One-Game DFS Showdown (10/31)

With just a single game on the NHL slate tonight, DFS players are left with only one game style to play. Showdown contests on DraftKings are DFS tournaments that consist of building a lineup of players from the same game. More commonly used for the NFL, Showdown will be the featured NHL contest tonight thanks to the unique one-game slate.

Rules

There are a few differences between Showdown’s rules and that of a standard scoring contest on DraftKings. Most notably, the amount of points received is drastically increased. Goals now net players 8 fantasy points while assists give you 5 points each. Shots on goal and blocked shots are up from 0.5 fantasy points to 2 and 1.1, respectively. Shootout goals are upped to 1.5 points while the Hat Trick Bonus is now set at three. Goalie stats also get a boost with saves jumping up to 0.4 fantasy points each. Wins and shutouts will now earn your goalie an additional four points each. Finally, faceoffs won are added as a stat and earn you 0.2 points each, giving added value to centremen.

On top of the changes in how the contest is scored, the construction of your lineup is also changed for Showdown. Instead of the traditional positional breakdown, Showdown lineups consist of six flex spots. This opens a number of possibilities, including playing both goalies, though that is an expensive route to take. The only additional lineup requirement is that you must select at least one player from each team.

Now that we’ve touched on everything you need to know about playing Showdown, let’s take a look at tonight’s matchup.

Chicago Blackhawks @ Vancouver Canucks

The Chicago Blackhawks are tied for the seventh-most points in the league through the first 12 games of the season. They travel to Vancouver to play the 7-6-0 Canucks, who will be without their third-line centre Brandon Sutter. Sutter receives some of the highest usage of any Canuck forward and his absence will drastically alter how Travis Green opts to line match against the Hawks. Sutter normally is hard-matched against the opposition’s best on home ice. With him out, we expect those duties to fall to Bo Horvat and Vancouver’s second line. Vancouver’s third line continued to see minutes against Minnesota’s top-six even after Sutter left the game on Monday, so expect Antoine Roussell, Brendan Gaunce, and Loui Erikksson to play a good amount of time against Chicago’s second line tonight. Patrick Kane missed Chicago’s morning skate on Wednesday with an illness and is a game-time decision.

Jonathan Toews, Alex DeBrincat, and Dominuk Kahun have been excellent at creating offense at 5v5 together this season. They should hold a steady advantage over the Horvat line at even strength. The fractional points rewarded for faceoffs won gives Toews some added value tonight. He is the best faceoff-man in this game at 57.0%.

While Chicago is the favourite at even strength, the Canucks have proven to be more effective on special teams so far this season. They boast the league’s eighth-best penalty kill at 84.6%. Chicago’s powerplay is ranked dead last at 12.2%, so they’ll need to make good on their chances at even strength. Chicago has also struggled on the PK, killing off just 75.7% of their penalties. The Canucks boast a respectable 18.9% conversion rate on the man advantage, lending credence to a Vancouver powerplay stack tonight.