This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
We had one Game 7 of the NHL playoffs on Saturday, and Sunday brings us our second one with the Jets hosting the Blues beginning at 7 p.m. EDT. For single-game DFS purposes, you get $50,000 in salary for six players. Your Captain earns you 1.5 times the points, but with an elevated salary. DraftKings lets you select a goalie, but that doesn't feel like a good idea Sunday. I'll get to why, and then I'll get to the recommendations.
Instead of mentioning the same goaltending details on repeat, here's the scoop. Jordan Binnington has been up-and-down, mixing strong starts with iffy outings. Which, I mean, yeah. That's the Jordan Binnington experience, and anything less would mean he wasn't being true to himself. He's posted a 2.54 GAA and .897 save percentage this series, though his GAA is 3.44 on the road. Connor Hellebuyck has been the story as once again his postseason has been disastrous. It's truly remarkable at this point. He's going to win his third Vezina, but has routinely struggled during the playoffs. Hellebuyck has also been pulled three times this series. During the regular season, I was hesitant to recommend rostering anybody facing him. It's possible I never did. Right now, even with the series back in Winnipeg, I can't say I'm all that worried.
Alright, onto the lineup I landed on.
CAPTAIN
Robert Thomas, STL at WPG ($12,600): Neither goalie has played terribly well this series, though both defenses have been stingy when it comes to shots allowed. As such, when it came to finding a lineup, I was looking for who was playing well, who has opportunity on their team, and whose salaries allowed me to keep a fairly-balanced lineup. So my Captain is Thomas, St. Louis' first-line center who also participates on the top power play. An elite playmaker, he's tallied 60 assists in each of the last two seasons. And going back into the regular season, Thomas has registered at least one point in 17 of his last 18 games.
FLEX
Kyle Connor, WPG vs. STL ($10,400): Would I feel better knowing that Mark Scheifele - who's a game-time decision - is playing? Of course, but Connor is a great goal scorer regardless of who is skating beside him. He didn't tally 41 goals this season simply because he's next to Scheifele most of the time. Connor has also recorded a point in all but one outing this series, and that includes an assist to go with three shots during Game 6.
Nikolaj Ehlers, WPG vs. STL ($7,800): Ehlers returned from a lengthy injury absence on Friday, and one number stands out to me: the 7:02 he had on the man-advantage. I grant you the Blues provided the Jets with ample PP opportunity, but what's key to me is that Ehlers was out there for nearly every second of that situation. The Blues also finished the campaign with the 28th-ranked penalty kill.
Cam Fowler, STL at WPG ($7,400): "Fowler won't stay hot", you may have said. Well, the veteran defenseman has continued to provide counters to that argument with a point in every game this series, including five from Game 3. Why bet against him now?
Brayden Schenn, STL at WPG ($7,000): You make a player your team's captain since you believe they can come through for you in the big moments. Well, that and because you keep moving on from your previous captains. Schenn is more a 50-point player than Art Ross contender, yet he's no slouch on the scoresheet as he found the back of the net in Game 6 and his salary is decent enough to see if he can come up big on Sunday.
Adam Lowry, WPG vs. STL ($4,800): Speaking of captains, Winnipeg's Lowry is a solid option for a low-salary player to close out this roster. Regardless if Scheifele is available or not, Lowry offers his usual role that saw him produce 16 goals this season. And with Binnington's road performance this series, having a Jet to roll the dice on here makes sense to me.
