Daily Fantasy Hockey 2015: NHL DraftKings Studs and Duds for April 21
Superstars and unheralded players alike have asserted themselves as daily fantasy studs thus far in the 2015 NHL playoffs, which continue Tuesday with four games fit to carry on what has been a wild beginning to the postseason.
As the first round wears along, series will begin to wrap up and the frequency of games will prevent four-game slates like this on a single night. That means Tuesday is one of the last golden opportunities to take advantage of the NHL contests DraftKings has to offer.
Prepare accordingly by catching up with the studs and duds for April 21.
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Draft Lottery Winners and Losers
Studs
Forwards: Radim Vrbata ($7,000) and Craig Smith ($6,500)
Even though the Vancouver Canucks are at a 2-1 series disadvantage, right winger Radim Vrbata hasn't stopped his roll, tallying a goal and an assist combined in Games 2 and 3. At $7,000, he's on his second-cheapest salary of the last 10 games and is going up against a Calgary Flames unit that ranks 23rd against opposing right wingers.
Nashville Predators center Craig Smith flies under the radar at a modest $6,500 salary despite notching two assists in a Game 3 loss and scoring twice in Game 2 against the Chicago Blackhawks. Smith was one of few Nashville players with a positive plus-minus in Game 3, which suggests he can produce even if Chicago continues to control the series. Don't overlook that the Blackhawks are in the bottom half of the league in limiting centers' fantasy production.
Defenseman: Johnny Boychuk ($5,000)
New York Islanders defenseman Johnny Boychuk has only graced the scoresheet once with an assist in three hard-fought games against the Washington Capitals, but he has racked up the fantasy points anyway. He has eight combined block shots and four shots on goal in two of the three games.
Below the average lineup salary but still the most prolific scoring blue-liner on an Islanders team that is building momentum after a Game 3 overtime win, Boychuk could blow up Tuesday.
Goalie: Scott Darling ($8,600)
While not exactly on the forefront of daily fantasy players' minds entering the postseason, Blackhawks netminder Scott Darling has emerged as the most consistent goalie—albeit through three games, two of which he's played. But of those two games, he has two wins, 79 saves out of a possible 81 and an average of more than nine DraftKings fantasy points. I'll wait for you to comprehend those gaudy numbers.
His salary is skyrocketing as the fourth-most expensive goalie for Tuesday, but it's well earned. He's shut out Nashville in four of his last six periods on the ice, and the Predators are riddled with injuries entering Game 4 in Chicago.
Duds
Forwards: Patrick Kane ($8,000) and Henrik Zetterberg ($6,100)
Blackhawks star Patrick Kane has two assists and a goal that shouldn't have even counted so far in the playoffs as he returns from a long injury layoff. But after playing just 15 minutes in a totally ineffective Game 3, Kane is far from worthy of an $8,000 price tag. He beat his initial timetable by more than a month, per ESPN's Scott Powers, and is showing more and more signs that he's far from 100 percent as the series goes along.
The Red Wings are a strong bet to bounce back in Game 3, but it won't come off the stick of Henrik Zetterberg, who is on a three-game points drought as the series heads back to Detroit. He also only has three shots on goal in that span and has put up a goose egg on DraftKings in two of those three games.
Defenseman: Roman Josi ($7,400)
Nashville Predators blue-liner Roman Josi has a lot on his plate after face-of-the-franchise line partner Shea Weber was announced as out for Games 3 and 4. It didn't go so well Sunday, when Josi accrued a minus-three rating with no points and was relegated to tirelessly chasing and defending.
Somehow, Josi is the most expensive DraftKings blue-liner for Tuesday, even though his typical offensive-minded game will be compromised yet again with the absence of Weber. Josi is a star in his own right, but going from playing with the NHL's best defenseman to playing with youngster Seth Jones—especially in the heart of the playoffs—isn't an easy transition to make on the fly.
Goalie: Jaroslav Halak ($8,800)
Islanders goalie Jaroslav Halak may be a trendy pick after letting up just one goal in a Game 3 win, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. The same can't be expected in Game 4 against a Capitals team that hasn't been held to one goal or less in consecutive games since November of 2014.
To make matters worse, Halak hasn't strung together two straight wins in net since February—a span of 20 games. New York could escape with a win, but it's going to have to come from its attacking players putting pucks in the net.
Stats courtesy of Hockey-Reference.com and DraftKings.
Steven Cook covers daily fantasy sports for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter.
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