This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
The NHL is kicking back Sunday. There's only one game on the slate. The Toronto Maple Leafs host the Utah Hockey Club at 7 p.m. ET. That means it is time, once again, for single-game DFS contests. At DraftKings, you have a $50,000 salary cap to allot to six players. One is your Captain, who earns 1.5 times the points but carries an elevated salary. With all that in mind, here is a lineup for Sunday I like.
CAPTAIN
Mitch Marner, TOR vs. UTA ($15,000): Auston Matthews is injured, and that hurts the Maple Leafs, but Marner has been doing his best. In six of his last seven games, he has two points. Crucial to making DFS decisions Sunday is the fact Utah is on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back. This is, obviously, a strong point in Marner's favor as well, and I'll happily make him my Captain.
FLEX
John Tavares, TOR vs. UTA ($9,600): I don't want all Maple Leafs, because you never know what will happen in an individual hockey game, but in terms of high-salary plays, the Leafs are the way to go. Tavares may no longer be the captain in Toronto, but his role has not been worsened, though that's partially because he's stepped up with Matthews out. Tavares has 19 points in 19 games. I will now point out that Utah will likely be starting Jaxson Stauber in goal. He was playing well in the AHL, but the 25-year-old has played in all of six NHL games.
Dylan Guenther, UTA at TOR ($8,200): The Hockey Club mixed the lineup around a bit against Pittsburgh on Saturday, but Guenther was still on the top power-play unit, and that's key. He had an even-strength assist, but also two power-play goals. When considering players on the second night of a back-to-back, the guys playing on the top power-play unit and producing is a good way to go. Guenther has seven power-play points in 20 games.
Bobby McMann, TOR vs. UTA ($7,600): I have ended up with a line stack in my lineup. McMann has been moved up to skate with Tavares and Marner on Toronto's top line. He has three goals in his last three games. He's also put 50 shots on net in 19 contests. That's more activity than you may have expected from McMann and bodes well against a Utah team on the road for the second day of a back-to-back.
Lawson Crouse, UTA at TOR ($6,000): Crouse is having a tough year, but his three goals have come on 37 shots on net. He put four shots on target Saturday, which is encouraging. Crouse has scored at least 20 goals in each of his last three seasons. With a top-heavy lineup, he slots in while allowing me to not have to go with the dregs of the options for my final player.
Pontus Holmberg, TOR vs. UTA ($3,600): Instead of the dregs, I get Toronto's current second-line center. He's skating next to William Nylander. The Swede has two points in his last three games. With the Leafs facing a team on the second leg of a back-to-back starting an unproven third-string goalie, I'm glad to round out my lineup with Holmberg.
