This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
All six matchups Tuesday are qualifying-round games, which makes them extra spicy because five teams could be put on the brink of elimination. The Hurricanes have yet to trail the Rangers in their series and could be the first team to advance to Round 1 of the traditional 16-team playoff format.
GOALIES
Juuse Saros ($8,000) may not start after allowing four goals in Game 1, but he can't be blamed for two of the goals. Pekka Rinne ($8,000) is the same price, so the only decision to make is picking whoever Nashville elects to start. The Preds sleepwalked through the first period and allowed three goals, and though they never quite recovered, they were dominant from that point on. They should have a much better start in Game 2.
Expect the Canucks to have a better showing after their top-six (outside of Elias Pettersson) failed to show up. That means team MVP Jacob Markstrom ($7,700) should get more goal support, but the two soft goals he allowed are mildly concerning. The Canucks defense is unquestionably their biggest weakness, and the Wild forecheck forces plenty of turnovers.
Joonas Korpisalo ($7,500) ended up being the right guy for the job, and he looked excellent. The Jackets' strong neutral-zone defense and aggressive forecheck stymied the Leafs' vaunted offence. They're too good to go down easily, but if the Jackets can replicate their performance in Game 1, they have a good chance to put the Leafs on the brink.
VALUE PLAYS
Adam Lowry ($3,200) had a huge game, and Andrew Copp ($3,500) logged nearly 23 minutes in Mark Scheifele's absence. They will continue to get additional ice time in their expanded roles, but don't expect them to be high-volume producers. The Jets won the game despite being outshot (again). Elias Lindholm ($5,500) has two points in two games for the other side.
Brock Boeser ($5,400) looked dangerous against the Wild and had a few quality scoring chances. He's been Vancouver's best player throughout camp, and Alex Stalock got the shutout in large part because his defense was so good. Being replaced by Tyler Toffoli ($5,500) on the top line and power-play unit hurts Boeser's value, but Boeser was the superior player in Game 1.
LINE STACKS
Hurricanes at Rangers
Sebastian Aho (C - $7,900), Andrei Svechnikov (W - $6,900), Teuvo Teravainen (W - $6,100)
They've been the best-looking line so far, and it's clear the Rangers don't have the defense to contain them. All three of Svechnikov's goals were assisted by Aho.
Flames at Jets
Mikael Backlund (C - $5,700), Andrew Mangiapane (W - $4,500), Matthew Tkachuk ($6,400)
They were held without a point but registered 11 shots on goal. At times they looked far more dangerous than Johnny Gaudreau's line, and they also don't have to face the Jets' top defender in Josh Morrissey.
DEFENSEMEN
Ryan Ellis ($5,600) and Roman Josi ($7,300) make for a worthy stack and could challenge any of the best forward lines. The other good stack would be Seth Jones ($5,000) and Zach Werenski ($6,200), both of whom were excellent in Game 1 at both ends of the ice. They didn't record a lot of shots but would've had a couple assists if the Jackets had more finishing ability.
Quinn Hughes ($5,300) looked unfazed in his first career playoff game and remains a key part of the Vancouver offense. He had two shots in Game 1 and remains the quarterback of a top-five power play. Alexander Edler ($4,300) has the higher floor, however, because he shoots a lot and also blocks a lot of shots.
Jared Spurgeon ($5,300) blocked four shots and scored three points in Game 1. He's quietly become an elite two-way defender, and given his all-round ability, is one of the rare high-floor, high-ceiling types.
Sami Vatanen ($4,600) is another quarterback worth considering, having taken over for the injured Dougie Hamilton. He has recorded three assists in two games.
