This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
It's Memorial Day, and the one NHL game going on is in…Edmonton? Fair enough. A tied series moves locations for Game 3, which starts at 8:30 p.m. ET. For DFS, you have $50,000 in salary for your six-man lineup. One player is your Captain, who earns you 1.5 times the points, but at an elevated salary. To make the most of the holiday, here is the lineup I landed on.
CAPTAIN
Jamie Benn, DAL at EDM ($9,000): Using Benn in the Captain spot provides a more balanced lineup. Plus, you don't lose much, if anything, given how he has played. Dallas' captain had a goal and an assist in Game 2 of this series, giving him a three-game point streak. Also, while Jake Oettinger is a good goalie having a strong playoff run, Stuart Skinner has a career .909 save percentage and was briefly replaced by Calvin Pickard in net by the Oilers.
FLEX
Leon Draisaitl, EDM vs. DAL ($10,000): Draisaitl's 13-game point streak ended in Game 2, but that was the first time in the playoffs he failed to secure a point, which means he has a point in every single Oilers home game. He has 12 points in six home games in the postseason. Betting on the German to bounce back Monday feels fairly safe, and safe bets can be hard to come by this time of the season.
Zach Hyman, EDM vs. DAL ($9,400): Hyman skates next to Connor McDavid at even strength on the top line and he's on the top power-play unit. On top of that, when the Oilers pair McDavid and Draisaitl together, Hyman is the third guy on that line. He has 12 goals and 56 shots on net in the playoffs and just had a three-game goal streak end in Game 2. Like Draisaitl, he could get back on track Monday.
Miro Heiskanen, DAL at EDM ($8,200): In terms of sheer tonnage of ice time, Heiskanen has as much opportunity as anybody in this series. The Finn averaged 24:32 per game during the regular season, including 3:18 with the extra man. Heiskanen has averaged a whopping 28:15 per contest in the playoffs. While some of that ice time is overtime-related, it's still striking. Heiskanen is not merely the hockey equivalent of an innings eater. He also has 14 points in the playoffs.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, EDM vs. DAL ($7,600): Nugent-Hopkins has a lot of "other guy" status for a former first-overall pick. He's the "other guy" on the top line next to McDavid, and the "other guy" on the top power-play unit. Of course, there is a reason why the idea of "right place, right time" is so engrained socioculturally. Indeed, Nugent-Hopkins has 17 points in 14 playoff games, including seven on the power play. Not too shabby for the "other guy."
Thomas Harley, DAL at EDM ($5,800): Closing things out with Heiskanen's defensive partner highlights the upside of going with Benn at Captain to save salary to use elsewhere. Granted, Harley doesn't get the playoff time of Heiskanen, but he's still averaged 24:23 per game in the playoffs. Admittedly, he's struggled to get on the score sheet in the playoffs, but he tallied 47 points in the regular season. His 44 blocked shots in 15 playoff games also provide more DFS upside.
