This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
As we head into the All-Star break, we have some light days of NHL action. Monday, in fact, only has one game on the slate. That is the 8 p.m. ET start between the Jets and the Blues, which means single-game DFS contests. On DraftKings, you will be picking a lineup of six players with a salary cap of $50,000 at your disposal. You will pick a captain, who earns you 1.5 times the points, but also will earn an elevated salary. This is a lineup that stands out to me.
CAPTAIN
Mark Scheifele, WPG vs. STL ($12,300): I definitely wanted a Jet as my captain. Connor Hellebuyck (who I will get to again momentarily) has been one of the best goalies in the NHL. Jordan Binnington has a 3.28 GAA and .891 save percentage for a team with the 25th-ranked penalty kill. Looking for bang for my buck given the nature of the salary for the captain, I went with Scheifele. He has 29 goals in 51 games. Yes, his 21.8 shooting percentage is high, but over the previous six seasons he posted an 18.3 shooting percentage. Scheifele is simply a guy with an accurate and effective shot.
FLEX
Connor Hellebuyck, WPG vs. STL ($10,800): As promised, more Hellebuyck for you. The American netminder has a 2.46 GAA and .923 save percentage. St. Louis has averaged 3.02 goals and 28.8 shots on net per contest, both of which are in the bottom 10. The Blues are also banged up, making it even more likely Hellebuyck picks up the home win.
Kyle Connor, WPG vs. STL ($10,400): If you want to bet on a guy to put the puck in the net, on any team, Connor would be an excellent choice. The only time he has had fewer than 31 goals in a season was the 2020-21 campaign where he was limited to 56 games by means of global pandemic. Last year he had 47 goals on a staggering 317 shots on net. This season, the American has 24 goals on 174 shots on net through 51 games, and he's added 33 assists for good measure.
Brandon Saad, STL at WPG ($6,200): Saad has had a strange season, but he does have a spot on St. Louis' top line. He also has 14 goals in 43 games, and he had 24 in 78 games last year, his first as a Blue. No, it's not an easy matchup, but going purely with Jets players is a bit risky, and also hard to make work well.
Cole Perfetti, WPG vs. STL ($5,800): Perfetti's top asset? Skating on Winnipeg's top line with Pierre-Luc Dubois and Connor. While he only has seven goals (with an 8.4 shooting percentage that could improve with some puck luck), he has 22 assists as well. Additionally, he has nine points over his last 11 games. This is my last Jet, so I will mention again that Binnington has a 3.28 GAA and .891 save percentage.
Noel Acciari, STL at WPG ($4,400): In terms of low-salary players, Acciari offers the most upside, and more than the Jets players down in the same salary tier. This is partially assuming Robert Thomas sits out with his lower-body injury, but why risk a guy heading into the All-Star break? If Thomas is out, Acciari will likely be centering the second line between Vladimir Tarasenko and Ivan Barbashev. Plus, he does have 10 goals this season, which isn't too shabby.
