This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final was great fun. Hopefully Game 2 is just as exciting. Also, hopefully it brings you some DFS success. For DraftKings, you have $50,000 in salary for six players. Your captain nets 1.5 times the points, but their salary is also higher. Here's my lineup for Saturday, the quintessential night for hockey.
CAPTAIN
Gabriel Landeskog, COL vs. TAM ($12,600): Landeskog makes an ideal captain, because he provides a lot of upside but his salary is tamped down a bit. A lot of times, Nathan MacKinnon's points come combined with points for Landeskog. The Swedish captain has five points in his last two games, and 19 points in 15 playoff contests. Landeskog is coming up big for the Avalanche, and if they are getting goals, there's a great chance he's involved.
FLEX
Nikita Kucherov, TAM at COL ($9,200): Darcy Kuemper got the win in his return to the net, but he did not look exactly dialed in. Plus, these offenses are just too talented to expect low-scoring games in this series. Kucherov has led the way for the Lightning all postseason. He's on a six-game point streak, and you have to like the upside of a guy who has averaged 4:31 per game on the power play in the playoffs.
Mikko Rantanen, COL vs. TAM ($9,000): Rantanen has spent most of the season away from MacKinnon and Landeskog, but it hasn't slowed him down in the slightest. The Finn is on a five-game point streak, and he's had at least one point in 10 of his last 11 outings. Andrei Vasilevskiy is one of the best big-game goalies ever, and this year he's been decidedly worse on the road. Including the playoffs, the Russian goalie has a 2.80 GAA and .911 save percentage in away games.
Brayden Point, TAM at COL ($7,000): If Point hadn't gotten hurt and was definitely at full strength, he'd never be available at a salary like this. After missing a chunk of time, the 26-year-old returned to the lineup in Game 1. Point had 58 points in 66 games this season, and he was able to play 17:59 in his return to action. If he's got his feet under him, Point could really provide a lot of value.
Artturi Lehkonen, COL vs. TAM ($6,200): Lehkonen was dealt from Montreal to Colorado and then posted six goals on 45 shots on net in 16 regular-season games. He started the playoffs a little slowly, but he's rounded into form. Over his last 10 outings Lehkonen has five goals and five assists, and he scored a big goal in Game 1 of this series.
Nick Paul, TAM at COL ($6,000): In Game 1, Paul was gifted with the chance to play on Point's wing. He also picked up a goal, and got to play 2:19 on the power play as well. Power-play time in this series could pay off for Paul, as the Avalanche had the 15th-ranked penalty kill.
