Two games means heavier stacks and a goalie who lines up with them, so we build around full power play units instead of one-offs. Both games carry a 6.5 total, and Washington has the top implied total at 3.41 goals. We build around the Montreal power play (MTL PP1), the most popular stack on the slate, and we trust Scott Wedgewood in net once Colorado confirms him. All four teams played last night and traveled, so the morning news matters more than usual.
Last Night
Our cash goalie, Ilya Sorokin, won and scored 15.8 DK points. The EDM PP1 stack scored 84.4 DK points, second of 24 PP1 units.
Slate Overview
| Game | Total | Favorite | Implied goals | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MTL @ WSH | 6.5 | WSH -130 | WSH 3.41, MTL 3.16 | Both on a back-to-back after travel, WSH 3rd game in 4 nights |
| DAL @ COL | 6.5 | COL -140 | COL 3.24, DAL 2.91 | Both on a back-to-back after travel, DAL PP 1st by xG |
The best special teams spot belongs to Dallas: its power play ranks 1st in expected goals per 60, though Colorado's kill ranks 6th in expected goals against. Every team has played 6 games, so these ranks sit on a blend that still leans on last season. We pass on the Stars tonight because they face our goalie. Full ranks live on our NHL team matchup ranks.
High Impact Injuries
| Player (team, pos) | Status | Impact (1-10) | Who benefits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wyatt Johnston (DAL, C) | Out | 9 | Sam Steel, Jason Robertson, Mikko Rantanen |
| Cale Makar (COL, D) | Day-To-Day | 7 | Brett Kulak, Noah Juulsen, Devon Toews |
| Matt Duchene (DAL, C) | Injured Reserve | 7 | Sam Steel, Jason Robertson, Mikko Rantanen |
| Ivan Demidov (MTL, W) | Injured Reserve | 6 | Josh Anderson, Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki |
| Oliver Kapanen (MTL, C) | Injured Reserve | 6 | Josh Anderson, Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki |
| Rasmus Sandin (WSH, D) | Injured Reserve | 6 | Martin Fehervary, Timothy Liljegren, Vincent Desharnais |
| Sam Montembeault (MTL, G) | Injured Reserve | 6 | Jakub Dobes |
Full report, updated all day: NHL injury report for DFS
Starting Goalies
Scott Wedgewood (COL, $7,900), cash
Wedgewood is expected to start, not yet confirmed. He is the only goalie on the slate above a 55% win chance (55.7%) as a -140 home favorite, and Dallas projects for 2.91 goals. The Stars play at the slowest 5v5 pace in the league, so we project a quiet 21.3 saves on 23.8 shots. Colorado is on a back-to-back, so we want the confirmation before we lock him in. If Colorado turns to its backup, switch to Charlie Lindgren (WSH, $8,000, 54% win chance) and move off the Montreal stack, since he faces it.
Scott Wedgewood (COL, $7,900), GPP
Wedgewood is our tournament goalie too. His 9.1% shutout chance is the best on the slate, and he lines up with our Colorado stack. The two confirmed goalies, Casey DeSmith and Jakub Dobes, are road underdogs at 44% and 46%, and neither clears our win chance bar.
Track every crease here: today's NHL starting goalies
Stacks to Target
MTL PP1: Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, Juraj Slafkovsky
Montreal projects for 3.16 goals against Lindgren, who is expected to start but not yet confirmed. This unit has the top 90th percentile on the slate (92.8) and the biggest correlation boost (10.2 points). The Montreal top line (MTL1) holds a 51.8% shot share on a blend that still leans on last season. The power play is the weak spot: Montreal ranks 27th in power play expected goals per 60, and Washington's kill ranks 21st. Lane Hutson and Chris Kreider complete PP1. The Canadiens played last night and traveled, so we knock them down a notch. The field will pile in, and on a two-game slate we eat the chalk. Cash and GPP.
WSH PP1: Alex Ovechkin, Tom Wilson, Jakob Chychrun
Washington has the top implied total at 3.41 goals, against Jakub Dobes, who is confirmed. The Capitals' defense unit draws the only SMASH tag of the night, 35.8 Elo points above the Montreal unit it faces, and Chychrun leads it. Washington's power play ranks 18th in expected goals per 60, and Montreal's kill ranks 24th. Wilson and Dylan Strome also skate together on the second line (WSH2) at a 50.9% shot share, and Ryan Leonard completes PP1. This is Washington's third game in four nights, after travel. GPP, and a fine second stack in cash.
COL PP1: Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Necas, Nazem Kadri (third stack)
Colorado projects for 3.24 goals against Casey DeSmith, who is confirmed. The Avalanche rank 1st in 5v5 pace and 2nd in 5v5 expected goals per 60, and the Colorado top line (COL1) holds a 55.6% shot share. The power play matchup is harder: Colorado ranks 12th in power play expected goals per 60, and Dallas allows the 5th fewest on the kill. Devon Toews and T.J. Hughes complete PP1, and this unit pairs with Wedgewood. Colorado is also on a back-to-back after travel. GPP.
Lines and units for every team: NHL line combinations and PP1 stacks
Line Matchup Edges
| Line | Players | Edge | Main opponent | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| COL F1 | Artturi Lehkonen, Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Necas | +5.3 | DAL F1 (44% of 5v5 time) | Full line, 665 min |
| MTL F2 | Chris Kreider, Alex Newhook, Josh Anderson | +5.2 | WSH F1 (39%) | Anderson & Newhook, 55 min |
| MTL F1 | Juraj Slafkovsky, Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield | +4.3 | WSH F1 (44%) | Full line, 762 min |
The edge is the expected 5v5 expected-goals share against the likely opposing lines, minus 50. It is new and not graded yet, so treat it as a tiebreaker. Every line card: NHL line matchups and edges
Value Stack
MTL PP2: Noah Dobson, Alex Newhook, Zack Bolduc ($15,400 total)
At $15,400 for all five players, Montreal's second unit is the cheapest stack with a 90th percentile in the top half of the slate (48.7). Dobson plays on the second pair with Lane Hutson for 22 projected minutes, and Alexandre Texier and Kirby Dach fill out the unit. Paired with MTL PP1, it makes a full Montreal build and leaves room for Washington's stars on the other side.
Chalk and Pivots
Chalk stack: MTL PP1. Pivot: WSH PP1. Montreal's top unit draws the most ownership on the slate by a wide margin, and on two games we play it anyway. The Washington unit costs $2,500 less with the second best 90th percentile on the slate (85.4), so treat it as our second build.
Chalk goalie: Scott Wedgewood. Pivot: none we like. The four goalies draw close to even ownership, and Wedgewood is a hair more popular. No other goalie clears a 55% win chance, so we stay with him in both formats.
Skaters
Centers
Boone Jenner ($3,500): cash. He centers the Washington third line for 15.3 projected minutes with no power play role, on the team with the top implied total. He projects for 2.1 shots and 0.8 blocked shots. He is popular because the price makes room for both PP1 stacks.
Brock Nelson ($5,000): GPP. Colorado's second-line center also runs PP2 for 17.7 minutes. His 16.3-point ceiling plays well beside Wedgewood, and the field leaves him alone.
Wingers
Alex Tuch ($6,800): cash. Tuch skates on the second line and runs PP2 for 18.8 minutes. He has the top Elo rating among Washington forwards and projects for 2.6 shots with a 3-point floor.
Mikko Rantanen ($6,300): GPP. He plays on the second line but stays on PP1, and with Wyatt Johnston out sick the injury report sends more of the Dallas offense his way. His 23-point ceiling matches Necas for $800 less, and he is less popular than Jason Robertson. Keep him as the only Dallas skater in a Wedgewood lineup.
Defensemen
Sam Malinski ($3,500): cash. He plays on the Colorado top pair with Devon Toews and runs PP2 for 19.5 minutes. That pair holds a 57.5% shot share and the best line edge of any unit tonight (+6.6). He projects for 1.4 blocked shots and a 2.6-point floor.
Cole Hutson ($3,900): GPP. He plays on the third pair but runs PP2, and he projects for 1.7 shots in 18.3 minutes. He is the second highest rated skater on the Washington defense unit that draws the SMASH tag, and he comes in low-owned.
Value Plays
Ilya Protas (WSH C, $3,000): He centers the Washington top line beside Ovechkin and runs PP2 for 14.2 minutes. He projects for 6.3 points with a 13-point ceiling.
Josh Anderson (MTL W, $2,500): A second-line role at the minimum price, and the injury report lists him first among the Canadiens who gain work with Demidov and Kapanen out. He projects for 5.7 points, or 2.29 per $1,000. How a second-line winger with that path to minutes sits at the floor price is a small mystery.
Blocks Floor
Martin Fehervary (WSH D, $3,100): He plays on the second pair with Vincent Desharnais and has no power play role. He projects for 2.2 blocked shots and a 37% chance at the 3-block bonus. Cash and floor play.
Alexandre Carrier (MTL D, $2,900): He plays on the top pair with Kaiden Guhle and has no power play role. He projects for 2.0 blocked shots and a 32% chance at the bonus. Cash and floor play.
Props to Watch
Aliaksei Protas over 1.5 shots on goal (-125). He plays on the Washington top line, and we project him for 1.87 shots, about 0.37 over the line.
Jordan Kyrou over 1.5 shots on goal (-135). He plays on the third line and PP2, and our number is also 1.87 shots for a similar gap.
A prop is a lean, 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
- Wedgewood and Lindgren are expected to start, not yet confirmed. If Wedgewood sits, switch to Lindgren and drop the Montreal stack. DeSmith and Dobes are confirmed.
- All four teams are on a back-to-back after travel, and Washington plays its third game in four nights.
- Cale Makar (COL) is day-to-day for a personal matter. If he plays, check whether he takes Toews' PP1 spot and cuts into Malinski's minutes.
- Roope Hintz (DAL) and Mike Matheson (MTL) are day-to-day. A Matheson return could move Carrier off the top pair, so watch line rushes.
- Pierre-Luc Dubois (WSH) is day-to-day. If he plays, check that Ilya Protas keeps his top line spot.
Final Thoughts
For cash, start with Wedgewood, the Montreal top line and Jenner, then fill the rest with floor. In tournaments, play MTL PP1 with Wedgewood and run a second set on WSH PP1. COL PP1 ties into our goalie.
NHL DFS FAQ
What is the difference between a cash and a GPP NHL lineup?
A cash lineup only needs to finish in the top part of the field, so it chases floor: minutes, PP1 time and a goalie on a favorite. A GPP lineup needs to finish near the top, so it chases ceiling and a stack the field is not playing. Tonight the slate is so small that both builds start from the same Montreal stack and the same goalie.
When are NHL starting goalies confirmed?
Most teams confirm after the morning skate, and some wait until warmups. Tonight Dallas and Montreal have confirmed DeSmith and Dobes, while Colorado and Washington have not named Wedgewood or Lindgren yet. Until a goalie is confirmed, keep a switch plan ready.
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.