This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Want to kick your Monday off right? How about a daily fantasy hockey contest, Showdown style? You pick six players, at least one from each team, to put together your lineup. We're talking about the Sharks and the Blues, so I am eschewing goalies. Here's one potential lineup one could use.
Tomas Hertl, SAN ($10,800)
Hertl didn't notch a point in Game 1 of this series, but I'm not fretting. He still has nine goals and five assists in 15 playoff games. Plus, he's averaged 3:55 per game with the extra man in the postseason. Jordan Binnington had a truly impressive regular season, but the rookie has a .908 save percentage in this postseason.
Logan Couture, SAN ($10,600)
Couture did not come up short in Game 1, that's for sure. His three points brought him to a whopping 17 in the playoffs. He's a Conn Smythe favorite, and the fact the Sharks are at home doesn't hurt either. Also, as you have surely seen in infographic form, Couture has the second-most playoff goals since 2010.
Ryan O'Reilly, STL ($10,200)
O'Reilly had the best regular season of his career in his first campaign with the Blues. He scored 28 goals on 234 shots to go with 49 assists. The 28-year-old also had 22 points with the extra man. Meanwhile, the Sharks had the 15th-ranked penalty kill this year.
Jaden Schwartz, STL ($7,100)
Schwartz had a rough regular season (with a 6.0 shooting percentage), but the playoffs have been a rebirth for him. In his last 13 contests he has eight goals, which is only three fewer than he had in the regular season. Speaking of guys who have been better in the postseason, Martin Jones has been good recently, but he had an .896 save percentage prior to the playoffs.
Colton Parayko, STL ($6,000)
Parayko has tallied seven points, 36 shots, and 22 blocked shots in 14 playoff games. That comes after he scored 10 goals on 176 shots in the regular season. Though Martin Jones has played better recently, over the entirety of the postseason he has a 2.74 GAA and .909 save percentage. That's a bit of a larger sample size.
Marc-Edouard Vlasic, SAN ($5,200)
Vlasic doesn't score like Brent Burns or Erik Karlsson, but he has four points in his last four games. He's also blocked 19 shots in his last six outings. Pickles is cheaper than his two more offensively-minded teammates, but he gives you some upside given his price. You need players like that in a lineup like this.
