Wednesday’s NHL slate starts at 8:00 p.m. ET and features Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens. In this article, you can find DFS advice for DraftKings plus some DraftKings Sportsbook bets to target as well.
Set your DraftKings fantasy hockey lineups here: NHL Showdown $50K Sticks [$10K to 1st]
DraftKings Sportsbook
Brayden Point to score a goal +123
We have now gone two games without a Point goal and are now getting decent odds for this event to happen as a result. Point remains the key facilitator for Tampa on offense and distributed three assists in Game 1, including one on the power-play. Montreal didn’t have an answer for any of the Lightning’s big guns in Game 1 and I’m not sure there’s enough time in between games here for them to recover. Keep targeting the Point props until we see a shift in this series.
Tampa Bay Lightning -1 puck line (-143)
As mentioned above, the Lightning studs really came through for them in Game 1 and that trend seems likely to continue here for me. The Lightning are -220 on the traditional moneyline but if you go into the alternate puck lines on DraftKings Sportsbook we can get them to cover just a -1 spread at good odds. The Lightning are 5-1 at home in their last six home games and look likely to keep that trend going here.
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All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
DraftKings DFS Showdown
Captain’s Picks
Brayden Point ($15,300 CP)
It’s truly a game of pick your poison at the top of your DraftKings lineups today. The Tampa top-line came through with a combined seven points in Game 1, exploding for three goals in the third period. While Nikita Kucherov ($15,600 CP) broke through for two goals, those were his first two goals in over eight games. I’d rather trust the proven commodity here and the player who was very much responsible for Tampa even being in the Stanley Cup Final in Point. He’s recorded eight goals in his last 10 games and has only failed to record a point once in his last 10 games. The Canadiens have no dominant center to match with him and he should continue to deal as the series progresses.
Steven Stamkos ($13,200 CP)
If you’re looking for a contrarian move at captain from the Tampa Bay forward core then Stamkos should really be on your radar here as well. The veteran grabbed a goal and three SOG in the first game of this series and is now averaging over 3.0 SOG per game over his last four starts. After a five-game pointless streak, Stamkos has come alive of late for Tampa with four points over his last four games. Considering that 15 of his 25 goals this season have come at home, he’s a worthy pivot at CPT for those wanting to avoid the heavy chalk on the Tampa first-line.
Value Options
Shea Weber ($7,600)
In Game 1, Weber showed why we liked him so much as a value play in this article. He played well over 25 minutes and collected 5-SOG and an assist for 15.5 DKFP, the most of any Montreal skater. With everything on the line here, expect Weber’s minutes to stay in this range all series and for those peripheral stats to keep piling up as a result. If Montreal does end up playing from behind a lot in this series he’ll likely continue to see more SOG on a nightly basis too. Considering he’s $1,400 cheaper than Victor Hedman ($9,000)—who he’s outscored by a wide margin over the last three games—Weber really does look like a must roster again tonight.
Artturi Lehkonen ($5,200)
Lehkonen is playing top-6 minutes for Montreal and has averaged right around 17 minutes of ice time since the beginning of the Vegas series. The Fin has been productive for a player with such a cheap salary too as he’s averaging 2.6 SOG in his last 10 games and is on a line with a center in Phillip Danault ($5,600) who rarely shoots the puck. Considering the minutes he’s playing and the fact he may be the best goal scorer on his current line, Lehkonen is a great source of value here, especially if you’re planning on cramming in all three of Tampa’s big guns.
Tyler Johnson ($2,600)
With Alex Killorn now ruled out, you have to like the chances of Tyler Johnson potentially factoring into some of the offensive production for Tampa today. He’s now slated to join the second-line and play alongside Steven Stamkos ($8,800) and Anthony Cirelli ($5,400). Johnson should see a significant uptick in minutes as a result and was already averaging around 2.0 SOG in these playoffs. Given how top-heavy the Tampa scoring tends to be, him being a part of the TBL top-6 tonight makes him a supreme value and a must own if you’re stacking that Tampa second-line.
Contrarian Stack
Tampa Bay L2
Anthony Cirelli ($5,400), Steven Stamkos ($8,800), Tyler Johnson ($2,600)
This line makes for a good target in Showdown contests. I mentioned Stamkos and his increased production of late and if he continues to produce then that will only mean better things for Anthony Cirelli too. Cirelli will likely see a bump in usage with Killorn out as he’d be the natural person to move up onto the PP1 for Tampa. The 24-year-old now has four points in his last four games as well and could be in a breakout spot in Game 2 if he does end up with more power-play exposure.
With Killorn out, look for Blake Coleman ($4,600) to potentially step up as well. Coleman has produced at around a .55 PPG clip this year, and he’s well overdue for a goal after going scoreless in 10+ games. He’s an opportunistic player who could thrive in a one night bump in usage.
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