This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Well, this is awfully early in the NHL season for a single-game slate, but here we are. The Maple Leafs host the Lightning in tonight's sole NHL contest. At least that's a good game on paper. Plus, it means you can play NHL DFS. We have a salary cap of $50,000 for six players on DraftKings. One player is your Captain, who has an elevated salary, but also earns you 1.5 times the points. Consider this practice for the playoffs, when single-game contests abound. Here's the lineup I landed on.
CAPTAIN
William Nylander, TOR vs. TBL ($13,200): Both of these teams have high-level offensive players, but what about the defense and the goaltending? Anthony Stolarz came out of nowhere to perform as a stellar backup for the Panthers last season. He has taken the lead role in Toronto this season with a 1.79 GAA and .937 save percentage. Meanwhile, Andrei Vasilevskiy is a future Hall of Famer in net, but he has a .900 save percentage over the last two seasons. Nylander has 40 goals in each of his last two seasons and has three goals this year. You can also count on him to play a ton on the power play. He's averaged 4:09 per game with the extra man this year. That pushed him over the edge as our Captain option.
FLEX
Nikita Kucherov, TBL at TOR ($10,400): I knew I had to figure out a way to put a roster together that included Kucherov. He's turned out to be a generational talent and is one of a handful of players with 100 assists in a season. This year, he's potting goals left and right. The Russian has seven goals through four games. Yes, his 31.8 shooting percentage will drop, but he's put 22 shots on net, which is remarkable.
John Tavares, TOR vs. TBL ($8,000): Yes, Craig Berube took the captaincy away from Tavares, but he hasn't banished him to the wasteland by any means. His role has changed a bit, in that his overall ice time is down, but he's up to 4:01 per contest with the extra man. Now 34, Tavares plays more sheltered minutes. He had 65 points last year, including 20 with the extra man.
Brandon Hagel, TBL at TOR ($7,400): As strong as Stolarz has been in goal, you want some balance to a single-game DFS roster. Hagel is on a three-game point streak in which he has scored two goals and added two assists. While his goal total last year dropped from 30 the year before to 26, his point total rose to 75. The Steven Stamkos-Jake Guentzel swap hasn't changed Hagel's role at all so far.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson, TOR vs. TBL ($6,600): Like Stolarz, Ekman-Larsson joined the Maple Leafs from the Cup-winning Panthers. Also like Stolarz, he's enjoying his time with his new team. The Swede has four points – all assists – but he has also put 17 shots on target through five games. Toronto has given him a sizeable role, as he's averaged 22:40 per contest, including 3:36 with the extra man. All those minutes and all that production look good to me.
Bobby McMann, TOR vs. TBL ($4,400): Being able to round out my lineup with a hot player on a low salary worked nicely for me. McMann scored 15 goals in 56 games as a rookie last year. He's getting a chance to skate on the second line this season. He has three goals in four games. Why not see if his sophomore season continues with McMann in fine form?
