3 NHL FanDuel Studs to Target on 8/25/20

Spending up in any daily fantasy lineup is how to get the superstars and the highest upside players in your lineup. In NHL DFS, it’s different from paying up in sports like NBA or NFL. Someone can be one of the highest-priced players at his position and put up a total dud of a performance, and paying that much for him would be a huge mistake. Let’s make sure we are paying up in the right spots when building our lineups tonight.

The second round is off and running for every series now and we've seen some really good hockey to start. Let's hope that will continue as we have two more good games tonight, with some studs we can look to roster.

Patrice Bergeron, Center, Boston Bruins

FanDuel Salary: $7,500

Two of the best teams remaining in the Eastern Conference are facing off against each other in the Boston Bruins and the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Bruins took Game 1 behind a strong performance from their top line, which is centered by Patrice Bergeron. Bergeron was the only member of the line that didn't score in Game 1, but he did have an assist and had five shots on goal. In his last four games, he has 24 shots on goal. The Bruins seem to have stepped up their game since the first round began after a poor performance in the round-robin, and Bergeron has done that as well. He has six points in the six playoff games and will be looking to add to that on Tuesday.

Bergeron is one of the most consistent centers in the league and hit the 30 goal mark once again this season. He had another high shot attempt rate, ranking inside the top ten among centers this season, according to Natural Stat Trick. The Bruins are implied to score 2.75 goals in an even matchup, and most of their offense comes from the top line and top power-play unit, both of which feature Bergeron. Bergeron tops our projections at the center position and is a fairly reliable player for your lineups tonight.

Mark Stone, Wing, Vegas Golden Knights

FanDuel Salary: $7,400

Another player who is consistent and usually dominating in puck possession is Mark Stone of the Vegas Golden Knights. He has scored 20 goals in all of his full seasons in the NHL and hit 60 points in all but one of those seasons. He's been good in the playoffs too, with 10 points in nine games. Vegas has been dominant in the postseason, averaging the most goals per game in the bubble. They should be able to keep it up in this game, as they already demonstrated in Game 1.

The Golden Knights destroyed the Vancouver Canucks in Game 1, winning 5-0. The Canucks have allowed 35.5 shots on goal per game in the playoffs, the fourth most among the 24 teams that made it to the bubbles. Vegas averages the 35.9 shots per game, so they should be able to exploit a leaky Canucks defense. The Knights have the highest implied team total on the slate at 3.17. Stone is on the first line and the first power-play unit, so he should be able to contribute if Vegas is able to hit their implied goal total.

Robin Lehner, Goalie, Vegas Golden Knights

FanDuel Salary: $8,700

Despite some controversy and drama, Robin Lehner was the Vegas starting goalie in Game 1 of this series. He did nothing to relent that position, as he pitched a shutout on 26 shots. Lehner's loss in game four against the Chicago Blackhawks was his only loss since joining the Golden Knights. Lehner and the Golden Knights are big favorites for a playoff game, sitting at -210 tonight. With that line, it's no surprise that Lehner is the highest projected goalie on tonight's slate. He is a priority at the goaltender position if you have the money to spend for him.

Nicholas Vazquez is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Nicholas Vazquez also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username hbyanksman. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.