Mitch Marner was listed as a top DraftKings DFS play for Tuesday, June 9, the lone game on the slate, as Carolina prepared to visit Vegas for Game 4 of the 2026 Stanley Cup Finals.
The case for Marner is straightforward: he came into Tuesday with a three-game point streak that included three goals and four assists and 14 shots on target, and he led the playoffs with 18 assists and 28 points. On a single-game slate where one Captain and five flex slots matter more than usual, that kind of recent volume lifted Marner to the top of recommended lineups.
Vegas carried a 2-1 series lead after a 5-4 double-overtime win on Saturday, but Carolina was listed as the road favorite on the moneyline for Game 4 — a contrast that matters to DFS builders sizing lineup risk and upside on a one-game slate.
The DraftKings format sharpened those decisions: managers had one Captain slot with a 1.5x multiplier, five flex spots, a $50,000 salary cap and no positional requirements; goaltenders were available for selection. With six roster spots to fill and no other NHL games competing for attention, every choice shifted more salary and leverage onto players like Marner who were producing now.
Marner’s playoff-leading assist total and consistent point production create a high floor in DFS terms: he was central to Carolina’s playmaking and power-play work and had shown finishing touch over the past three games. For a slate constrained by cap and slots, putting Marner in the Captain role amplified both his upside and his relative value compared with cheaper, less-consistent options.
Other Carolina pieces offered supporting paths. Seth Jarvis had two goals on eight shots and two assists across his last four outings, including one goal and a power-play assist, making him a candidate for a cheaper flex spot. Jordan Staal had scored in three straight and contributed two power-play points, 10 shots on net and a blocked shot during that streak, a profile DFS players often use when rostering stacks around a high-volume passer.
On the Vegas side, contributors with recent production included Brett Howden, who had three markers and two assists in a three-game point streak and led the playoffs with 13 goals in 19 games, and Tomas Hertl, who had two goals and two assists over three games with a power-play tally among that output. Shea Theodore and Shayne Gostisbehere supplied both offense and peripherals: Theodore had appeared on the scoresheet in four of five games with two goals, seven points, six shots and 10 blocked shots in that span; Gostisbehere’s five-game point streak ended Saturday but included three goals and four helpers, four power-play points and seven shots over the run.
Lineup construction on a single-game slate is as much about leverage and multiplier choices as raw point projections. Using Marner as Captain locks in his assist and shot volume into the 1.5x slot and lets managers pair him with cheaper, high-upside options like Jarvis or an in-form Vegas forward, or choose a goaltender if they prefer a more balanced approach under the $50,000 cap.
Marner’s name also threaded into other coverage: he drew public praise from Mark Stone after Game 1’s late play (read more), and Stone’s return has been a storyline in Vegas reporting this postseason (read more), both reminders that matchup narratives and usage reports affect DFS value on a one-game slate.
Will Marner extend his three-game streak in Game 4? Given his playoff-leading assists, recent shot volume and central role in Carolina’s attack, he is the highest-floor and highest-ceiling DFS option on Tuesday’s slate; for managers forced to pick one Captain on a single-game night, Marner is the sensible choice to anchor lineups and the likeliest player to keep this streak alive.
