Three games tonight, all with a 6.5 total, so we build heavier: full stacks, a bring-back where it fits, and a goalie who wins when the stack wins. Edmonton at Anaheim carries the juice on the over at -140, and the Edmonton top power play is the unit we build around. Logan Thompson is the confirmed goalie we trust most for cash.
Slate Overview
| Game | Total | Favorite | Implied goals | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| COL @ WPG | 6.5 | COL -184 | COL 3.62, WPG 2.88 | WPG on its third game in four nights |
| PIT @ WSH | 6.5 | WSH -162 | WSH 3.53, PIT 2.97 | PIT penalty kill ranked 2nd |
| EDM @ ANA | 6.5 | EDM -134 | EDM 3.40, ANA 3.10 | EDM power play 1st vs ANA penalty kill 22nd |
No team plays the second night of a back-to-back. The best special teams spot belongs to Edmonton: the top-ranked power play against Anaheim's 22nd-ranked penalty kill, an edge of 9.9 percentage points over league average. Every team has played three games or fewer, so these ranks lean mostly on last season.
High Impact Injuries
| Player (team, pos) | Status | Impact (1-10) | Who benefits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bryan Rust (PIT, RW) | Injured Reserve | 9 | Sidney Crosby, Rickard Rakell |
| Zach Hyman (EDM, LW) | Out | 8 | Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl |
| Troy Terry (ANA, RW) | Injured Reserve | 8 | A.J. Greer, Cutter Gauthier |
| Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (EDM, C) | Injured Reserve | 7 | Connor McDavid, Vasily Podkolzin |
| Justin Brazeau (PIT, RW) | Injured Reserve | 6 | Sidney Crosby, Ben Kindel |
| Rasmus Sandin (WSH, D) | Injured Reserve | 6 | Martin Fehervary, Timothy Liljegren |
| Frederik Andersen (EDM, G) | Injured Reserve | 6 | Devon Levi |
| Connor Hellebuyck (WPG, G) | Suspension | 6 | Stuart Skinner |
Full report, updated all day: NHL injury report for DFS
Starting Goalies
Logan Thompson (WSH, $8,300), cash
Thompson is confirmed against Pittsburgh. Washington is a -162 favorite, he carries a 59.1% win chance, and Pittsburgh is implied for just 2.97 goals. His projected floor of 1.95 points is the best of the six starters, which is what we pay for in cash.
MacKenzie Blackwood (COL, $8,400), GPP
Blackwood is expected to start, not yet confirmed. If Colorado turns to its backup, drop him. He has the best win chance on the slate at 62% and the best shutout chance at 7.2%, and Winnipeg owns the lowest implied total tonight at 2.88. The save count is low at 22.7 projected, so his ceiling comes from the win and a possible shutout, and he lines up with a Colorado stack.
The goalie to avoid is Lukas Dostal ($7,500). He is expected to start, not yet confirmed, and he faces the top power play on the board with a projected floor below zero.
See today's NHL starting goalies for live status changes.
Stacks to Target
EDM PP1: Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Evan Bouchard
Edmonton is implied for 3.40 goals against Dostal, who is expected to start but not yet confirmed. Both Edmonton units grade SMASH in our Elo matchups, and the defense matchup (75 Elo points over Anaheim) is the widest gap of the night. The McDavid line drives 56.2% of 5v5 shot attempts (mostly last season's shot share), and the Bouchard pair sits at 57.1%. The power play is the real draw: first in the league against a penalty kill ranked 22nd. Edmonton has had three days of rest, and with Zach Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins out the top unit keeps its minutes. The full five-man unit has the highest 90th percentile outcome on the slate. Cash and GPP.
COL PP1: Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Necas, Cale Makar
Colorado has the top implied total at 3.62 goals, and Stuart Skinner, expected to start but not yet confirmed, should see a lot of rubber: Colorado projects for the most 5v5 shot attempts of any team tonight. The Colorado defense grades SMASH against Winnipeg, the forwards grade EVEN, and the MacKinnon line holds 55.6% of 5v5 attempts. Colorado's power play ranks 26th against a Winnipeg penalty kill ranked 25th, a near-neutral spot, so the case rests on even strength. Winnipeg is on its third game in four nights. This is the most popular stack on the slate, so it works best in cash or paired with Blackwood in GPP.
ANA PP1: Cutter Gauthier, Leo Carlsson, Jackson LaCombe
Anaheim is our contrarian stack, implied for 3.10 goals against Devon Levi, who is confirmed but stopped just .810 of the shots he faced over two starts. Both Anaheim unit matchups grade EVEN, and the Carlsson line wins 54.6% of 5v5 attempts. Edmonton's penalty kill ranks 27th, so this PP1 has a small edge too. It is far less popular than the two stacks above and still owns the third-highest 90th percentile outcome on the slate. GPP only, and use it as a bring-back against the Edmonton stack.
Unit-by-unit numbers live in our NHL line combinations and PP1 stacks.
Value Stack
WSH F1: Alex Ovechkin, Dylan Strome, Anthony Beauvillier ($12,500 total)
Washington is implied for 3.53 goals against Arturs Silovs, who was in the starter's net at Pittsburgh's morning skate. Ovechkin and Strome also run PP1, so the line keeps its ceiling on the power play even though its 5v5 shot share sits at 48.6%. At $12,500 for three skaters, it pays for McDavid and Draisaitl in the same build.
Chalk and Pivots
Chalk stack: COL PP1. Pivot: WPG PP1. It comes from the same game, costs $3,400 less across the three top names, stays low-owned and carries the same correlation boost as the Anaheim unit. Skip Blackwood if you go this way.
Chalk goalie: Logan Thompson. Pivot: Devon Levi ($7,900). Levi is confirmed, $400 cheaper, a touch less popular, and has the higher ceiling at 21.35 projected points. Pair him with the Edmonton stack, never with the Anaheim one.
Skaters
Centers
Brock Nelson ($5,200): cash. Nelson centers the Colorado second line and runs PP2 for 18.6 minutes a night. His line holds 54.3% of 5v5 attempts, and his projected floor of 2.6 points against Winnipeg's tired legs makes him a safe second center.
Sidney Crosby ($6,700): GPP. Crosby skates on the top line and the top power play, and with Bryan Rust out the shots on that unit run through him. Few people will click a Penguins center on the road at +134. How a top-line, PP1 Crosby sits at $6,700 is a fair question.
Wingers
Tom Wilson ($4,900): cash. Wilson plays on the second line but stays on the top power play, 18.2 minutes in all. His 2.09 points per $1,000 is the best value of any winger above $4,000.
Alex Tuch ($5,900): GPP. Tuch is the shot volume on the Washington second line, 2.66 projected shots in 18.7 minutes, and he works PP2. His 21.6-point ceiling leads every winger below $7,000.
Defensemen
Jakob Chychrun ($6,000): cash. Chychrun plays on the top pair and quarterbacks PP1 for 23.2 minutes. The Washington defense grades SMASH against Pittsburgh, and his 4.1-point floor trails only Bouchard and Makar.
Devon Toews ($3,900): GPP. Toews skates next to Makar on the Colorado top pair for 23.6 minutes and runs PP2. He gives you the top-pair minutes against Winnipeg for close to half of Makar's price, and the field passes on him.
Value Plays
T.J. Hughes (COL W, $3,200): plays on the third line but runs PP1 with MacKinnon and Necas. His 2.38 points per $1,000 is the best of any Colorado forward.
A.J. Greer (ANA W, $3,400): Troy Terry's injury moves Greer up to the top line with Gauthier and Carlsson, a line that wins 54.6% of 5v5 attempts.
Ilya Protas (WSH C, $2,700): centers the third line and runs PP2. That line has the best 5v5 shot share in Washington at 52.1%.
Blocks Floor
Connor Murphy (EDM D, $3,000): projects for 2.26 blocked shots and a 37.7% chance at the 3-block bonus, the best on the slate. He plays on the second pair with Ryan Shea and has no power play role. A cash and floor play.
Martin Fehervary (WSH D, $2,800): projects for 2.11 blocks and a 34.4% chance at the bonus. He plays on the second pair with Vincent Desharnais, no power play time, and Matt Roy's absence keeps his minutes up. A cash and floor play.
Props to Watch
Artturi Lehkonen over 1.5 shots on goal (-144). He projects for 2.11 shots on the Colorado top line, the second-largest edge for an over on any shots line tonight.
Josh Morrissey over 1.5 shots on goal (-170). He projects for 1.99 shots in 23.7 minutes on the top pair and PP1.
Mark Scheifele over 1.5 shots on goal (-160). He projects for 1.96 shots as the Winnipeg top-line center.
These are leans at short prices, so keep the stake small. Compare prices across books on our NHL odds comparison.
Not financial advice. These are model leans, not guarantees. Only bet what you can afford to lose. 21+. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
Before Lock
- Watch for Colorado and Winnipeg to confirm Blackwood and Skinner. If either team turns to its backup, the save and win projections change.
- Dostal and Silovs are expected to start, not yet confirmed. Silovs was in the starter's net at the morning skate.
- Bryan Rust is on injured reserve with an estimated return of today. If he plays, Crosby's role shrinks and his price looks less wrong.
- Check Edmonton's line rushes. With Hyman and Nugent-Hopkins out, the second line and PP1 fifth spot can move.
- No team is on a back-to-back. Winnipeg plays its third game in four nights.
Final Thoughts
For cash, start with Thompson in net, the Edmonton PP1 core, and fill with Chychrun, Wilson and Nelson. For GPP, stack Edmonton PP1 with an Anaheim bring-back, or run Colorado PP1 with Blackwood behind it.
NHL DFS FAQ
Should you pair your goalie with your skater stack?
On a small slate, yes, when the goalie's team is the one you stack. A Colorado stack with Blackwood wins together: if Colorado scores four, Blackwood likely gets the win bonus too. Never roster a goalie against your own primary stack.
Why do you stack a forward line in NHL DFS?
Hockey goals come with up to two assists, so one goal can score for three skaters on the same line. That correlation is real in the numbers: it adds 9.6 points to the 90th percentile outcome of the Edmonton PP1 tonight. Stacking a line or PP1 lets you capture that upside in one roster.
Tools used for this slate
Every number in this playbook comes off the BankrollSZN NHL tools: today's NHL DFS projections, the NHL lineup optimizer, NHL line combinations and PP1 stacks, today's NHL starting goalies, and NHL odds and player props.