This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Tuesday's NHL slate features four Game 6s from first-round playoff action after 7:00 p.m. EDT. Below, you'll find a breakdown of the action and suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
Given the relatively even nature of all four series, each game is close to a toss-up. Three of the games have over/unders of 6.5 goals, while Hurricanes-Bruins is noticeably lower at 5.5, with Carolina having a chance to clinch if it can notch the first road win of the series as a slight underdog. Tampa Bay's favored at home is at looks to force a Game 7 against Toronto, Wild-Blues is a pick'em with Minnesota looking to close it out at home, and the Kings are modest home underdogs despite their 3-2 series lead over the Oilers.
GOALIES
Jeremy Swayman, BOS vs. CAR ($8,100): Swayman took his first loss of the series in Game 5 on the road, but he's likely to bounce back on home ice. The Bruins outscored Carolina 9-4 over the other two games in Boston this series, and Swayman set aside 49 of 53 shots.
Jordan Binnington, STL vs. MIN ($8,000): Binnington's insertion has been the turning point in this series so far. He has won both of his starts, stopping 58 of 62 shots as the Blues turned a 2-1 series deficit on its head and now lead 3-2 with a chance to finish things off at home.
Antti Raanta, CAR at BOS ($7,700): If you don't go with Swayman, then Raanta's a solid alternative in what's expected to be the lowest-scoring game of the night. In the three games Raanta has played from start to finish, he has limited the damage to a single goal twice, but he allowed four goals in his lone road start of these playoffs.
Jonathan Quick, LA vs. EDM ($7,400): Quick's a proven playoff performer, and while he's had an up and down series, his upside is excellent relative to his modest $7,400 valuation. The last time the Kings were at home, Quick notched a 31-save shutout. Another such performance here would send Los Angeles to the second round.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Kirill Kaprizov, MIN vs. STL ($8,100): You can't blame Kaprizov for his team's 3-2 series deficit, as he's been exquisite in this series, but the Wild have been badly outplayed when he's off the ice. The star winger has managed to light the lamp seven times during his current four-game goal streak and should continue to be worth paying up for.
Brad Marchand, BOS vs. CAR ($7,300): What a difference home ice has made for Marchand's production in this series. With the Bruins able to dictate his matchups and get him away from Carolina's top defensemen at home, Marchand has piled up a 3-5-8 line in two home games while mustering a measly single assist in three road tilts. Expect another productive home outing from the veteran winger in this must-win game.
Adrian Kempe, LA vs. EDM ($5,300): After leading the Kings with 35 goals in the regular season, Kempe hasn't slowed down in the playoffs. In addition to posting a 2-3-5 line, Kempe has fired a whopping 27 pucks at the net through five games against the Oilers.
William Nylander, TOR at TB ($5,100): Nylander has come alive after a slow start to the postseason. He was held without a point through three games after an 80-point regular season, but the talented winger has rediscovered his offense with a 3-2-5 line in his last five games. Andrei Vasilevskiy has allowed at least three goals in every game this series, so there's a good chance that Toronto generates a fair amount of offense again, with Nylander contributing to that output.
Vincent Trocheck, CAR at BOS ($3,800): Trocheck continues to outperform his modest valuation in this series. He has a 3-4-7 line through five games and is coming off a three-point outburst in Game 5.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Lightning vs. Maple Leafs
Steven Stamkos (C - $6,700), Nikita Kucherov (W - $7,400), Ondrej Palat (W - $3,200)
Between Tampa Bay being desperate with its back against the wall and Toronto's less than stellar recent history in close-out games, this feels like one the Lightning should be able to grab. Tampa Bay will undoubtedly ride its top guys here, and they have been productive despite the 3-2 series deficit. Kucherov has a 1-6-7 line this postseason thanks to three multi-point performances. Stamkos comes into this one riding a two-game goal streak, while Palat has a 2-2-4 line over a three-game point streak.
Blues vs. Wild
Ivan Barbashev (C - $2,600), Vladimir Tarasenko (W - $6,000), Pavel Buchnevich (W - $4,500)
St. Louis' tremendous forward depth has really stood out in this series, and this nominal third line features a terrific mix of elite skill and value. Tarasenko's coming off a Game 5 hat trick, which gave the Russian sniper 39 goals in 83 career playoff games. Buchnevich has dished out four helpers in this series after topping a point per game in the regular season, while Barbashev's a low-risk pick at just $100 above the minimum valuation and picked up an assist in Game 5 coming off a 60-point season.
Oilers at Kings
Connor McDavid (C - $8,700), Evander Kane (W - $6,900), Kailer Yamamoto (W - $2,900)
With their season on the line, expect the Oilers' top players to deliver a strong performance while seeing a heavy workload. McDavid has a 2-7-9 line in this series and multi-point performances in eight of his last 10 games dating back to the regular season. Kane has been the Oilers' third-best forward after McDavid and Leon Draisatil ($7,600) in this series, potting five goals on 23 shots. Yamamoto has been quiet since notching a goal and an assist in the series opener, but this would be the perfect time for him to rediscover his scoring touch, and skating on McDavid's wing should provide some opportunities to do so.
DEFENSEMEN
Victor Hedman, TB vs. TOR ($7,100): Tampa Bay riding its top players should include a hefty workload for Hedman, who played more than half of Game 5 and could see even more ice time in Game 6. He's done it all in this series, posting a 2-5-7 line, 21 shots and nine blocked shots. Hedman has proven he should be in your lineup every time, as he's topped 30 fantasy points twice already in this series.
Tony DeAngelo, CAR at BOS ($5,500): He rarely matches Hedman's all-around production, but you have likely been happy with DeAngelo as a staple in your lineup and should continue to look his way. DeAngelo has a 1-7-8 line and has put multiple pucks on net in every game.
Justin Faulk, STL vs. MIN ($4,900): Faulk has played heavy minutes in this series, topping 25 minutes in every game. He has made the most of that ice time despite being denied on all 14 of his shots in this series, dishing out four assists and adding seven blocked shots.
Alexander Edler, LA vs. EDM ($3,800): Edler has been a reliable and affordable option on the blue line, providing a high floor with his shot-blocking ability. In addition to two assists and eight shots in this series, the veteran defenseman has compiled 14 blocked shots. Dating back to the regular season, Edler has scored fewer than 7.5 fantasy points only once in his last 12 appearances.
