We have exactly one game of data on the 2022-23 NHL season. On the other hand, it involves the two teams playing Saturday! The Predators and Sharks are at it again, with another 2:00 p.m. EDT start from Czechia. However, there is a likely difference here, as we will presumably see the backup goalies in net, and that is not insignificant.
DraftKings single-game Showdown rules are in effect. You have $50,000 to allot to six players. One is your captain, and they earn you 1.5 times the points, but their salary is also elevated as a result. Here is a lineup that looks good to me on paper.
CAPTAIN
Timo Meier, SAN vs. NAS ($13,500): Meier was a machine on offense last season. It's not just that he had 35 goals, his second 30-goal campaign. He also put 326 shots on net. Juuse Saros was strong as I expected Friday, but there is a big drop off to his backup. In his two-season NHL career, Kevin Lankinen has a 3.23 GAA and .901 save percentage.
FLEX
Filip Forsberg, NAS vs. SAN ($9,600): Forsberg picked up an assist in Nashville's 4-1 win Friday, but it is his goal scoring that entices me. He racked up 42 goals in only 69 games last season. San Jose's backup goalie Kaapo Kahkonen is only slightly better than Lankinen based on his track record. He has a career 2.88 GAA and .908 save percentage.
Tomas Hertl, SAN vs. NAS ($8,200): Somebody gets to play center to Meier, and that's Hertl. Last season he averaged a career-high 19:57 in ice time, tallying 30 goals and 34 assists in the process. In the first game of the season, Hertl played 21:01 and logged the Sharks' only goal. There is no indication his usage will drop from last year, and that's a good thing.
Mikael Granlund, NAS vs. SAN ($7,400): As with real estate, in hockey it can be all about location. Granlund centers Nashville's top line. That means playing between Forsberg and Matt Duchene, who both tallied 40 goals last season. Granlund's assist Friday came on Duchene's empty-net goal, but his 53 helpers from last year are fresh in my mind.
Kiefer Sherwood, NAS vs. SAN ($6,200): It's early. Usage and line combinations will fluctuate. All I know is that to start the season the Predators slotted Sherwood onto their second line. He opened the season with a goal and an assist. Sure, he is not expected to see a second of power-play time, but as long as he is on the second line there is potential here.
Yakov Trenin, NAS vs. SAN ($5,000): In truth, Trenin is a salary-cap slot in. That being said, he did score 17 goals last season. He played 17:03 in the season opener, though 3:08 of that was shorthanded. Hey, he gets to face a backup goalie, and if Trenin does anything at this salary he's an absolute steal.
