This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Fret not, hockey fans. Also, DFS players. Though the NHL is taking a break for the 4 Nations Face-Off, DraftKings is offering DFS contests for the tournament. Things begin Wednesday with Canada and Sweden squaring off at 8:00 p.m. ET.
The rules for these contests will be familiar to those who have played single-game DFS contests on DraftKings. You get $50,000 of salary to divvy out to six players. One is your Captain, who nets 1.5 times the points, but with an elevated salary. Of course, what is not familiar to any of us are these 4 Nations Face-Off rosters. These are neutral-site games featuring rosters of acclaimed players who are being thrown together due to national affiliations. There are no team stats. These guys normally don't play together. That makes for intrigue and uncertainty when setting DFS lineups.
Fortunately, our own Corey Abbott has put together an excellent primer, and I will fully admit to reading it over before I set this lineup. This is the lineup for Canada versus Sweden I liked the best.
CAPTAIN
William Nylander, SWE vs. CAN ($12,900): Germany's Leon Draisaitl is not in this tournament, which means Nylander is the player with the most goals this season. The Swede has potted 33 goals and is a power-play maven. You can trust Sweden is going to make Nylander a focal point of the man advantage. Canada has a ton of talent, but the goaltending is a real question mark. The decision is between Adin Hill and Jordan Binnington, neither has had a strong season. Thus, I wanted a Swedish Captain, and Nylander stuck out to me.
FLEX
Sam Reinhart, CAN vs. SWE ($8,200): Reinhart has proven his 57 goals last season were no fluke, as he has 31 through 57 games this year. Let us not forget he had over 30 goals in the two seasons prior to tallying 57. That was a step up, but not anomalous. Reinhart was hot coming into the tournament, putting together a six-game point streak. He's also a real power-play weapon and is primed to play on a stacked top power-play unit for the Canadians.
Jesper Bratt, SWE vs. CAN ($7,600): Reinhart was hot before the break, but Bratt was hotter. He will return to NHL action when this is all over with an ongoing eight-game point streak. I mentioned questions about goaltending for Canada, so I will elucidate that point further. Hill has a .900 save percentage. Binnington has an .896 save percentage.
Mitch Marner, CAN vs. SWE ($7,400): No, it's not simply some affinity for the Maple Leafs driving these decisions. Marner has been making plays left and right, tallying 55 assists through 54 games. This and the Reinhart recommendations are also based off projected lines. The expectation is that Marner and Reinhart will skate with Connor McDavid as their center. That works for me.
Brayden Point, CAN vs. SWE ($7,000): Speaking to Canada's offensive talent, Point has 58 points through 50 games and is the projected third-line center for the team. Of course, Canada's coaching staff isn't going to treat their third line like your typical NHL third line. Plus, you did see the part where I said Point has 58 points in 50 games, right? That includes 31 goals. He had 46 last season and had 51 the year prior. Getting a player this talented at this salary both speaks to how much talent is in the 4 Nations tournament, but also offers up some real potential value.
Victor Hedman, SWE vs. CAN ($6,600): Much how these coaching staffs won't be treating third and fourth lines like an NHL game, a top-pairing defenseman isn't likely to skate 25 minutes per game. That said, Hedman is on that top pairing, and he's likely to play on the point on the power play as well. Hedman may be 34, but he's still got it. He has 44 points and 125 shots on net through 53 games. If there is a defenseman I want from this game, it's Hedman.
