Fantasy playoff primer: Malkin, Couturier to match up

All playoffs long, NHL.com's fantasy staff will provide daily picks for DraftKings NHL contests. These targets at each position can be used as a basis for your roster decision-making.

Setting the stage:The first day of the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs begins with a three-game DraftKings slate:
- Minnesota Wild at Winnipeg Jets (7 p.m. ET; CNBC, SN, TVAS2, FS-N, NHL.TV)
- Philadelphia Flyers at Pittsburgh Penguins (7 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, TVAS, ATTSN-PT, NBCSP, NHL.TV)
- Los Angeles Kings at Vegas Golden Knights (10 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, TVAS, ATTSN-RM, FS-W, NHL.TV)
Matchup to watch: Flyers center Sean Couturier ($6,300 in DraftKings) will be tasked with shutting down Penguins center Evgeni Malkin ($7,200). This role may take away from Couturier's offensive upside. Couturier shattered his previous NHL career highs in goals (15) and points (39) with 31 goals and 76 points in 82 games but DFS owners should take a wait-and-see approach before slotting Couturier in their lineup.
Go all-in on: Penguins wing Patric Hornqvist ($6,400) had 10 points (seven goals, three assists), including three power-play goals, 37 shots on goal and six blocked shots (4.9 DraftKings points per game) in the final 10 games of the regular season. The Penguins finished the regular season with 39 power-play goals at home (T-1st in the League with the Colorado Avalanche). They will look to continue this trend against the Flyers road penalty kill which ranked 24th in the League, stopping 76.8 percent of opportunities.

Find value in: Wild defenseman Jonas Brodin ($3,300) is expected to have an elevated role with Ryan Suter out of the lineup (broken ankle). He will skate on the top pair with Matt Dumba ($4,600) and on a power-play unit with Dumba and forwards Zach Parise, Mikko Koivu and Mikael Granlund. Brodin has four points (one goal, three assists), 10 SOG and 10 blocks (3.8 DraftKings points per game) in five games since Suter sustained the injury on March 31.
Goalie of the night:Golden Knights goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury ($8,200) was 1-0-1 with a .931 save percentage (5.7 DraftKings points per game) in two regular season games against the Kings. He is an experienced playoff performer going 62-51, including 10 shutouts and a .908 SV % with the Penguins (former team).
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