RADIO
Get today's top DraftKings daily fantasy hockey lineup picks for October 16, 2025. Doug's expert NHL DFS goalies picks, value plays, stacks, and power play picks.
The NHL is back with another massive slate of 11 games, highlighted by the Rangers taking on the Maple Leafs in Toronto in the early window and Boston heading to Vegas to face off against the Golden Knights, which closes out the slate. In between those games, we get to watch stars Nathan MacKinnon, Connor McDavid, and Kyle Connor, as well as young studs like Ivan Demidov in Montreal.
DraftKings came strong with the tournaments tonight, highlighted by the $80K Overload, a $20 entry contest with a top prize of $20,000. Both the $12-entry Knuckle Puck and $5-entry One-Timer are single-entry tournaments with a top prize of over $1,000, while the $5-entry Poke Check ($10,000 top prize) and $4-entry Forecheck ($2,000 top prize) are multi-entry contests with massive prize pools. Whatever you fancy, it’s available tonight.
I aim to help you narrow your plays to get the most bang for your DFS buck. NHL Premium members can find members of the RotoBaller NHL family on Discord, where our chat is always active. I'll bring my NHL lineup picks, analysis, and advice for NHL DFS contests on DraftKings for Thursday, October 16, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. ET. Be sure also to check out RotoBaller's awesome NHL tools, including our Lineup Optimizer, Research Station, and Heat Map.
NHL DFS Analysis And Picks For 10/16/25
Colorado Avalanche (COL1 - Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Necas, Artturi Lehkonen; $19,700 DK)
Defensive Addition: Cale Makar ($7,900 DK)
No team on tonight’s slate, dating back to last season, has had more success on the road over the past 10 games than the Colorado Avalanche. They’ve averaged 3.05 goals and a slate-high 13.45 high-danger chances per 60 minutes in those games, both of which are numbers that set off alarm bells on the Heat Map.
Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Necas have started the year on fire, averaging a combined 38.4 DraftKings points through the season’s first four games.
MARTIN NECAS HAS ✌️ #NHLFaceOff
📺: @espn ➡️ https://t.co/m0LyTCHYnH pic.twitter.com/HO091MHGzG
— NHL (@NHL) October 8, 2025
Their 16 combined goals and assists are ridiculous, and they make linemate Artturi Lehkonen’s two goals, one assist, and nine shots on goal seem subpar by comparison. Quite frankly, a sub-$20K price point for this stack is considerable value, and one that won’t last long if they continue this trend.
They should see a lot of Zach Werenski and Dante Fabbro, the top defensive pair from Columbus, who have yet to meet their defensive expectations this season. They have allowed 3.05 expected goals and 15.04 high-danger chances per 60 minutes so far this year.
Goalie Elvis Merzlikins excels against high-danger shots, saving 86.5% of the ones he’s faced at home over the team’s previous 15 games dating back to last year. But at some point, the pressure is going to get to him. Even with his success at stopping high-danger shots, he’s given up 2.9 goals per game at home over the same time period, so it’s only a matter of time before the floodgates open.
Los Angeles Kings (LAK1 - Adrian Kempe, Anze Kopitar, Andrei Kuzmenko; $16,700 DK)
Defensive Addition: Drew Doughty ($4,400 DK)
The Los Angeles Kings are one of the most economical top lines in the league, coming in with a total price point of just $16,700 on DraftKings. Star center Anze Kopitar is currently injured. If he were to miss this game, the line would be even cheaper, with Phillip Danault likely taking his spot, resulting in a saving of $600.
Adrian Kempe has played exceptionally well to start the year, combining for four goals and assists and adding 11 shots on goal over his past two games. For the season, he’s averaged 4.3 shots on goal per game, making him one of the more aggressive forwards we can roster tonight. The schedule-makers have helped the Kings, giving them two days of rest before taking on a Penguins team that is in the midst of a three-game West Coast swing.
After starting the year with a surprising shutout of the Rangers at MSG, Pittsburgh has come back down to earth, allowing 13 goals over its previous three games. Tonight’s projected starter, Arturs Silovs, gave up six goals in his last start against the Rangers. In front of him will be the defensive pairing of Kris Letang and Ryan Shea, who have allowed 2.88 expected goals and 32.32 scoring chances per 60 minutes this season.
Toronto Maple Leafs (TOR2 - William Nylander, John Tavares, Matias Maccelli; $16,900 DK)
Defensive Addition: Oliver Ekman-Larsson ($3,300 DK)
Auston Matthews may be the bigger name, and rightfully so, given how well he’s played this year, but William Nylander doesn’t get nearly the love he deserves as a stud offensive player in this league.
Nylander already has two games this year where he’s combined for three goals and assists, scoring at least 23 DraftKings points in both of those games. That kind of upside can’t be ignored, especially on a line with guys like John Tavares and Matias Maccelli, who won’t break the bank as part of a stack.
In the two games where Nylander exploded, Tavares came along for the ride with at least two combined goals and assists in each. That kind of correlation is significant in tournaments and is one we must capitalize on when the matchup is favorable.
Tonight is one of those nights, as Toronto is facing a Rangers team that is due for negative defensive regression on the road. Over its previous 10 games dating back to last year, New York has allowed fewer than a whole goal per 60 minutes than expected.
We want to attack the defensive pairing of Adam Fox and Vladislav Gavrikov, who have combined to allow 2.77 expected goals and 27 scoring chances per 60 minutes this year. Those numbers aren’t eye-popping, but they are enough for a duo like Nylander and Tavares to take advantage of when they are playing hot.
Want more NHL DFS tools and content? Our NHL Premium package includes our daily DFS Cheat Sheets, Research Station, Lineup Optimizer, and access to our VIP Discord Chatrooms. Doug Shain (@BanksterDFS) joined the NHL team in 2023 with his proven track record - join in on the winning!
Back-to-back @DraftKings Fantasy Hockey World Championship trips! Let’s get the main prize this year! Thank you to @banksterdfs for the amazing daily fantasy content! @NHL pic.twitter.com/dONSvJMtIR
— 🇺🇦Shockmain (@Shockmain) January 6, 2023
NHL DFS Value Stack of the Night
Carolina Hurricanes (CAR3 - Jordan Staal, Jordan Martinook, William Carrier; $8,400 DK)
We are well into the second week of the NHL season, and this is the first time we’ve featured Carolina’s third line. That may be a record for the longest time before discussing it because this line has been profitable for us over the years. This year’s line looks a little bit different, with William Carrier coming over from Vegas to replace Seth Jarvis, who is now on the top line. Still, stalwarts Jordan Staal and Jordan Martinook remain from previous seasons.
Perhaps we should have written this line up sooner, as they’ve combined for six goals and assists through the season’s first three games. Martinook has been the best player on the line, taking at least two shots and recording an assist in every game. This line’s combined 19.8 DraftKings points per game doesn’t seem like much, but when you take into account its rock-bottom pricing, it has been a screaming value.
Tonight, it will line up against an Anaheim team that’s allowed 12 goals through three games. Goalie Lukas Dostal has struggled in net over the team’s prior 15 home games, allowing 3.14 goals and saving just 74% of the high-danger shots he’s faced. The defensive pairing of Drew Helleson and Pavel Mintyukov hasn’t been much help, allowing 14.52 high-danger shots per 60 minutes in the young season.
This is one you love to watch.
It starts in the D-zone. Simple yet effective stick checks from both Jordan Staal and Jordan Martinook allow the play to continue in the #Canes' direction, and they go to work from there.
And how about the smooth hands on Alexander Nikishin? 👀 pic.twitter.com/gqAzLmhmxO
— Walt Ruff (@WaltRuff) October 15, 2025
NHL DFS Goalie to Target
Jake Allen (NJD - $7,900 DK)
It may seem odd to recommend a goalie against the defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers, but this isn’t the same team that hoisted the trophy in June. It is missing two of its leading scorers, and dating back to last season, the team has scored just 1.02 goals per 60 minutes on the road over the past 10 games.
Tonight will mark its third road game in four nights, and it scored a total of just three goals in the first two games against Philadelphia and Detroit.
Jake Allen looks to be the starter for the foreseeable future in New Jersey with Jacob Markstrom injured. He was strong in his first outing of the year, holding a good Columbus offense to just one goal on 24 shots before getting pulled for cramps. Assuming he’s properly hydrated and his potassium levels have risen to acceptable levels, he'll be good to go.
Allen should be in line for a big game as Florida has averaged 30 shots on goal per game this year, giving him a chance to rack up a big save total. He may be a little too risky for cash games with safer goalies like Connor Hellebuyck, Darcy Kuemper, and Stuart Skinner on the slate, but he has a massive upside and should come in with a low enough ownership to be a stud for tournament lineups.
Others in consideration: Connor Hellebuyck (WPG), Darcy Kuemper (LAK), Stuart Skinner (EDM)
NHL DFS News and Injury Alerts
More DFS Lineup Picks and Analysis
