This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
The Eastern Conference Finals haven't been glorious for the impartial observer. The Panthers, who have been to the last two Cups, won the first two comfortably on the road. Florida is now at home, where they can close out the series. First, though, Game 3 is happening Saturday. For DFS purposes, you have $60,000 in salary for six players. One is your MVP, who nets 1.5 times the points, but for a higher salary. The puck drops at 8 p.m. EDT. Here is the lineup I liked best.
MVP
Sam Bennett, FLA vs. CAR ($15,000): The Hurricanes usually don't offer much reason for enthusiasm when it comes to rostering players against them. However, only two teams are playing on Saturday, and Carolina has endured some surprising issues this series having given up five goals in both games. Bennett has tallied three of those 10 and is up to nine to go with four assists through 14 playoff games.
UTILITY
Matthew Tkachuk, FLA vs. CAR ($11,600): Once again, Tkachuk was a point-a-game player during the regular season while averaging three shots. The playoffs haven't been as productive, yet he's still registered 12 points overall. He's also contributed three this series and clearly is capable of picking it up and maintaining that offensive level.
Carter Verhaeghe, FLA vs. CAR ($9,400): That's right, I'm essentially stacking a Panthers line. The Hurricanes have conceded 10 goals this series, and did so at home. An 8.3 shooting percentage hindered Verhaeghe over the regular season, yet he's at a 15.2 during the postseason alongside five goals. He's also notched eight assists and has recorded multiple points in each of the last two outings.
Shayne Gostisbehere, CAR at FLA ($8,600): I've already listed three Panthers, though I did want a couple Hurricanes in the mix. With Gostisbehere, it's simple. He's averaged 4:06 of power-play time in the playoffs, where he's supplied six points. Florida's penalty kill has been crushing it of late, but it's not like they defend better or have an easier time with it being down a man. So Gostisbehere's man-advantage minutes give him a DFS boost.
Anton Lundell, FLA vs. CAR ($7,800): Lundell may be a third-line center, yet the Panthers offer enough depth where he gets to play with Brad Marchand. And he's better than your average No. 3 pivot with three multi-point efforts this postseason and at least three shots six times.
Jaccob Slavin, CAR vs. FLA ($7,400): Slavin is the opposite of Gostisbehere in that he's not involved on the power play, but will log more overall minutes than any other Carolina blueliner at a 23:23 average during the playoffs. Though he's only managed four points, he's directed 28 shots on net while blocking 29. At this salary, a combination of seven blocks and shots would provide decent DFS value. And if Slavin gets on the scoresheet, even better.
