Saturday's NHL showdown is a single game, LAK @ NJD, and it locks at 3:30 p.m. ET (12:30 p.m. PT). With one game and a $50,000 cap, the captain slot at 1.5x points and 1.5x salary does most of the work in separating lineups.
Our model's top projected play is Artemi Panarin of LAK at $9,400, with a ceiling of 27.5 and a DraftKings average of 13.9. That ceiling is the highest on the board by a wide margin. Adrian Kempe sits behind him at $9,000 with a 24.0 ceiling and a 12.2 average, and Brandt Clarke is at $8,000 with a 21.9 ceiling. On the NJD side, Jack Hughes costs $10,800 and carries a 20.1 ceiling and a 14.0 average, the best average of the group. Goalies Jake Allen of NJD ($10,400) and Darcy Kuemper of LAK ($9,800) show ceilings of just 15.9 and 15.6, so their price tags ask a lot for a capped upside.
The value plays sit lower on the salary scale. Alex Laferriere of LAK is $7,000 with a 19.7 ceiling, and Arseny Gritsyuk of NJD is $6,400 with an 18.0 ceiling and a 10.1 average. Both offer ceilings close to players who cost thousands more, which is where a showdown lineup can find room to fit its captain.
The fact sheet gives no ownership figures for this slate, so we can't say where the crowd is leaning. Several statuses are worth a glance before lock: Quinton Byfield of LAK carries a DTD tag, while Nico Daws, Connor Hellebuyck and Dawson Mercer of NJD are tagged OUT.
Our model's top lineup uses $49,300 of the $50,000 cap. It puts Panarin at captain for $14,100, then fills the FLEX spots with Clarke ($8,000), Hughes ($10,800), Trevor Moore ($5,800), Drew Doughty ($3,600) and Laferriere ($7,000). Cheap Doughty and Moore make room for the expensive captain and Hughes.
Lineups lock at 3:30 p.m. ET.
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