Fantasy: 10 playoff sleeper candidates for 2018

NHL.com identifies 10 sleeper candidates that can help round out your playoff pool roster or potential value targets in DFS.

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Playoff X-factor for each team
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Rankings for 2018 playoff pools
Austin Watson, NSH: The Nashville Predators wing plays a pivotal role on the third line with forwards Colton Sissons and Nick Bonino. Watson finished the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs tied-fifth among Predators forwards with nine points (four goals, five assists) in 22 games. With prior playoff success and career highs in goals (14) and points (19) during the 2017-18 regular season, Watson could see increased usage and return value in both fantasy playoff pools and DFS contests.

Zach Hyman, TOR:The Toronto Maple Leafs forward is skating on the top line with elite center Auston Matthews and forward William Nylander. Hyman finished tied for fourth on the team with Patrick Marleau in even-strength points (38). Despite not playing on either power-play units, Hyman still has sneaky upside in DFS contests because of exposure to Matthews at even strength. Hyman had four points (one goal, three assists) in six games during the 2017 playoffs.
Andre Burakovsky, WSH (DTD):The Washington Capitals wing is skating on the second line with center Nicklas Backstrom and right wing T.J. Oshie and on the second power-play unit with forwards Lars Eller, Brett Connolly and Alex Ovechkin and defenseman Dmitry Orlov. Burakovsky finished the regular season with six points (three goals, three assists) in the final eight games (T-3rd most on the team with Oshie). Exposure to Backstrom, who had 14 points (two goals, 12 assists) over the same span (1st on team), makes Burakovsky an intriguing streaming option in DFS contests.
Anthony Cirelli, TBL: The Tampa Bay Lightning rookie center made an immediate impact with 11 points (five goals, six assists), including four multipoint games, in 18 games since being recalled from the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League on March 1. He is skating on the third line with forwards Yanni Gourde and Alex Killorn. Cirelli's offensive game could continue to blossom in the playoffs if the Lightning's third line is able to exploit matchups with the opposing team's third defense pairing.

Tanner Pearson, LAK:The Los Angeles Kings left wing is a proven playoff performer with 15 points (five goals, 10 assists) in 31 games. He is skating on the third line with with forwards Adrian Kempe and Trevor Lewis and on their second power-play unit with forwards Kempe and Tyler Toffoli and defensemen Alec Martinez and Oscar Fantenberg. Pearson finished ranked fourth among Kings forwards with 147:50 played on the power-play during the regular season. He will have the opportunity for increased postseason production if similar power-play usage continues.
Timo Meier, SJS:The San Jose Sharks wing had a breakout season with 36 points (21 goals, 15 assists) in 81 games. His high regular season shots on goal total of 210 ranked second among Sharks forwards behind center Joe Pavelski. Meier is currently playing on the third line with Chris Tierney and Kevin Labanc and on the second power-play unit with forwards Joonas Donskoi, Evander Kane and Mikkel Boedker and defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic. 18 of Meier's 21 goals were scored at even-strength which makes him a safe streaming option in DFS contests and he gains significant value with the exposure to Kane on the man advantage.
Josh Morrissey, WPG: The Winnipeg Jets defenseman is skating on their top pair with Jacob Trouba. Morrissey ranked first among Jets defensemen with 25 even-strength points in 81 regular season games. He could continue to produce at even strength in the postseason with consistent exposure to high-end forwards Blake Wheeler and Mark Scheifele. Morrissey gains additional value in DFS contests because he led Jets defensemen with 168 blocked shots.

Alex Tuch, VGK:The Vegas Golden Knights wing had six points (two goals, four assists) in his final seven games of the regular season. He has been playing on the second line in absence of wing David Perron, who missed the final six games of the regular season with an undisclosed injury. The exposure to linemates Erik Haula and James Neal add to the value of Tuch, who is also playing on the top power-play unit with forwards Reilly Smith, William Karlsson and Jonathan Marchessault and defenseman Shea Theodore.
Ryan Donato, BOS:The Boston Bruins rookie forward found instant success with a goal and two assists in his NHL regular season debut against the Columbus Blue Jackets on March 19th. Donato finished the regular season with nine points (five goals, four assists) in 12 games, which was tied for fourth among Bruins forwards with center Patrice Bergeron over the span. It's likely that he will skate on the third line with forwards David Backes and Noel Acciari. Donato had 24 SOG in 12 regular season games making him a DFS streaming option in the postseason.
Jakob Silfverberg, ANA:The Anaheim Ducks wing has 37 points (13 goals, 24 assists) in 40 games over the '14/15-'16/17 postseasons (ranked 2nd on the Ducks behind Ryan Getzlaf). He is skating on the second line with left wing Andrew Cogliano and center Ryan Kesler and on the second power-play unit with forwards Kesler and Ondrej Kase and defensemen Hampus Lindholm and Andy Welinski. Silfverberg's postseason success makes him a must-stream candidate in DFS contests.
Others to consider:Carl Hagelin, PIT; Charlie Coyle, MIN; Stefan Noesen, NJD; Tyson Jost, COL; Boone Jenner, CBJ; Oskar Lindblom, PHI