This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
The first three playoff series kicked off Wednesday, and now the other five are playing their opening games Thursday. Here are some daily fantasy recommendations from this quintet of contests.
GOALIE
Philipp Grubauer, WAS vs. CLM ($8,200): Grubauer was named the starter for Game 1 over Braden Holtby, and it's not hard to see why. The German netminder had a 2.35 GAA and .923 save percentage, which is actually a downtick from his numbers last season (2.04 GAA, .926 save percentage). Additionally, while Washington had a 2.90 GAA overall, that GAA was a much more respectable 2.51 GAA at home.
CENTER
Brayden Point, TAM vs. NJD ($6,400): Point enjoyed a breakthrough year, posting 32 goals on 217 shots and adding 34 assists in 82 contests. There's also the potential, with Steven Stamkos still banged up, that Point will have a slightly larger role than usual. Keith Kinkaid has taken over the starting role for the Devils. Though he's played well recently, he's still a relatively unproven 28-year-old with no playoff experience and a .913 save percentage on the season.
Kyle Turris, NAS vs. COL ($5,800): Turris has started 65.8 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, highest on the Predators. He also tallied 17 points with the extra man in 65 games with Nashville. The Avalanche had a 3.37 GAA on the road, and they are also without starting goalie Semyon Varlamov.
WING
Filip Forsberg, NAS vs. COL ($7,700): Forsberg ended the season hot, notching eight points and seven assists in 11 games. That helped give him 64 points in only 67 games, including 21 on the power play. As previously noted, Colorado had a 3.37 GAA on the road. They will also be starting Jonathan Bernier, who had a 2.85 GAA and .913 save percentage.
T.J. Oshie, WAS vs. CLM ($5,800): Oshie had some struggles this year, but he ended the regular season with 11 points in his last 11 games. The Blue Jackets had a 3.15 GAA on the road, and on top of that they had the 26th-ranked penalty kill overall. That bodes well for Oshie, as he averaged 3:22 per game on the power play and tallied 18 points with the extra man.
David Backes, BOS vs. TOR ($4,900): Backes has five points and 19 shots on net in his last seven games. He was quite the prolific shooter this season, putting 160 pucks on net in 57 contests. The Maple Leafs gave up a lot of shots, as they allowed 33.9 shots on goal per game. That won't work out well for them if Frederik Andersen can't pick up his play. The Dane has a 3.40 GAA and .898 save percentage in his last 14 games.
DEFENSEMEN
Torey Krug, BOS vs. TOR ($6,100): Despite playing in only 76 games, Krug tied his career high in goals (14) and bested his high in points (59). He also put 197 shots on net. It was just noted how Frederik Andersen has struggled for the Maple Leafs in goal recently. On top of that, the defenseman has averaged 3:26 per game with the extra man and tallied 24 power-play points.
Mikhail Sergachev, TAM vs. NJD ($4,100): Sergachev played sheltered minutes as a rookie, as he started 70.2 percent of this shifts in the offensive zone, highest on the Lightning. It largely worked out, as the Russian tallied 40 points, 16 of which came on the power play. The Devils gave up 34.5 shots on net per game on the road, which means Keith Kinkaid could be busy. Kinkaid has a .912 career save percentage and has never played in the postseason.
