Daily Fantasy Hockey 2015: Best NHL DFS DraftKings Lineup for April 15

If winning your DraftKings fantasy matchups was a difficult proposition in the regular season, it's even more challenging in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

The NHL's version of spring madness gets underway tonight, and it begins two months of the most intense competition in professional sports. There are four games on the docket tonight, and once again we have $50,000 to spend on our roster as we try to pick out the best lineup available.

The most interesting series on the board may be the Eastern Conference matchup between the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators. Ottawa comes into the postseason as the hottest team in the league, and while the Canadiens won the Atlantic Division, the Senators' speed will test them to the limit.

Pos.	Player	Opp.	Key Stat	Salary
C	Kyle Turris	Montreal	12 points in last 10 games	$5,800
C	Jonathan Toews	Nashville	.250 shooting percentage in last 10 games	$6,400
W	Mark Stone	Montreal	eight goals in last 10 games	$6,500
W	Filip Forsberg	Chicago	19 power-play points this season	$5,700
W	Chris Higgins	Calgary	six points in last 10 games	$3,700
D	Duncan Keith	Nashville	35 assists this season	$5,100
D	Matt Niskanen	New York Islanders	31 points, plus-seven this season	$4,200
G	Braden Holtby	New York Islanders	nine shutouts	$8,600
U	Mike Ribeiro	Chicago	62 points this season	$3,900

Centers: Kyle Turris, Ottawa Senators ($5,800) and Jonathan Toews, Chicago Blackhawks ($6,400)

Kyle Turris played a huge role in the Senators' second-half surge that allowed them to climb from near the bottom of the Eastern Conference to a strong playoff position.

Turris proved his worth as a No. 1 center, and he ended the year with 24 goals and 40 assists. He was red-hot down the home stretch, and he finished the year with three goals and nine assists in the last 10 games of the regular-season schedule. Turris has a nose for the puck, and he regularly finds the open man with pinpoint passing. The Canadiens may not be able to stop him in the first game of the series.

Frank Franklin II/Associated Press

The 26-year-old Jonathan Toews is one of the game's best clutch players, as he has already been a part of two Stanley Cup-winning teams. He certainly knows how to produce in the playoffs with 29 goals and 52 assists throughout his career in the postseason.

Toews is one of the best three-zone players in the league, and his ability to play in the defensive zone and neutral zone creates opportunities for himself and his teammates. Toews scored 28 goals and 38 assists this season, and he had five goals and two assists in his last 10 games. He should be ready to produce in the playoffs once again.

Wingers: Mark Stone, Ottawa Senators ($6.500), Filip Forsberg, Nashville Predators ($5,700) and Chris Higgins, Vancouver Canucks ($3,700)

Tom Mihalek/Associated Press

Has any player in the league been hotter than Mark Stone? He was one of the main reasons why the Senators were so effective in the last two months of the season.

Stone scored 26 goals and 38 assists this season, and he is always looking for his shot once he gets into the offensive season. Not only does he put the puck in the net, his shots often turn into juicy rebounds that his teammates cash in. Stone scored eight goals and five assists in his last 10 regular-season games, and he may be unstoppable in the Senators' opening-round series.

Mark Humphrey/Associated Press

Filip Forsberg was one of the Nashville Predators' key players all season. Forsberg is smart and creative, and his ability to make moves in the offensive zone has helped turn the Predators into a dangerous offensive team.

Forsberg scored 26 goals and 37 assists this season, and he was hot in his final 10 games with five goals and three assists. Stopping Forsberg should be a difficult assignment for the Blackhawks.

Chris Higgins does not have the price tag or pedigree of many players on our roster, but we made this selection with an eye on the budget and clutch play.

Higgins scored 12 goals and 24 assists this season, and he has been solid for the Vancouver Canucks in the last 10 games with three goals and three assists. Higgins has scored 10 goals and nine assists during his postseason career, and he is not going to shy away from the big moments. 

Defensemen: Duncan Keith, Chicago Blackhawks ($5,100) and Matt Niskanen, Washington Capitals ($4,200)

Matt Slocum/Associated Press

Duncan Keith is the Blackhawks' best defenseman, and he has proved this repeatedly during the postseason. Keith is more than adequate when it comes to his defensive responsibilities, but it is his ability to carry the puck and make big plays in the clutch that ensures head coach Joel Quenneville will have him on the ice nearly half the game.

Keith has averaged more than 27 minutes per game in the playoffs throughout his career. Keith scored 10 goals and 35 assists this season, and he has scored 12 goals and 42 assists in the playoffs. He should be dangerous in the Blackhawks' matchup with the Predators.

Matt Niskanen is a smart and decisive puck-mover, and the Washington Capitals are going to depend on him to trigger their attack in their playoff series with the New York Islanders. Niskanen scored four goals and 27 assists this year, and he has one goal and six assists in his last 10 games. He averaged more than 22 minutes per game this season, and Barry Trotz will give him at least that much in the postseason.

Nick Wass/Associated Press

Goaltender: Braden Holtby, Washington Capitals ($8,600)

Braden Holtby is probably a bit disappointed that the Boston Bruins didn't make the playoffs because he shut them out in all three meetings this year. Instead, he will get to show off his talent against the New York Islanders, who struggled quite a bit down the stretch.

Holtby was one of the top goalies in the Eastern Conference this season with a 41-20-10 record, a 2.22 goals-against average and a .923 save percentage. Holtby is calm under pressure, and he should be in a position to lead his team to a victory over the Islanders and perhaps quite a bit further as the playoffs move along.

Stats courtesy of Hockey-Reference.com and DraftKings.

Steve Silverman covers daily fantasy sports for Bleacher Report. Follow and interact with him on Twitter.

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