This article is part of our FanDuel NHL series.
Welcome to the NHL playoffs! The postseason kicks off in a big way with five games Wednesday. Of course, since these are the playoffs, there aren't as many favorable matchups available. With that in mind, here are my recommendations for your daily fantasy lineup.
GOALIE
Matt Murray, PIT at NYI ($8,500): Murray's last start before the postseason wasn't ideal, but he still has a 2.26 GAA and .931 save percentage over his last 15 starts. The Islanders have one of the worst offenses of any playoff team. They've only averaged 2.72 goals and 28.8 shots on net per contest, both bottom 10 in the NHL.
CENTER
Tomas Hertl, SAN vs. VGK ($6,500): Hertl heads into the playoffs on a seven-game point streak. Overall, he dwarfed his previous career highs with 35 goals and 74 points. As for the Golden Knights, they were middling defensively on the road. They had a 3.15 GAA and .894 save percentage in away games.
Paul Stastny, VGK at SAN ($5,800): Stastny's first season with the Golden Knights didn't go quite as expected due to injury, but he produced when he was able to take the ice. In 50 games he tallied 42 points. The Sharks are not in the playoffs on the strength of their goaltending. They have an .889 save percentage as a team, lowest in the NHL.
WING
Phil Kessel, PIT at NYI ($7,700): The Islanders have been great defensively, except when down a man. They rank 17th in penalty-kill percentage, which isn't terribly, but certainly isn't good. Kessel is basically a power-play machine. He notched 36 points with the extra man, which is par for the course for him.
Brayden Schenn, STL at WPG ($5,800): Schenn took a step down from his first season in St. Louis, where he had 28 goals and 70 points, but he still potted 54 points in 10 fewer games played. Plus, he heads into the playoffs hot, as he has 10 points in his last 11 contests. The Jets have been less hot defensively, as they have a 3.26 GAA since the All-Star break.
Kevin Labanc, SAN vs. VGK ($5,400): Labanc has started 58.5 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, highest among San Jose forwards. He also notched 20 points with the extra man. Meanwhile, the Golden Knights have the 19th-ranked penalty kill on the road.
DEFENSE
Alex Pietrangelo, STL at WPG ($6,400): It feels like Pietrangelo flew under the radar a bit this season. He notched 13 goals on 168 shots in 71 games, and added 28 assists for good measure. That helped his average 12.4 fantasy points per game. As previously noted, the Jets had a 3.26 GAA after the All-Star break, ninth highest in the NHL.
Shea Theodore, VGK at SAN ($4,700): Theodore notched 12 goals this season on 202 shots, a major increase in shot output for the 23-year-old. He also averaged 2:25 per game on the power play. The Sharks had a 3.13 GAA after the All-Star break, and their goaltending didn't get any better. They had an .888 team save percentage in that time.
