The Stanley Cup Playoffs kicked off April 20 with two Eastern Conference matchups, and four more first-round series are set to begin April 21.
Our AI-powered dfsPro projections have uncovered some key under-the-radar value picks playing in Saturday’s games to help daily fantasy managers to fill out their rosters and remain under the salary cap. Let’s look at some of our model’s top value picks for Day 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs!
Top Value Picks: Offense
Eetu Luostarinen (LW – Florida Panthers, $2,900 on DraftKings)
dfsPro Forecast: G: 0.26, A: 0.27, S: 1.46, BLK: 0.91
Florida Panthers winger Eetu Luostarinen contributed five points (2 goals, 3 assists) in 16 playoff games last season to help the Panthers reach the Stanley Cup Final, and our model likes him to outperform his offensive averages across the board today in Game 1 against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Luostarinen averaged 0.33 points per game during the regular season, but our model projects a 60% increase to 0.53 today against Tampa Bay.
Alex Wennberg (C – New York Rangers, $2,600 on DraftKings)
dfsPro Forecast: G: 0.34, A: 0.26, S: 1.29, BLK: 0.55
Our model projects New York Rangers center Alex Wennberg’s goalscoring potential to more than double his regular-season average today in Game 1 against the Washington Capitals. Wennberg found the back of the net twice in 14 playoff games as a member of the Seattle Kraken last season, and he scored a goal against the Capitals earlier this season on Jan. 11 – also with Seattle.
Nino Niederreiter (LW – Winnipeg Jets, $3,600 on DraftKings)
dfsPro Forecast: G: 0.26, A: 0.19, S: 2.05, BLK: 0.33
Winnipeg Jets winger Nino Niederreiter missed a handful of games in April due to injury, but he returned in time to play in the Jets’ final two games of the regular season and recorded an assist in their season finale April 18 against the Vancouver Canucks. Niederreiter has 34 points in 87 career playoff games, including four points (1 goal, 3 assists) with Winnipeg in the 2022-23 postseason.
Top Value Picks: Defense
Gustav Forsling (LD – Florida Panthers, $4,300 on DraftKings)
dfsPro Forecast: G: 0.27, A: 0.42, S: 2.01, BLK: 1.19
Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling finished the regular season with four points in his last five games, ranking second on the team in 22:09 of ice time per game as a member of Florida’s top defensive pairing. Offensively, Forsling averaged a point per game against the Lightning this season, and our model projects him to outperform his averages across the board in Game 1 against Tampa Bay.
Nick Perbix (LD – Tampa Bay Lightning, $2,500 on DraftKings)
dfsPro Forecast: G: 0.14, A: 0.19, S: 0.9, BLK: 1.05
Lightning defenseman Nick Perbix is a solid value add on the back end for DFS managers looking to add defensive depth to their lineups. While not traditionally known for his offensive production, he recorded two points in Tampa Bay’s three regular-season games against Florida, and our model projects him to outperform nearly all of his offensive averages in Game 1.
Ryan McDonagh (LD – Nashville Predators, $3,800 on DraftKings)
dfsPro Forecast: G: 0.25, A: 0.39, S: 1.38, BLK: 1.6
Veteran defenseman Ryan McDonagh has 185 career playoff games under his belt, so the Nashville Predators will likely rely on him to play key minutes in key situations during their first-round series against the Vancouver Canucks. McDonagh finished second on the Predators with 21:47 of ice time per game this season, and our model projects sizable increases over his average goals and takeaways in Game 1 against the Canucks.
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