NHL Building Blocks – April 20
We’ve got a few more first-round series getting underway. Let’s dive in!
The premise of each article in this series is to feature starting spots (building blocks) for your lines. These are plays that are cash-viable as well as GPP-worthy and can be considered in all contest formats.
Starting Lineup – April 20
The Goalie: Anthony Stolarz
Stolarz (21-8-3 / 2.14 /. 926) played better than Joseph Wall for pretty much the whole season, and he appears to be getting the nod to start the playoffs. The Devils’ offense is solid, but they’re missing their best player, and in the offseason Toronto retooled their defense for the postseason (including adding a Cup-winner in Stolarz), so we’ll see tonight if all of those moves paid dividends. Toronto has home-ice for this series as well, and they had the sixth-lowest GAA as a team in the league this season.
The Center: Auston Matthews
Matthews (and the rest of the Leafs, for that matter) have had the long-standing reputation of being incredibly productive in the regular season and then disappearing once the games start to matter. They’ve got a great matchup here in the first round, and I think he comes out firing.
The Wing: Kirill Kaprizov
The Wild are one of the bigger underdogs in this first round as Vegas is a very tough and complete team. However, Kaprizov is a borderline top-10 player in the league and he’s fresh, having come off of a long injury, and he’s got the talent and energy to be a difference-maker in the postseason.
The Defenseman: Doug Hamilton
Hamilton is back from injury at just the right time for the Devils, and he provides not just a stabilizing presence but also a strong source of scoring from the blue line. The Hurricanes are a deep and tough team, and he’ll be needed in both ends if New Jersey wants to make a series of this.
The Value: Zeev Buium
Signs are pointing to Buium making his NHL debut in Game 1, and he’s got a ton of upside. He’s practiced some on the Wild’s top power play unit as well, so if it’s not tonight, it will be soon.
The Stack: TOR (Matthews-Marner-Tavares-Nylander)
So much upside and promise in this grouping, and Leaf fans are hoping that this is the year that it finally comes together. Knies and McMann are solid secondary pieces, but mix and match the main four in your lines.
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Oct 26, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews (34) celebrates with teammates on the bench after his goal tied the game against the Boston Bruins late in the third period at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images