Vancouver's penalty kill ranks last in the league in expected goals allowed, and the Rangers bring the sixth-ranked power play to town tonight. We build around the New York top power play unit (NYR PP1) and put Dylan Garand in net, the biggest favorite in goal by a wide margin. Vegas gives us the second and third stacks, and we leave the popular Nashville power play to the field. With only four teams on the board, we take the chalk Rangers stack in every build and get different with the Vegas pieces.
Last Night
Akira Schmid won with 24 saves, but four goals against held him to 8.8 DK points. MIN PP1 scored 87.3 DK points, third of the 20 PP1 units, which counts as a hit, though Winnipeg led the night at 115.9. Both value plays paid off, Jared Spurgeon with 8.2 at $3,200 and Nils Lundkvist with 11.3 at $2,600, but both blocks picks missed: Brandt Clarke blocked one shot and Jonas Brodin two. Since Oct. 29, our cash goalie is 11-3, the main stack has hit 9 of 15 times, our value plays 12 of 29, our blocks picks 6 of 16 and our props 6-4.
Slate Overview
Lock is 9:00 PM ET, when the Rangers and Canucks drop the puck. Switch tabs for the goalies, the injuries and the line matchup edges.
| Game | Total | Favorite | Implied goals | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NYR @ VAN | 6.5 | NYR -220 | NYR 3.69, VAN 2.72 | VAN kill 32nd, VAN on three days of rest |
| NSH @ VGK | 6.5 | VGK -156 | VGK 3.33, NSH 2.84 | NSH third game in four nights, VGK kill 1st |
| Goalie | Status | Win chance | Opp. goals | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dylan Garand (NYR) | Expected | 65.8% | 2.72 | $8,200 |
| Adin Hill (VGK) | Expected | 58.4% | 2.84 | $8,000 |
| Juuse Saros (NSH) | Expected | 41.6% | 3.33 | $7,400 |
| Leevi Meriläinen (VAN) | Expected | 34.2% | 3.69 | $7,200 |
| Player (team, pos) | Status | Impact (1-10) | Who benefits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Noah Hanifin (VGK, D) | Out | 6 | Brayden McNabb, Jeremy Lauzon |
| Sean Durzi (NYR, D) | Injured reserve | 6 | Vladislav Gavrikov, Braden Schneider |
| Igor Shesterkin (NYR, G) | Injured reserve | 6 | Dylan Garand |
| Thatcher Demko (VAN, G) | Injured reserve | 6 | Leevi Meriläinen |
| Line | Players | Edge | Main opponent | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NYR F2 | Kartye, Miller, Dorofeyev | +11.7 | VAN F1 (40% of 5v5 time) | Full line, 102 min |
| NYR F1 | Lafrenière, Zibanejad, Perreault | +11.1 | VAN F1 (46% of 5v5 time) | Full line, 437 min |
| VGK D1 | Shea Theodore, Brayden McNabb | +8.9 | NSH F1 (42% of 5v5 time) | Full pair, 1,451 min |
The best special teams spot of the night is in Vancouver, where the Rangers power play meets the kill that ranks last in expected goals allowed. A line edge is the share of 5v5 expected goals a line should win against the lines it will see most, minus 50; we use it as a tiebreaker. For the full grids, see team matchups, the injury report and line matchups.
Starting Goalies
Dylan Garand (NYR, $8,200), cash and GPP
Garand is expected to start, not yet confirmed, with Igor Shesterkin on injured reserve. Vancouver ranks 32nd in 5v5 expected goals and 32nd in 5v5 shots, so his night rides on the win more than the saves: he should make about 20. His 10% shutout chance is the best on the slate. If New York turns to its backup, switch to Adin Hill, who faces a Nashville team on its third game in four nights. Every starter is on the starting goalies page.
Stacks to Target
Each header shows the three-player core we would build around and what that core costs. Switch tabs for the stack summary and our top plays at each spot.
| Stack | Core | Core salary | Big night (full unit) | Field | Contest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NYR PP1 | Zibanejad, Dorofeyev, Fox | $17,500 | about 90 DK points | Chalk | Cash and GPP |
| VGK PP1 | Eichel, Hertl, Theodore | $17,300 | about 75 DK points | Less popular | Small field GPP |
| VGK PP2 | Marner, Stone, Andersson | $18,300 | about 68 DK points | Less popular | Large field GPP |
| Player | Pos | Salary | Role | Use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mika Zibanejad (NYR) | C | $6,000 | F1, PP1 | Cash |
| Jack Eichel (VGK) | C | $8,100 | F1, PP1 | GPP |
| Pavel Dorofeyev (NYR) | W | $5,700 | F2, PP1 | Cash |
| Mark Stone (VGK) | W | $7,100 | F1, PP2 | GPP |
| Brett Howden (VGK) | W | $3,200 | F2 | Value |
| Adam Fox (NYR) | D | $5,800 | D1, PP1 | Cash |
| Vladislav Gavrikov (NYR) | D | $3,800 | D1 | GPP |
| Brayden McNabb (VGK) | D | $3,500 | D1 | Value |
| Dylan Garand (NYR) | G | $8,200 | Expected | Cash and GPP |
NYR PP1: Mika Zibanejad, Pavel Dorofeyev, Adam Fox ($17,500 for the core)
Meriläinen is expected for Vancouver, not yet confirmed, and he steps in with Thatcher Demko on injured reserve. Zibanejad centers the top line and Dorofeyev plays on the second, which wins 51.9% of the 5v5 shot attempts when it is on the ice, and both lines carry big edges in the Line Edges tab. The Rangers forwards get our SMASH tag, which means they rate well above the defense they face. Alexis Lafrenière ($6,200) and Gabe Perreault ($4,200) finish the unit, and all five fit under the cap with any goalie on the slate. We use it as our cash core and our main GPP stack, and most of the field will too.
VGK PP1: Jack Eichel, Tomas Hertl, Shea Theodore ($17,300 for the core)
Juuse Saros is expected for Nashville, not yet confirmed, and the Predators play their third game in four nights. Eichel's top line wins 53.5% of the 5v5 shot attempts, and Hertl's third line does even better at 55.3%. The Vegas power play ranks 4th in expected goals against a Nashville kill that ranks 13th. Victor Olofsson ($4,300) and Braeden Bowman ($2,700) complete the unit, and the full five fits with any goalie. We like it in small field GPPs next to the Rangers core.
VGK PP2: Mitch Marner, Mark Stone, Rasmus Andersson ($18,300 for the core, third stack)
Saros is the goalie here too. Stone plays on the top line with Eichel and Marner plays on the second, so this stack still gets top-six minutes at 5v5. PP2 gets less power play time than the first unit, so treat it as a 5v5 stack first. Trevor Connelly ($4,900) and William Karlsson ($3,900) round it out, and the full unit fits with any goalie. Far fewer people will build around a second unit, which makes it our large field stack. All the line combinations are on the lines page.
How to Build It
For cash, the Rangers core plus Garand costs $25,700 and leaves $24,300 for five spots, about $4,860 each. In large fields, you can cut the core to Zibanejad and Dorofeyev and pair them with Hill; that costs $19,700 and leaves $5,050 a spot for six skaters.
For a 4-3-1 build, take four from NYR PP1 by adding Perreault to the core. With Garand, that costs $29,900 and leaves $20,100 for four skaters, about $5,025 each, so a three-man Vegas piece at $17,300 still leaves about $2,800 for a winger from a third team. The 3-3-2 build for single entry and 3-max starts from the Rangers core and Garand at $4,860 a spot; a three-man Vegas piece at $17,300 leaves about $7,000 for two wingers, about $3,500 each. DraftKings needs skaters from at least three teams, so that last piece has to come from Nashville or Vancouver, and we keep it on the Nashville side so no more than one skater faces Garand.
Chalk and Pivots
Chalk stack: NYR PP1. Pivot: VGK PP1 ($24,300). We play the chalk tonight and run the Vegas unit as a second build. The full five costs $3,600 less, and far fewer people will play it.
Chalk goalie: Dylan Garand ($8,200). Pivot: Adin Hill ($8,000). Hill has the only other win chance over 55% on the slate, and he pairs with either Vegas stack.
Fades
NSH PP1 ($28,700). It is the second most popular power play on the slate, and it runs into the kill that ranks first in expected goals allowed. The Nashville forwards and defensemen both get our TOUGH tag, which means they rate well below the Vegas defense, and the Predators play their third game in four nights. Let the field pay for it.
Skaters
Centers
Mika Zibanejad ($6,000): cash. He centers the Rangers top line, runs PP1 and should play about 20 minutes. The field will be on him, and we are fine with that against the worst kill in the league.
Jack Eichel ($8,100): GPP. Eichel centers the Vegas top line and PP1 and should get about three shots, with an 18% chance at five or more, the best on the slate. His price keeps a lot of people off him.
Wingers
Pavel Dorofeyev ($5,700): cash. Dorofeyev plays on the second line with J.T. Miller and moves up to PP1, and he leads the Rangers in shots with about three. He has a 15% chance at five or more.
Mark Stone ($7,100): GPP. Stone rides on the Vegas top line with Eichel and plays on PP2, and he should play almost 19 minutes. Few people will spend $7,100 on him with the Rangers wingers this cheap.
Defensemen
Adam Fox ($5,800): cash. Fox plays on the Rangers top pair and runs PP1 from the point, and he should play about 24 minutes. With Sean Durzi on injured reserve, the top pair carries a heavy load.
Vladislav Gavrikov ($3,800): GPP. He plays next to Fox on the top pair but stays off the power play, so he costs $2,000 less. That pair has a +11.6 edge against the lines it will face, and he has a 15% chance at three or more blocks.
Value Plays
Brayden McNabb (VGK D, $3,500): With Noah Hanifin out, McNabb plays on the top pair with Theodore and should play about 22 minutes. That pair sits near the top of the Line Edges tab.
Brett Howden (VGK W, $3,200): He plays on the Vegas second line with Marner and Karlsson, a line with a +5.2 edge against the Nashville lines it will see most. He scores when our third stack scores at 5v5.
Before Lock
- All four goalies are expected, and none is confirmed. If New York turns to its backup, move from Garand to Hill.
- Nashville plays its third game in four nights, so watch for a backup goalie in place of Saros.
- Filip Chytil (shoulder) could come off injured reserve for Vancouver tonight, Jonathan Marchessault is day-to-day for Nashville and Tom Willander is day-to-day for Vancouver.
- NYR @ VAN starts at 9:00 PM ET and NSH @ VGK at 10:00 PM ET. Put a Vegas skater, such as McNabb, in UTIL so you can still swap him. Hill and Saros are not confirmed for that game.
Final Thoughts
Our cash core is Garand with Zibanejad, Dorofeyev and Fox for $25,700, which leaves $4,860 a spot. In GPPs, we add a Vegas PP1 or PP2 core to the Rangers build, use Hill as the second goalie, and leave Nashville PP1 to the field. Full numbers for every skater are on the projections page.
NHL DFS FAQ
What is the difference between a cash and a GPP NHL lineup?
A cash lineup only has to beat about half the field, so it wants safe minutes, power play time and a goalie likely to win. That is why our cash core is the Rangers PP1 with Garand. A GPP lineup has to beat almost everyone, so it takes on players with big ceilings that fewer people own, like a Vegas second unit.
When are NHL starting goalies confirmed?
Most teams name their starter after the morning skate, and some wait until warmups. Tonight all four starters are expected but not confirmed, so check the goalie page before the first puck drop and again before the late game.
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.