Valeri Nichushkin, Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen (with Cale Makar)
Thank goodness we are done with top line Zach Parise. Nichushkin moved up to the top line with MacKinnon and Rantanen early in Game 2, and there was clearly a big improvement. My hope is that MacKinnon and Rantanen’s lack of production will lead to less rostership. MacKinnon has had some massive games throughout his career against the Jets and I think it’s just a matter of time for him to make his mark in this series.
Adrian Kempe, Anze Kopitar, Kevin Fiala, Viktor Arvidsson, Drew Doughty
The Kings top power-play unit is going to be overlooked compared to a lot of the teams in action tonight. I think this version of the top PP unit is the best possible unit because all four forwards can be effective at any position in the setup. We just haven’t really gotten to see much of them on the ice because both teams have been relatively disciplined throughout the first two games of the series.
Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad, Jack Roslovic (with Adam Fox)
Now that the series is shifting to D.C., I think that the Capitals are going to try something different in order to find some sort of an edge, and I think that starts with getting Ovechkin away from NYR2. While WSH1 did a better job generating chances in Game 2, all that really matters here is that NYR1 would get the better matchup if they do get the majority of the ice time against Ovechkin.
Filip Forsberg, Ryan O’Reilly, Luke Evangelista, Gustav Nyquist, Roman Josi
Zach Hyman, Connor McDavid, Adam Henrique (with Evan Bouchard)
Artemi Panarin, Vincent Trocheck, Alexis Lafreniere (with Adam Fox)
Miles Wood, Ross Colton, Joel Kiviranta
Tom Wilson, Dylan Strome, Aliaksei Protas (with John Carlson)
Nino Niederreiter, Adam Lowry, Mason Appleton
Dakota Joshua, Elias Lindholm, Conor Garland
Remember, shots = saves = points, so I am generally very aggressive with my goalie choices. I want goalies who provide some sort of floor and a lot of upside due to the potential high shot volume.
Always check goalie status right before lock.