It's a Game 7! The Sabres routed the Canadiens in Montreal to get the chance to host a winner-take-all game. That, of course, also means single-game DFS contests for Monday.
You get to select six players staying under a salary cap of $50,000. One, your Captain, nets you 1.5 times the points, but with an elevated salary. You could pick a goalie, but the Sabres changed goalies again in Game 6 and Jakub Dobes just allowed six goals. I wouldn't go that route. The puck drops on Game 7 at 7:30 p.m. EDT. Here is the lineup I landed on.
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CAPTAIN
Rasmus Dahlin, BUF vs. MON ($13,500): You don't need any defensemen in your DFS lineup, but I went with Dahlin as my Captain. He's on the ice a ton, and he's also picked up plenty of points. Sure, Dahlin just had five points in Game 6 so you've missed his peak performance (unless you rostered him for that game). However, the Swede is on a four-game point streak, and he's put multiple shots on net in every game in the playoffs. Dahlin may be a defenseman, but he's been as productive as any forward in this series.
FLEX
Cole Caufield, MON at BUF ($9,800): Speaking of four-game point streaks, Caufield is on one of those as well. He's put multiple shots on net in every game in this series as well, and of course he scored 51 goals this season. Buffalo has gotten to this point while posting a 3.00 GAA in this postseason, so even if Buffalo wins, the Canadiens will likely score a few goals, and Caufield is as good a bet as anybody to do that.
Juraj Slafkovsky, MON at BUF ($8,600): Slafkovsky has tallied six points in this series. He didn't have one in Game 6, but he did put three shots on target. That was the fourth time in six games in this series he's had at least three shots on net. He emerged as a 30-goal scorer this season, and he's come up big for Slovakia on multiple occasions, so he might be primed to step up in Game 7.
Ivan Demidov, MON at BUF ($7,800): I do, as you will see, have a balanced lineup of Canadiens and Sabres. I did not load up on Habs expecting a rout. In fact, I think this game is a tossup all things considered. Demidov is another player on a four-game point streak, but on top of that he's notched five shots on goal in each of his last two outings.
Zach Benson, BUF vs. MON ($7,600): On five separate occasions, Benson has picked up double-digit penalty minutes this postseason. And yet, he's also managed to be productive on the ice. Though he had 10 penalty minutes in Game 6, he still found time for a goal, an assist, and six shots on net. That was the third time in the postseason Benson has managed multiple points.
Konsta Helenius, BUF vs. MON ($2,600): Rostering the 20-year-old Finn allowed me to build my lineup with a lot of top-level talent. An elite defensemen, three first-line forwards, and the runner-up for the Calder Trophy! Helenius was brought into the lineup by Lindy Ruff to try and give the Sabres some juice, and it's worked. In three games, Helenius has tallied two goals and seven shots on net. I'm happy to take a shot on him in Game 7.
