the regular season. The Bruins had the 16th-ranked penalty kill this year, which qualifies as below average for teams left in the postseason.
Vince Dunn, STL vs. DAL ($3,800): Dunn scored a somewhat surprising 12 goals on 150 shots in his sophomore campaign to go with 23 assists. He was helped by the fact he started 61.1 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, highest of any Blue. That sort of favorable positioning, plus the 2:07 he averaged with the extra man, is enough to make him interesting at home against the Stars.
