This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
The NHL playoffs begin Saturday, but there is only one game on the slate. That means a showdown-style competition. You will pick six players from the game between the Bruins and Capitals. One of them will be your captain, who is worth 1.5 times the points but also have a higher salary as a result. Here is a potential roster you could use for your showdown competitions. Puck drop is at 7:30 p.m. EDT!
CAPTAIN: Patrice Bergeron, BOS at WAS ($13,200): I had to get a Bruin as my captain. The Bruins had a 2.39 GAA, while the Capitals had a 2.88 GAA. There is a good chance rookie netminder Vitek Vanecek will be in goal for his first playoff game and he had a .908 save percentage. Bergeron has the lowest salary of Boston's "Perfection Line," but he's no slouch. He had 48 points in 54 games and put 132 shots on net. If David Pastrnak or Brad Marchand get a point, it's likely Bergeron is getting one as well.
John Carlson, WAS vs. BOS ($8,400): I'm not just loading up on Bruins. Carlson is one of the most-prolific offensive defensemen in the NHL. He had 75 points in only 69 games last year, and this season he had 44 points in 52 games with 128 shots on net. Any defenseman who shoots that much — and who averaged 3:16 with the extra man — has major fantasy upside.
Taylor Hall, BOS at WAS ($8,200): Hall was having a nightmare year in Buffalo, which is true of basically every player on that squad. Part of that was a staggeringly-bad 2.3 shooting percentage. Hall got dealt to Boston and re-emerged as an offensive threat. Sure, a 16.7 shooting percentage helps (thanks, regression toward the mean) but 14 points in 16 games is nothing to sneeze at.
Anthony Mantha, WAS vs. BOS ($7,400): Mantha was also dealt for a team that wasn't going to sniff the playoffs to a team with Stanley Cup hopes. The Capitals made things easy for Mantha. He's currently slated to skate on Washington's top line with Nicklas Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin. On top of that, he started a whopping 72.9 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone with the Capitals, most on the team. If he does get plenty of ice time with Ovi and Backstrom, there's potential for success here.
David Krejci, BOS at WAS ($7,200): Hall was the happiest person after his trade, we're sure. The second happiest? That's probably Krejci. His numbers soared after Hall was plunked down on his wing. We mentioned that Hall had 14 points in 16 games with the Bruins? Well over his last 16 games Krejci has 21 points.
Craig Smith, BOS at WAS ($5,400): I'm going to the Bruins well one more time. Hey, Vanecek has a .908 save percentage, and if Ilya Samsonov returns and plays, he has a .902 save percentage. There is no real answer here for the Capitals. Smith provides solid secondary scoring for Boston. He notched 32 points and put 132 shots on net in 54 games.
