This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
The NHL has switched it up this weekend, with only one game Saturday so that they can have three games Sunday. That means Showdown competitions from DraftKings on Saturday for the game between the Avalanche and the Blues. You have $50,000 in salary for six players. One is your captain, who is worth 1.5 times the points, but has an elevated salary as a result. Here's a lineup I would go with for Saturday.
CAPTAIN
Mikko Rantanen, COL at STL ($13,500): Both of these teams finished in the top four in goals per game, so I am eschewing the goalies for my stack. I know Jordan Binnington has been strong in the playoffs, but during the regular season he had a 3.13 GAA and .901 save percentage. Rantanen had 96 points in 75 games in his campaign, and he has an assist in both games in this series.
FLEX
Gabriel Landeskog, COL at STL ($8,400): Landeskog got moved down to the second line, but with the season Nazem Kadri had it didn't matter. The Swede returned from injury for the playoffs, and in the postseason he has four goals and five assists through six games.
David Perron, STL vs. COL ($7,800): Perron has been all-or-nothing in the playoffs. He has points in four games, but he's had multiple points in all four of those outings. Perron also tallied 26 power-play points this season, and the Avalanche had the 15th-ranked penalty kill.
Valeri Nichushkin, COL at STL ($7,400): They moved Nichushkin up to the top line, and it turned his production up a couple notches. Over the last 15 games he has 15 points and 61 shots on net. Plus, as I mentioned earlier, Binnington had as 3.13 GAA and .901 save percentage this season.
Justin Faulk, STL vs. COL ($6,400): Faulk racks up a ton of minutes for the Blues, and in the playoffs he's averaged 26:00 in ice time, including 2:52 with the extra man. He had 47 points this season, and he has an assist in both games of this series. Plus, as long as Torey Krug is out, Faulk will have an even larger role at both even strength and with the man advantage.
Jordan Kyrou, STL at COL ($6,200): There's symmetry to Kyrou's performance in this series thus far. He's put three shots on net and potted a goal in both games. The speedster managed 75 points in 74 games this season in spite of the fact he spent a lot of his time on the third line. Recently, the Blues shuffled things up and Kyrou got a promotion to the second line.