This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Were it not for some inclement weather a little while back, there would be no NHL action Sunday. However, a game between the Jets and Kraken got postponed, and now here we are. It's another chance to play DFS hockey, which we wouldn't have had otherwise.
Now, this game could be a little weird. Both teams have been eliminated from the playoffs. Could they pack it in? Possibly, but then again both the Jets and Kraken may want to end the season on a winning note. Winnipeg is at home, while Seattle is an expansion team ending its first campaign. I highly doubt anybody with an injury issue will be lacing up the skates, but otherwise, maybe we will get a competitive game.
DraftKings' single-game Showdown rules leaves you to pick six players with a salary cap of $50,000. One is your captain, and their points are worth 1.5 times everybody else. However, their salary is also elevated as a result. Here is a lineup I laid out.
CAPTAIN
Kyle Connor, WPG vs. SEA ($15,300): Connor would need a four-goal game to get to 50, but at least that gives him some motivation. He does have five goals over his last nine contests. The Kraken have a 3.46 GAA, which is ninth highest in the NHL. Philipp Grubauer has an .889 save percentage, having floundered in his first season in Seattle. Connor has the numbers and the theoretical motivation, so he's my captain.
FLEX
Connor Hellebuyck, WPG vs. SEA ($11,000): I expect the Jets, and thus Hellebuyck, to pick up the win, so that's a big part of this. The American goalies numbers aren't great, but a lot of that was because his defense kept him so busy. For example, over his last 16 starts he has a .918 save percentage, but a 2.89 GAA. Well the Kraken averaged a mere 29.0 shots on net per contest. They aren't built to keep Hellebuyck busy, and that should be to his advantage.
Matty Beniers, SEA at WPG ($8,600): Beniers was the second-overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, and once his season with the Michigan Wolverines ended they basically immediately plopped him down on the first line as the center. That helped him notch eight points in nine games, though having averaged 3:14 per contest with the extra man also helps. The Jets' 3.09 GAA and 33.2 shots on net per contest don't deter me too much, and Beniers is getting his first taste of NHL action, as opposed to a guy who has been through a full NHL season.
Jordan Eberle, SEA at WPG ($6,600): Eberle has started 60.6 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, highest on the Kraken. He added a few goals after Beniers joined the team, giving him 21 on the season. His power-play minutes have also soared, as he's averaged 3:29 per game with the extra man over his last 10 games.
Ryan Donato, SEA at WPG ($6,200): Donato has also been moved to the first line for the Kraken, so I am effectively stacking this line. The winger's play picked up down the stretch, as he notched nine points in his last 16 outings. If the Kraken are effectively offensively Sunday, I am betting it will be the top line that does it.
Jamie Oleksiak, SEA at WPG ($2,200): I did not expect to have four Kraken in my lineup compared to two Jets. I think the Jets are going to win, and also score more goals. However, I wanted Connor as my captain and I wanted Hellebuyck in net. The Jets players have higher salaries, by and large, and even added one more of the notable Jets players would have really left me in a major "stars and scrubs" situation. Oleksiak is here because I needed a player on a low salary that wasn't a total write off. He is a first-pairing defenseman for the Kraken, and he's averaged 20:46 in ice time over his last six games. Oleksiak also has two assists in his last four outings.
