McDavid EDM - Barkov FLA - Kaprizov MIN
Kucherov TBL - Matthews TOR - Pastrnak BOS
Lowry WPG - Staal CAR - Stone VGK
J. Hughes NJD - Crosby PIT - Kopitar LAK
B. Tkachuk OTT
Q. Hughes VAN - Makar COL
Werenski CBJ - Fox NYR
Heiskanen DAL - Dobson NYI
Sergachev UTA
Saros NSH
Shesterkin NYR (oops NYR duplicate, just pick who you think is the best starter available)
Dostal ANA
This is not the "best possible players" and tries to take into account there's not enough minutes in the game so that everyone have 20min TOI, also tries to have enough balance in the forward roster so that mixing up lines is possible if these don't work out for whatever reason.
Barkov is the archetype of a #1C who can do it all, in this lineup he gets to play more offensive minutes and is the defensive backbone of that first line. All 3 can both make and finish plays.
2nd line is "1B" which is fed offensive minutes as much as possible - not that they need sheltering per se but they were put together for their offense and Matthews is the only guy who can really take draws.
3rd line is a shutdown line letting Lowry and Staal do what they have been doing for years with great success and relying on Stone to provide offense.
4th line is a 4th line in name only. J. Hughes provides some youthful energy for the old men. Depending on game situation / opponent / how lines are working, could move Barkov down to the "4th" to create the 4 Selkes shutdown line, making the 1st J.Hughes - McDavid - Kaprizov. Crosby, Barkov and Kopitar in the same line seems unfair though.
Started to run out of imagination with the defense and would've loved a Forsling type there and maybe a Lindell in the 3rd pair but it is what it is. Dobson is the sort of random pick here, trying to go for a more "defensive" D-man.
Goalies are goalies, Saros has been very dependable and while Shersterkin is not having a great season he has proven to be arguably the best playoff goalie of recent years and Dostal was a pretty random pick of who was available.
Honorable mentions MacKinnon, Hellebuyck, Kyle Connor, Josi and bunch of others, this was difficult and I spent way too much time on it.
