NHL DFS Showdown Slate: VGK vs. DAL (Game 3)
High-Priced
Max Pacioretty — VGK ($10,200 | 👑 $15,300)
Pacioretty is coming off of a very on-brand game, firing five shots and picking up one assist for 16.8 DraftKings Points. As I mentioned prior to Game 2, he wasn’t going to be held off of the board for five straight games and has some of the best shot volume in the NHL. Despite the strong game, his price has dropped $1,200 and that makes him an even better play in Game 3. The Golden Knights’ lines were in flux heading into Tuesday’s game but we have more clarity in Game 3. He will likely remain on a line with Paul Stastny and Nicolas Roy, which makes it extremely easy to full-stack Pacioretty’s high-volume line.
Shea Theodore — VGK ($9,400 | 👑 $14,100)
Theodore had a difficult game on Tuesday, getting knocked around on multiple occasions and having a goal waved off. However, he still had a solid game from a DFS standpoint, registering an assist with two shots for 8.0 DK Points. His last two games have been more pedestrian compared to what he did against Vancouver but his price is down $600 from Game 2 and has shown to have elite upside in the postseason.
William Karlsson — VGK ($8,000 | 👑 $12,000)
Karlsson leads all Golden Knights’ forwards in ice-time (18:45 ATOI) during the playoffs and their new-look power-play units have him on a unit with Pacioretty and Theodore, boosting his upside and helping him correlate with the Golden Knights’ best skaters. If you want to fade Pacioretty, you can full-stack VGK1 and have plenty of exposure to him.
Mid-Priced
Joe Pavelski — DAL ($7,400 | 👑 $11,100)
Like Vegas in Game 2, it is anyone’s guess what the Stars lines will look like in Game 3. I am projecting them re-uniting their big-3 and moving Denis Gurianov back to the Pavelski line, making DAL2 the line to target on the Stars’ side of the puck. After an incredible run against the Flames and the start of the Colorado series, Pavelski has just one assist and five shots in his last four games. That should help keep his ownership down tonight. Despite his recent struggles, he remains relatively cheap and still brings exposure to DAL1 on PP1.
Reilly Smith — VGK ($7,200 | 👑 $10,800)
As previously mentioned, Smith joins Karlsson as VGK1 skaters on the top power-play unit. That makes them a terrific mini-stack. In his last five games, he has just two assists but is averaging a strong 3.8 shots per game, providing him with a great floor to accompany his high-end upside. Smith is a very interesting Captain pick because it allows you to fit in plenty of other high-priced pieces in your lineup.
Denis Gurianov — DAL ($6,600 | 👑 $9,900)
Before putting Gurianov in your lineup, make sure he’s playing up in the lineup in warmups. Gurianov has been overshadowed by Miro Heiskanen in the postseason but he’s been terrific. Gurianov has registered eight goals and seven assists (15 points) in 18 games thus far. He is averaging an O.K. 2.3 shots per game, so his floor isn’t great for a $6,600 winger but he has plenty of upside if he’s back on Pavelski’s wing.
Value
Jamie Oleksiak — DAL ($3,600 | 👑 $5,400)
I don’t think there’s been a day where the Stars have played and I haven’t written about Oleksiak. His price remains near the basement after a decent three-shot performance on Tuesday. He’s been consistent while playing a ton of minutes with Heiskanen, which gives him some assist upside.
Nicolas Roy — VGK ($3,000 | 👑 $4,500)
Roy picked up an assist in Game 2 and finish with 6.5 DK Points. Playing with Pacioretty and Stastny gives him excellent upside at $3,000 and is arguably the best value play on the slate. His shot volume isn’t great but he picks up a shot or two per game and if he can pick up another assist, he could be in the GPP winning lineup.