Today’s big contests feature a one-game, Stanley Cup Showdown NHL slate starting at 8:00 p.m. ET. In this article, you can find DFS advice for DraftKings plus some DraftKings Sportsbook bets to target as well.
Set your DraftKings lineups here: NHL Showdown $70K SCF Puck Drop [$20K to 1st] (MON vs TB)
DK Sportsbook
Montreal Canadiens Moneyline +165
Despite being the younger team and on the road, I actually look for Montreal to jump out on Tampa Bay. The Canadiens have a veteran goalie who won’t be intimidated by the moment, and also have the confidence of knowing they’re more rested than Tampa—who barely got past another defensive team riding good goaltending in the Isles. Montreal’s only loss in Game 1s this postseason came against Vegas, and they shouldn’t be as rusty here coming off a six-game series (as opposed to four the last time out). Montreal at above +160 is a good value.
Cole Caufield to score a goal +240
Caufield has now scored goals in three of his past four starts and has averaged 3.1 SOG over his past 10 games. The 20-year-old is playing at a high level and has been a great addition to a Montreal offense that desperately needs real goalscorers. You could think about the over on a SOG prop too, but the bigger money on him scoring here is too tempting. Montreal’s offense has scored multiple goals in six of their past eight games, making some of their player prop totals undervalued here.
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All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
Captain’s Picks
Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Montreal Canadiens ($15,900 CP)
Vasilevskiy proved himself the “King of the Twine” in the last series, as he outdueled Semyon Varlamov and grabbed Tampa Bay a 1-0 series-clinching win. Over his past 10 games, he has a sub-1.8 GAA and a .932 save percentage. The only downside here is that Vasilevskiy hasn’t been facing a ton of SOG (he hasn’t sniffed the save bonus in over 10 games) which can limit his ultimate upside. Still, with Tampa sitting as -195 favorites, there’s little wrong with starting your lineups with Vasilevskiy. Over the past five games, Tampa has only scored more than two goals once, so there are very limited offensive options we should be looking at in the Captain’s spot today. Eating the chalk and captaining Vasilevskiy could give you a big edge at the most important position and let you differentiate elsewhere with your skaters.
Brayden Point, Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Montreal Canadiens ($15,000 CP)
Point remains the one Lightning forward who we can rely on for fantasy purposes in these playoffs. The 25-year-old has nine goals and 13 points in the past 10 games while operating with a ridiculous 36% shooting percentage over that span. That rate is certainly going to come down, but with the Canadiens void of the same kind of top-end talent that Tampa possesses the possibility of a massive night for Point does exist here if Montreal and Carey Price ($14,700 CP; $9,800) come out flat. While you can stack the entire Tampa Bay first line, if you do that, Point should really be your starting captain today.
Cole Caufield, Montreal Canadiens at Tampa Bay Lightning ($11,700 CP)
Caufield has been a force at times in the playoffs and comes in third in points and goals scored among all Canadiens forwards despite playing in just 15 games. The good news for Canadiens fans (and fantasy players) is that Caufield has seemed to have grown more confident as the playoffs have progressed. Three of his four goals have come in the past four games, and he’s averaging 3.1 SOG now over the last 10 starts. If Montreal is to win any kind of higher-scoring game, you have to like Caufield’s ability to be a part of that and grab you multiple points and a bonus type of game. His salary lets you build creative lineups, too, if you don’t mind taking on the added risk here of Montreal’s offense breaking through the Vasilevskiy wall.
Value Options
Josh Anderson ($4,600)
Anderson has been a vital part of the Canadiens' depth scoring in these playoffs. The winger comes in off a strong series against the Golden Knights where he landed three points in his last four games. Anderson has been a timely scorer for Montreal all season (20 goals in 69 games), and with Joel Armia (COVID-19) a game-time decision after clearing health protocols, he could even play a few more minutes than usual here. He’s a great value target for GPPs just given his ability to post goals.
Yanni Gourde ($7,200)
Gourde has been a solid bottom-six target most nights for DFS purposes in these playoffs. He only has three points in his past 10 games but all three of those have been goals, and they all came in the last series against the Isles. Gourde’s playing over 16 minutes a game now and has averaged 2.6 SOG, which alone makes him a great value, given the low-scoring nature of Tampa’s games. He’s an elite value target here even with the over $7K price.
Eric Staal ($2,400)
If you’re looking for a bargain-basement play, I really like looking at the veteran bottom-six players on Montreal. Staal may not be the elite scorer he once was, but he’s shined at moments in these playoffs for the Canadiens and certainly is the type of veteran who won’t be afraid of the moment here. Four points in his last 10 games isn’t terrible, and if he finds the scoresheet, you’ll be miles ahead of the crowd given his minuscule salary.
Contrarian Stack
CPT- Carey Price ($14,700) – Shea Weber ($7,400) – Cole Caufield ($7,800)
If you’re planning on something contrarian in your GPP builds tonight there’s little doubt that you’ll find lower ownership on the Canadiens. Price has been brilliant for Montreal in these playoffs, posting eight wins over his past 10 games. He’s actually outperformed Vasilevskiy in terms of pure DKFP production over that same span, as Price is averaging 18.7 DKFP per game to Vasilevskiy’s 16.1 DKFP. Captaining him and going for the Canadiens upset victory in Game 1 is obviously risky, but if you’re on the winning netminder, you’ll have a great shot having the highest producing fantasy player in the Captain’s spot, given how good defensively these two teams are.
I already spoke about Caufield’s potential above and you have to like his chances of factoring into a Canadiens win too, but Weber also looks undervalued here. He’s got just one goal in the last 10 games but still carries a great shot, will be playing a ton of minutes and is averaging 2.1 blocked shots over the last 10 games. For just $7,400, he should be on your radar every night given how low scoring the games could be. If Montreal wins today, you also have to like his chances of having a solid game, via blocked shots or another goal. Either way, this Montreal heavy stack should give you good leverage as most of the Tampa studs figure to dominate the ownership today.
Set your DraftKings lineups here: NHL Showdown $70K SCF Puck Drop [$20K to 1st] (MON vs TB)
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