DraftKings Fantasy Hockey Cheat Sheet: May 18th

Both series are tied at 1-1 and head to Tampa Bay and San Jose for a pair of Game 3s. Below is my DraftKings cheat sheet to help you build your daily Fantasy Hockey lineup.

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Here’s a quick explanation on how to build your lineup an play! You have $50,000 in Salary space, to build a team that consists of 2C, 3W, 2D, 1G and 1 Util. Below you will find how skaters and goalies scoring works!

• Players will accumulate points as follows:

Goal = +3 PTS
Assist = +2 PTS
Shot on Goal = +0.5 PTS
Blocked Shot = +0.5 PTS
Short Handed Point Bonus (Goal/Assist) = +1 PTS
Shootout Goal = +0.2 PTS
Hat Trick Bonus = +1.5 PTS

• Goalies only will accumulate points as follows:

Win = +3 PTS
Save = +0.2 PTS
Goal Against = -1 PTS
Shutout Bonus = +2 PTS

• Goalie Scoring Notes:

Goalies WILL receive points for all stats they accrue, including goals and assists.
The Goalie Shutout Bonus is credited to goalies if they complete the entire game with 0 goals allowed in regulation + overtime. Shootout goals will not prevent a shutout. Goalie must complete the entire game to get credit for a shutout.

Forwards

Sidney Crosby – @ TBL – $8,000

Crosby had gone eight games without a goal, but cashed in with the overtime game-winner in Game 2, to give him four goals in the postseason. A lot has been made about Crosby’s lack of goal scoring, but maybe Monday was just the beginning and this will be the opening of the flood gates. He is averaging 2.62 shots per game, giving him a nice floor, which is imperative when you’re paying $8,000 for Crosby.

Phil Kessel – @ TBL – $6,900

Kessel scored on two shots (4.0 FP) in Game 2, giving him a four-game point streak—recording three goals, three assists and 5.63 FPPG over that span. Kessel has had a superb postseason and now has 14 points (6G / 8A) in 13 games. Kessel has done the majority of his damage on the power-play. He leads the Penguins with eight power-play points and four PPG’s. However, most important is his 3.77 shots per game, which is second in the playoffs to only Alex Ovechkin.

Logan Couture – vs. STL – $6,300

After being held off of the scoresheet in Game 1, Couture picked up two assists and 6.0 FP in Game 2 on Tuesday. Couture continues to pace all players in the postseason, now sitting at 19 points (7G / 12A) in 14 games. Couture has been excellent and still comes $1,700 cheaper than the most expensive centre—Sidney Crosby.

Patrick Marleau – vs. STL – $5,600

Marleau has been riding Couture’s coattail since being moved onto his line and it has produced some solid DraftKings results. He had one assist in Game 2, and now has three goals and three assists (six points) in his last seven games—3.29 FPPG.

Ondrej Palat – vs. PIT – $5,400

The Lightning’s best player in the Eastern Conference Final has been Jonathan Drouin, making his linemate Palat a solid option. Palat had no points in Game 2, but one goal and one assist in Game 1. He has two goals, three assists and 3.57 FPPG in his last seven games.

Jonathan Drouin – vs. PIT – $4,800

Despite a tumultuous regular season, Drouin continues to have a sensational postseason. He has one goal in each of the first two games of this series, giving him 11 points (3G /8A) in 12 playoff games. As I mentioned, he has been Tampa Bay’s best forward in the E.C.F, but that not is reflected in his $4,800 salary.

Defensemen

Brent Burns – vs. STL – $8,700

Burns had two goals on two shots in Tuesday’s Game 2 win in St. Louis. Burns now has 18 points (6G / 12A) in 14 playoff games, which is good for first among defensemen and second overall. Burns is an elite daily fantasy option, which is evidence by his $8,700 salary, highest among all players. If you can afford to squeeze him into the lineup, you will not regret it.

Marc-Edouard Vlasic – vs. STL – $4,900

As I said on Monday, if you can’t take on Burns’ massive salary, Vlasic is a very serveiceable secondary option on the Sharks blueline. He doesn’t need to put up points to be successful, because he shoots and blocks a lot of shots. Vlasic has seven assists, 24 shots, 30 blocked shots and is averaging 4.1 FPPG over his last 10 games.

Anton Stralman – vs. PIT – $4,600

The Lightning took it easy on Stralman in his first game back, giving him just 18:39 TOI (he averaged 22:04 TOI this season). They only had one power-play, he didn’t see any time on it, but he will only see more as he gets back into the swing of things. He had one goal, one shot and two blocks for 4.5 FP in Game 2, look for more in Game 3.

Goalies

Martin Jones – vs. STL – $8,300

Jones stopped all 26 shots that he faced in the Sharks’ shutout win in Game 2. San Jose has outplayed the Blues in each of the first two games and now they return home for Game 3. Jones is coming off of a 10.2 FP performance on Tuesday and has posted an impressive 1.49 GAA and .946 SV% on home ice in the postseason.

Andrei Vasilevskiy – vs. PIT – $8,100

Vasilevskiy stopped 38 of 41 shots in the Lightning’s OT loss in Game 2. Despite the defeat, he was excellent and still managed to rack up 4.6 FP. Since replacing Ben Bishop early in Game 1, Vasilevskiy has stopped 63 of 67 shots (.940 SV%) and has averaged 5.8 FPPG. Tonight they return to home ice for Game 3—the 21-year-old netminder was 6-2-0 with a 2.85 GAA and .908 SV% in Tampa Bay this year.