Ten games means plenty of stacks to choose from and more room for one-offs. Six games sit at a 6.5 total, and Colorado has the top team total at 3.75 against Toronto. We build around the Montreal power play against a Detroit team on the second night of a back-to-back, and Jakub Dobes is our cash goalie.
Slate Overview
| Game | Total | Favorite | Implied goals | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DAL @ PIT | 6.5 | DAL -178 | DAL 3.59, PIT 2.91 | PIT on a back-to-back after travel, third game in four nights |
| CBJ @ STL | 5.5 | STL -130 | CBJ 2.64, STL 2.86 | CBJ on a back-to-back after travel |
| CAR @ CHI | 5.5 | CAR -255 | CAR 3.28, CHI 2.22 | CAR PP vs 22nd ranked PK |
| TOR @ COL | 6.5 | COL -225 | TOR 2.75, COL 3.75 | COL third game in four nights |
| DET @ MTL | 6.5 | MTL -200 | DET 2.83, MTL 3.67 | DET on a back-to-back after travel, MTL PP vs 29th ranked PK |
| UTA @ BUF | 6.5 | UTA -115 | UTA 3.29, BUF 3.21 | none |
| NSH @ OTT | 5.5 | OTT -160 | NSH 2.51, OTT 2.99 | NSH PP vs 26th ranked PK |
| TBL @ NYI | 5.5 | TBL -170 | TBL 3.03, NYI 2.47 | none |
| ANA @ CGY | 6.5 | ANA -118 | ANA 3.31, CGY 3.19 | ANA on a back-to-back after travel, third game in four nights |
| LAK @ VGK | 6.5 | VGK -166 | LAK 2.95, VGK 3.55 | VGK PP vs 31st ranked PK, LAK on three days rest |
Vegas has the best special teams spot of the night: a 24.2% power play against a Los Angeles penalty kill at 70.8%. Both teams have played five games or fewer, so those rates lean mostly on last season.
High Impact Injuries
| Player (team, pos) | Status | Impact (1-10) | Who benefits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connor Bedard (CHI, C) | IR | 9 | Patrick Kane, Anton Frondell |
| Seth Jarvis (CAR, C) | IR | 9 | Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov |
| Troy Terry (ANA, RW) | IR | 8 | Cutter Gauthier |
| Mathew Barzal (NYI, C) | IR | 8 | Kyle Palmieri, Brayden Schenn |
| John Tavares (TOR, C) | Out | 8 | Auston Matthews, William Nylander |
| Jake Sanderson (OTT, D) | Day-to-day | 7 | Thomas Chabot, Jordan Spence |
| Mats Zuccarello (LAK, RW) | Out | 7 | Artemi Panarin, Adrian Kempe |
| Matt Duchene (DAL, C) | IR | 7 | Jason Robertson, Mikko Rantanen |
Full report, updated all day: NHL injury report for DFS
Starting Goalies
Jakub Dobes (MTL, $8,400), cash
Dobes is expected to start, not yet confirmed. Montreal is a -200 favorite, his win chance sits at 63.8%, and Detroit is implied for only 2.83 goals on the second night of a back-to-back after travel. We project about 28 saves. If Montreal turns to its backup, find a new cash goalie.
Anthony Stolarz (TOR, $7,100), GPP
Stolarz has the top goalie projection on the slate at $7,100, and the saves drive it. Colorado should fire away all night: we project 35 saves and give him a 51.6% chance at 35 or more. His win chance is only 33.7%, so you trade wins for save volume. He is expected to start, not yet confirmed. If Toronto turns to its backup, move off.
Skip Mackenzie Blackwood at $8,300. Colorado should win, but we project fewer than 21 saves for him and almost no chance at 35.
Check today's NHL starting goalies before lock.
Stacks to Target
MTL PP1: Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky
Montreal is implied for 3.67 goals against Daniil Tarasov, who is confirmed for Detroit. The top line (MTL1) took 51.3% of last season's 5v5 shot attempts, and the power play faces a Detroit penalty kill that ranked 29th, mostly on last season's numbers. Detroit played last night in another city. Lane Hutson plays on the second pair but runs PP1, so add him as the fourth piece. MTL PP1 has the best 90th percentile outcome on the slate. Cash and GPP.
DAL PP1: Jason Robertson, Wyatt Johnston, Mikko Rantanen
Dallas is implied for 3.59 goals, and Pittsburgh plays its third game in four nights, on a back-to-back after travel. Arturs Silovs is expected to start for the Penguins, not yet confirmed, and has the weakest goalie matchup rating on the slate. Pittsburgh's penalty kill ranked 2nd, so we like DAL PP1 for its even strength lines more than its power play. Robertson's line with Roope Hintz took 50.5% of last season's shot attempts. Expect it to be popular. GPP.
UTA PP1: Clayton Keller, Nick Schmaltz, Dylan Guenther
Our contrarian stack. Utah is implied for 3.29 goals, and its power play ranked 7th against a Buffalo penalty kill at 16th. The Keller and Schmaltz line took 54.3% of last season's shot attempts. Colten Ellis was in the starter's crease at the Sabres' morning skate, but he is not confirmed. Few people will play UTA PP1, and the ceiling is real. GPP.
See every unit on our NHL line combinations and PP1 stacks page.
Value Stack
BUF F2: Jack Quinn, Zach Benson, Noah Ostlund ($12,000 total)
All three also skate on Buffalo's top power play, so the ceiling holds at this price. The line's 90th percentile outcome ranks in the top half of the slate's stacks, and the three cost less than Caufield and Suzuki together. You can use the savings on a second premium stack or a top goalie.
Chalk and Pivots
Chalk stack: COL PP1. Pivot: TBL PP1. Colorado's power play will be the most popular unit on the slate. Tampa Bay's top unit costs about the same, has a similar ceiling and will draw far less ownership.
Chalk goalie: Jakub Dobes. Pivot: Carter Hart. Eat the Dobes chalk in cash. In GPPs, Hart at $8,200 has a 59.8% win chance, and far fewer people will play him.
Skaters
Centers
Sebastian Aho ($6,900): cash
Aho centers Carolina's top line and runs PP1, about 19 minutes a night. With Seth Jarvis on IR, more of the offense goes through him. Carolina's 59.3% shot share for this game leans on last season, and the team is implied for 3.28 against a Chicago penalty kill that ranked 22nd.
Jack Eichel ($8,500): GPP
Top line, PP1, more than 20 minutes: Eichel has the role. Vegas gets the slate's best power play matchup against a Los Angeles kill that ranked 31st, and we give him a 24 point ceiling at low ownership.
Wingers
Tage Thompson ($7,900): cash
Thompson skates on Buffalo's top line and top power play and is projected for 3.3 shots. His 4.5 point floor ties for the best among wingers on the slate. Jason Zucker on IR keeps his minutes high.
Artemi Panarin ($7,100): GPP
With Mats Zuccarello out, Panarin gets more than 20 minutes on the Los Angeles top line and PP1. The Kings come in on three days of rest, and he will be low-owned in a 6.5 total game.
Defensemen
Thomas Chabot ($5,300): cash
Ottawa runs its top pair and PP1 through Chabot for nearly 25 minutes. If Jake Sanderson sits again, Chabot picks up more of the load. His 4.1 point floor makes him a safe second defenseman for cash.
Jackson LaCombe ($5,500): GPP
Anaheim's top pair defenseman runs PP1 and leads the team in ice time at nearly 26 minutes. The Anaheim defense has one of the best unit matchups of the night against Calgary. The Ducks play on a back-to-back after travel, which should keep his ownership down.
Value Plays
Andre Burakovsky (OTT W, $2,500): He has a top line spot with Tim Stützle and Drake Batherson and stays on PP1. How he is still priced at $2,500 is a mystery.
Alex Newhook (MTL C, $3,000): Montreal's second line center also runs PP2, on a team implied for 3.67 goals.
Mikael Backlund (CGY C, $3,200): Calgary gives him more than 17 minutes as the second line center, and we project 2.3 shots in a 6.5 total game.
Blocks Floor
Brandt Clarke (LAK D, $5,000): Clarke plays on the second pair with Joel Edmundson and also runs PP1, a rare mix for a shot blocker. We project 2.3 blocked shots and a 39% chance at the 3-block bonus. A cash and floor play.
Zach Whitecloud (CGY D, $3,000): A top pair role next to Kevin Bahl and no power play time make Whitecloud a pure floor play. We project 2.1 blocked shots and a 34% chance at 3 or more. Use him in cash.
Props to Watch
Alex DeBrincat over 2.5 shots on goal (-154): we project 3.3 shots for Detroit's PP1 winger, the biggest over gap on the main slate.
Mark Stone over 1.5 shots on goal (-178): we project 2.3 shots for Stone on the Vegas top line and PP1.
A prop is a lean, not a lock, so keep the stake small.
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
- Confirm Dobes, Stolarz and Hart. If Montreal, Toronto or Vegas turns to its backup, change the goalie.
- Four teams play on the second night of a back-to-back after travel: Pittsburgh, Columbus, Detroit and Anaheim. Watch for backup goalies there.
- Jake Sanderson (OTT) and Bo Horvat (NYI) are day-to-day. Check morning skate notes before you finalize Chabot.
- Colten Ellis and Spencer Knight were in the starter's crease at morning skate, but neither is confirmed.
Final Thoughts
For cash, start with Dobes and the Montreal PP1 core, then add Aho and Chabot. For GPPs, pair Stolarz with the Dallas or Utah power play and use the Buffalo second line to pay for a one-off like Eichel.
NHL DFS FAQ
Why do you stack a forward line in NHL DFS?
Linemates share the ice, so one goal often scores DraftKings points for two or three of them at once. When the line has a big night, your whole stack has a big night. Tonight that correlation adds 11.8 points to the Montreal PP1 stack at its 90th percentile outcome.
Should you pair your goalie with your skater stack?
Usually, yes. A goalie wins more often when his team scores, so a goalie from your stack's team adds correlation. Never play a goalie against your own stack, and keep it to one skater at most against him. Tonight Dobes with the Montreal power play is the natural pair.
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.