FanDuel NHL: Monday Targets

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Published on September 7, 2020

SLATE PREVIEW

This is the first time the Islanders have made the conference finals since 1993. Led by Barry Trotz, the Isles have been one of the league's stingiest teams. You know what you're going to get with Trotz, whose team limited the Flyers to just 16 shots in Game 7.

The Lightning are here for the fourth time in six seasons and still trying win the Cup despite nearly a decade of dominance. There's no doubt they're the more talented team, but they've also gotten here with strong defense and goaltending. The two teams match up well; both are at 17 percent in power play efficiency and above 80 percent on the penalty kill. Puck drop is at 8 p.m. EDT.

GOALIES

With just one game on slate, goalies will not be available for selection. However, note that Andrei Vasilevskiy leads the playoffs in save percentage (.931), ranks second in GAA (1.91, min. 10 GP) and first in wins (10). Both Semyon Varlamov and Thomas Greiss have been very good for the Isles, but the Lightning should have the edge in net given Vasilevskiy's talent and stats.

VALUE PLAYS

Blake Coleman, TB vs. NYI ($7,000): The Lightning's depth has pushed them this far and Coleman is a big reason for that. He had four points against Boston and ranks fifth on the team in shots.

Derick Brassard, NYI vs. TB ($7,500): He played a big role in eliminating the Flyers with four points in the final three games and has added an element of offense that the Islanders didn't really have before on their bottom two lines. If the top two lines from each team cancel each other out, it'll be depth that makes the difference. Despite limited ice time he has managed to register at least one shot per game.

LINE STACKS

Islanders vs. Lightning

Mathew Barzal (C - $12,500), Jordan Eberle (W - $10,500), Anders Lee (W - $13,500)

This line has generated an xG of 37.57 at even strength, according to Natural Stat Trick, but have scored just 28 goals. In plain English, it means this line has been experiencing some bad luck, especially Eberle. Between the top two lines from each team, Barzal's line has underperformed the most even though they've been a consistent scoring threat. Perhaps this is the series in which they make their offensive breakthrough. In three games against the Lightning during the season, Barzal's line has been mostly matched against Ryan McDonagh, not Victor Hedman, though that may change in this series.

DEFENSEMEN

Victor Hedman, TB vs. NYI ($10,000): He's in a class of his own and scored a goal in Games 4 and 5 to finish off Boston. He's relied on a lot so he'll get plenty of opportunities, and note the Islanders allow most of their shots from the point at even strength, according to HockeyViz.

Devon Toews, NYI vs. TB ($7,500): There's no clear standout on the Isles blue line but Toews is a good option because of his role on the power play. He has three assists in his past four games, but can be a gamble because there are times he doesn't show up on the scoresheet at all – he had zero shots in two of those four games.

Ryan McDonagh, TB vs. NYI ($7,500): He may not be 100 percent but when he plays, you can expect him to block shots. He played 31 minutes in Game 5 after missing the previous three games and has not failed to block a shot in any game since the round robin.

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