This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
SLATE PREVIEW
Can the Avs live to fight another day? The Stars can close out the series and advance to the conference finals for the first time since 2008. It should be another high-scoring game; the winner of each game has scored at least five goals. Puck drop is at 8 p.m. EDT.
GOALIES
With only one game on tap, FanDuel competitions feature one Captain slot for 1.5x points and four UTIL slots for all contests. No goalies will be made available for selection, but note Michael Hutchinson will likely start for the Avs after Pavel Francouz was declared unfit to play in Game 5. Ben Bishop is expected to start despite getting pulled last game.
VALUE PLAYS
Andre Burakovsky, COL vs. DAL ($8,000): A three-point effort in Game 5 gives him six points in three games, but the more eyebrow-raising stat is the seven shots he put on goal. His ice time remains limited, but his increased willingness to shoot is a good sign, as is linemate Nazem Kadri's magnificent play.
Roope Hintz, DAL vs. COL ($7,000): He has four points in his past three games, three of which have come on the power play. At even strength, Hintz doesn't have much to work with; Corey Perry hasn't been a top-six caliber winger in years and Jason Dickinson has 18 goals in 170 career season games so far. However, Dallas' second power-play unit has been excellent, and Hintz is a big reason for that.
Radek Faksa, DAL vs. COL ($6,500): In a similar vein to Hintz, Faksa plays a bottom-six role at evens but his role on the second power-play unit gives him extra value. His salary is slightly lower and Hintz has a bit more offense, but in terms of overall playing time, Faksa has the edge.
LINE STACKS
Avalanche vs. Stars
Nazem Kadri (C - $11,500), Andre Burakovsky (W - $8,000), Valeri Nichushkin (W – $6,500)
Kadri's really the engine that drives this line, but with Burakovsky and Nichushkin chipping in as well, it raises the floor for this line. Kadri's role on the top power-play unit is a nice bonus.
Stars vs. Avalanche
Joe Pavelski (C - $8,500), Denis Gurianov (W - $9,000), Mattias Janmark (W - $6,500)
Janmark is a bit of a drag because he doesn't score much, but Gurianov has picked up the slack with a four-game point streak, including three assists in Game 5. Pavelski is usually a safe choice because he consistently puts pucks on net with his ability to tip shots from the point.
DEFENSEMEN
Miro Heiskanen, DAL vs. COL ($10,000): His brilliant playoff performance continues with a six-game point streak and he's undoubtedly the defenseman to pick on the Stars.
Cale Makar, COL vs. DAL ($9,000): Makar is actually averaging more fantasy points than Heiskanen, which makes him the better value play. And, unlike Heiskanen, Makar doesn't have to split the big minutes with anyone else on the Avs.
Samuel Girard, COL vs. DAL ($8,500): He has three assists in his past two games and would be a better pick if the salary was lower because he doesn't have the same upside as Makar. However, it's slim pickings on the Avs blue line.
Ryan Graves, COL vs. DAL ($7,500): At the other end of the spectrum is Graves, a consistent peripheral stats guy who had seven shots in Game 4 and six blocked shots in Game 5. The points won't come often but it's pretty rare to see Graves finish games empty handed.
