This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
There is only one NHL game Monday, and it's not exactly a barnburner. Chicago is hosting a Philadelphia team on the second leg of a back-to-back. Neither team is making the playoffs. Both are in the bottom seven in goals scored per game and team GAA. Yeah, I'm not exactly riveted.
And yet! You can always make a hockey game more exciting with a little DFS action. It's Showdown rules on DraftKings. You pick a roster of six players with your $50,000. Your captain is worth 1.5 times the points, but also costs more cash in salary. Here's a lineup that entices me for Monday.
CAPTAIN
Dylan Strome, CHI vs. PHI ($13,200): Strome centers Chicago's top line, which frankly features their only forwards of note. He gets to play pivot to Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat, and that's a good place to be. Strome has tallied 47 points in 66 games, and now he faces a team with a 3.58 GAA that has allowed 34.0 goals per game that is also on the second leg of a back-to-back. Since captains have elevated salaries, I went with Strome in this role to save some salary elsewhere.
FLEX
Patrick Kane, CHI vs. PHI ($10,600): Kane has started a staggering 75.9 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone. That, combined with having averaged 3:48 per game with the extra man, has helped him notch 91 points. The Flyers have the 25th-ranked penalty kill, and Kane has 31 power-play points.
Alex DeBrincat CHI vs. PHI ($9,800): Let's complete the line. If Chicago does anything offensively, it will likely be this trio that does it. DeBrincat is the top goal scorer of the three, with 40 of them on 260 shots on net. The Flyers will likely be starting rookie Felix Sandstrom, who has a 3.30 GAA through three career games.
Joel Farabee, PHI at CHI ($6,800): I'm not forgetting the other side of this matchup. The Blackhawks have a 3.57 GAA, have allowed 32.8 shots on net per game, and have the 27th-ranked penalty kill. Kevin Lankinen is left as Chicago's top goalie after the Marc-Andre Fleury trade, and he has a 3.62 GAA and .887 save percentage. That bodes well for Farabee, who has 17 goals and 17 assists this season.
James van Riemsdyk, PHI at CHI ($6,400): JVR and Kane were drafted second and first, respectively, once upon a time, and now here they are again. Van Riemsdyk has 23 goals this season, including three on 13 shots on net over his last three games. As I noted, Lankinen and his .887 save percentage are Chicago's best bet right now. Really. Backup goalie Collin Delia has a career 3.72 GAA and .904 save percentage.
Bobby Brink, PHI at CHI ($2,400): I have actually ended up stacking two lines here, as the three Flyers I mentioned compose the second line for the squad right now. Since Brink won a title with Denver down in the NCAA and jumped to the NHL, he's started 68.1 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone. That's highest on the Flyers. It's also helped him notch four assists in seven games.
