FanDuel NHL: Wednesday Targets

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Published on June 9, 2021

SLATE PREVIEW

There's just one game tonight and it's Game 6 between the Islanders and Bruins, who are facing elimination. Never mind the war of words between coaches Bruce Cassidy and Barry Trotz, there's plenty of intrigue on the ice. Of note, Tuukka Rask, who battled injuries all season but ranks fourth with a .925 Sv% among goalies in the playoffs, may not start after he was pulled and revealed to be "not 100 percent." Defenseman Brandon Carlo is also suffering from an undisclosed injury and is doubtful to play, and Jake DeBrusk, who was a healthy scratch in Game 5, may draw back into the lineup for Curtis Lazar, who will not travel with the team to Long Island.

On the other hand, this series has been a breakout party for Mathew Barzal, who has points in four straight games after scoring zero goals in the series against Pittsburgh. Barzal leads a balanced attack with three lines that can score, and Semyon Varlamov sports a .936 Sv% this series. The Isles have won three of their five home games in the playoffs and both losses were by just one goal.

Puck drop is at 7:30 p.m. EDT.

As with all FanDuel showdown formats, a Captain can be selected for 1.5x fantasy points and the remaining roster spots are not restricted by position.

GOALIES

No goalies are available for selection in showdown formats.

VALUE PLAYS

Jean-Gabriel Pageau, NYI vs. BOS ($9,000): Pageau is a third-line center by title only, being just one of five Islanders forwards to average over 18 minutes per game and plays both the PP and PK. There's a lot of value here considering David Krejci ($10,000) is averaging just one more fantasy point per contest and Taylor Hall ($11,000) has scored just two points. The Isles power play has been effective lately and they may not have to face Rask, either.

LINE STACKS

Brock Nelson (C - $9,000), Anthony Beauvillier (W - $12,000), Josh Bailey (W - $9,500)

It's a good line if you can fit all three, otherwise a Mathew Barzal ($13,000) and Jordan Eberle ($10,500) stack will do just fine because Leo Komarov ($6,500) scores so rarely. Either way, the Islanders offense should be better on home ice, ranking fourth in GF/GP among the remaining teams and a plus-6 differential in goals scored. Boston's top line is also stack-worthy but it leaves you very little space to fill out the rest of your roster.

DEFENSEMEN

Charlie McAvoy, BOS at NYI ($11,500): Generally speaking, defensemen aren't ideal in these contests because forwards tend to outscore them on any given night, but McAvoy's different because he plays so many minutes in all situations. He is the highest-scoring defensemen in the playoffs with 11 points in 10 games.

Noah Dobson, NYI vs. BOS ($7,000): Dobson doesn't play a lot of minutes but they keep him in the lineup because he can quarterback a power play, and he currently leads all Isles defensemen with six points in 11 games, including four power-play assists. Bruce Cassidy's criticism of the refs may lead to even more penalties for the Bruins, and that means more opportunities for Dobson.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire.