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Monday’s NHL contest starts at 8:00 p.m. ET and features Game 4 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 $60K Playoff Mullet [$20K to 1st]
DraftKings Sportsbook
Anthony Cirelli +1 point (+120)
Cirelli enters Game 4 with six points over his past six games. If you’ve been following this article or the advice on “The Sweat” (11:00 a.m. ET daily on the DraftKings Dream Stream), you know we have been all over Cirelli props since Alex Killhorn (leg) went down. Now seeing first-line power play time and centering the Bolts’ second line, Cirelli has been a great source of production lately for Tampa Bay. Look for him to continue to play big minutes in what could be the close-out game of the 2021 season.
Brendan Gallagher to score a goal +285
We’re simply playing the odds here. The Canadiens winger has been stymied of late in terms of goal scoring but enters this game with over 30 shots on goal in his past 10 games, including 15 SOG over his past three games. Considering he’s got positive home splits (in terms of production) and is a veteran playing in a win-or-go-home game, I like taking a shot that he finally breaks his drought in a pivotal moment for Montreal.
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All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
DraftKings DFS Showdown
Captain’s Picks
Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay Lightning at Montreal Canadiens ($16,200 CP)
It’s pretty clear that Vasilevskiy has entered this series as a man on a mission. The Russian netminder lost out on the Vezina this year, but he seems hellbent on making up for it by grabbing a playoff MVP trophy. He’s stopped 92 of 97 SOG faced in this series and is one win away from his goal. Why doubt him at this point.
Nick Suzuki, Montreal Canadiens vs. Tampa Bay Lightning ($13,200 CP)
Suzuki has really stepped up in this series for Montreal. Even though the results haven’t been there in the win column for the Habs, his efforts have been nice to see for fantasy purposes. The center now has three goals in his past five games and has averaged over 19 minutes per game in the last two starts. Moreover, he’s proven that he’s got the type of upside we want for our Captain spot with four games of 12 or more DKFP in his past seven outings. Even if it’s in a losing cause, the Canadiens center offers a good price break off the Lightning studs and should be a heavy part of Montreal’s attack again here.
Ondřej Palát, Tampa Bay Lightning at Montreal Canadiens ($11,700 CP)
Palát is easy to forget sometimes, but he remains an integral part of the Bolts’ top line. Over his last 10 games, he’s averaging 10.1 DKFP and enters this contest with three points in his last three games. He’s actually outscored Brayden Point ($15,000 CP) in this series and yet comes in at a massive $3,300 price discount to his center. If you want to target the top six for Tampa Bay, a great way to go about stacking them tonight is by using Palát in your Captain slot, as it will give exposure to lots of upside but also save you money off the other Lightning top-liners who come with huge premiums attached.
Value Options
Tyler Johnson, Tampa Bay Lightning at Montreal Canadiens ($3,800)
Johnson has been a huge part of the Bolts’ offense in the past two games. The versatile forward has filled in for Alex Killhorn (leg) on Tampa Bay’s second line and accumulated three points and six SOG since the promotion. What’s more, he’s done this while seeing pretty small amounts of actually ice time, playing less than 10 minutes in Game 3. The potential is there for the Lightning to ride him a little more in this close-out Game 4 after his offensive outburst. Either way, if Killhorn continues to sit there’s little to no reason not to play Johnson at this price as he’ll again be a part of the elite Tampa Bay top six.
Corey Perry, Montreal Canadiens vs. Tampa Bay Lightning ($4,800)
Perry came through for a goal in Game 3, and even though it was his first point of the series, the production is a good reminder that the veteran still sees decent offensive opportunity, despite being a part of Montreal’s bottom six. Perry is skating on the Canadiens’ PP1 unit, which has now scored in back-to-back games and might represent their best chance at pushing this series past Game 4. He likely won’t be heavily owned at this price but again represents a good upside play for GPPs as he’s had his moments in these playoffs in terms of producing decent fantasy games, and his role remains solid on special teams.
Barclay Goodrow, Tampa Bay Lightning at Montreal Canadiens ($2,400)
I am pretty much just going to rehash what I put here in Game 3’s article for Goodrow. He’s averaging over 17 minutes in his past 11 starts, which makes him a very interesting target here given his price point. He’s not a prolific goal-scorer but does have assists now in his last three games. As far as minimum-priced punts go, you can’t do much better than this and I do like looking at Tampa’s third line for value options today, and as a contrarian stack pivot (see below).
Contrarian Stack
Tampa Bay L3
Yanni Gourde ($10,500 CP) — Blake Coleman ($4,400) — Barclay Goodrow ($2,400)
The Lightning’s third line has been able to match or exceed the production from Montreal’s bottom six, which is a big reason why they are now in the driver’s seat of this series. Yanni Gourde is the main target here for me, as the center is averaging about 18 minutes per game in this series and continues to see regular power-play time along with his third-line role. He’s been a little bit boom-or-bust for fantasy purposes — four goals and no assists in his last 10 games — but he carries similar upside to some of the other Tampa top-six forwards who also have cheaper salaries. The fact that he’s still firing the puck over 2.5 times in these playoffs makes him a good Captain’s Pick candidate for me if you’re planning on targeting this line.
While Goodrow makes for a good value option on his own due to his ice time, Coleman also provides us with some goal-scoring upside, as the winger has played over 17 minutes in the past two games with Killhorn out. I’d expect his expanded role to continue in Game 4, regardless of Killhorn’s status, as he’s produced goals in his past two games. This line looks undervalued across the board and is capable of a multiple-goal night in what could be a low-scoring game. If you really want to get creative, stacking one of the two goal scorers at the CPT’s spot here will open up a ton of flex space and give you a unique build in GPP contests today.
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