NHL Showdown Slate: Montréal Canadiens @ Tampa Bay Lightning June 30th, 2021

Spread: TB -215

O/U: 5

It was a rough game one for the Montreal Canadiens. Tampa Bay was superior in every category, and reminded the world why they are three games away from repeating as Stanley Cup champions. Adjustments will likely be made on both sides, but will they work? Let’s dive into tonight’s showdown slate!

Let’s start with the captain spot. I can’t imagine building a lineup and not having either Nikita Kucherov or Brayden Point in that spot. Both players are crazy expensive, but they’ve done everything to deserve that high price point. I’d lean Point over Kucherov just to save a few hundred dollars, but again, either option works.

As for the rest of our lineup, we need to target some value options. Alex Killorn has been ruled out for this game, so Tyler Johnson is expected to play on the second line with Steven Stamkos and Anthony Cirelli, and he’s only $2600 on DK. At that price, it’s hard to say no.

I know I’ve said that I don’t like to play goalies in Showdown slates, but Montreal made life very easy for Andrei Vasilevskiy, and with the Johnson discount, we can fit him into our lineup. He’s been amazing in the playoffs so far, and I don’t expect him to be very busy in this game.

I’ll round out my list of Tampa Bay players with Yanni Gourde and Cirelli. Both players are affordable and could hit value in this game.

For Montreal, the only forward I’d consider is Nick Suzuki. In order for Montreal to have any offensive success, Suzuki has to perform, and despite being #NotGood in game one, he was at least noticeable. There’s an argument to play Cole Caufield, but he wasn’t amazing in game one and the matchup on paper just isn’t worth paying up for him.

I don’t have any Montreal defenseman in my lineup, but you could consider Shea Weber if you have the salary leftover. He finished game one with five shots on goal, and we know that he plays A TON every game. Volume is key in NHL DFS, and Weber sees a lot of volume. Just something to think about before confirming your lineup for 8:00PM ET.