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Get today's top DraftKings daily fantasy hockey lineup picks for November 26, 2025. Doug's expert NHL DFS goalies picks, value plays, stacks, and power play picks.
In its infinite wisdom, the NHL has decided to get crazy with its slate sizing, giving us one game on Tuesday, 15 tonight, zero on Thanksgiving, and then 15 more on Friday. Way to go, NHL! As usual, when a slate gets this large, I severely limit my player pool relative to the slate size, so I am only using lines with premium matchups.
While 10 teams may be highlighted on the Heat Map, my personal pool will consist of half that many. I want the lines highlighted in blue and green only, and will only look at yellow lines if pricing requires it (e.g., if I wanted to use a four-man Avalanche stack). Not coincidentally, my four favorite lines from those will be highlighted in tonight’s article.
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 Wednesday, November 26, 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.
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NHL DFS Analysis And Picks For 11/26/25
Anaheim Ducks (ANH1 - Leo Carlsson, Beckett Sennecke, Cutter Gauthier; $17600 DK)
Defensive Addition: Jackson LaCombe ($4900 DK)
The Ducks check every box tonight, which makes them my top stack for tournaments. The team has been white-hot at home, averaging 3.03 even-strength goals per 60 minutes. Despite their success, the team decided to shift their lines to get all of their young studs skating together. No longer are Beckett Sennecke and Gutter Gauthier saddled with Mason McTavish; instead, they are joined by 20-year-old stud Leo Carlsson (13.8 DraftKings points per game at home).
Interestingly, Gauthier and Sennecke have each recorded at least one goal or assist in their past four games, yet they’re both priced ridiculously low. Gauthier hasn’t been this cheap in two weeks, while Sennecke hasn’t been priced this low since October 14. I don’t understand it, but I’m surely taking advantage of it. Defender Jackson LaCombe is a worthy fourth man for this stack, having scored over 20 DraftKings points in two of his past four games.
The other reason I’m so high on Anaheim is their outstanding matchup. Vancouver is due for significant defensive regression, having allowed 0.61 fewer goals than expected on the road this season. Their biggest weakness is in front of the net, as they’ve allowed a slate-high 15.45 high-danger chances per 60 minutes on the road.
Defenders Elias Pettersson and Filip Hronek have allowed 16.4 high-danger chances per 60 minutes, making them one of the most exploitable duos on the slate. Goalie Jiri Patera has only played one game this year, but he allowed seven goals in a losing effort against Florida.
Leo Carlsson continues his breakout season (as a superstar); assist on game-tying goal puts him in tie for fifth in points across NHL at 29 with Jack Eichel and William Nylanderpic.twitter.com/bT8u4gMzEr
— Taylor Blake Ward (@TaylorBlakeWard) November 23, 2025
Washington Capitals (WSH1 - Anthony Beauvillier, Dylan Strome, Alex Ovechkin; $16200 DK)
Defensive Addition: Jakob Chychrun ($6300 DK)
Who is Jets’ goalie Thomas Milic? He’s a rookie making his first start after a successful run in the AHL. Maybe his good play continues in the NHL, but this is not a good spot for him to make his debut. He may be down a defender with Neal Pionk banged up, but even if Pionk plays, he hasn’t been great.
In fact, the entire Jets’ defense has been poor, allowing 12.46 high-danger chances per 60 minutes on the road. Although they’ve only allowed 2.16 even-strength goals per 60 minutes, a lot of that had to do with strong goalie play, which no longer exists with Connor Hellebuyck on the shelf. Advanced data shows that Winnipeg has allowed 0.71 fewer goals than expected on the road, meaning negative defensive regression is coming.
The Capitals have precisely the kind of offense that can bring said regression. The team averages 3.22 even-strength goals and 14.38 high-danger chances per 60 minutes at home, meaning Milic can expect to feel a ton of pressure in front of the net. Dylan Strome is playing the best hockey of his career, recording a combined 20 goals and assists in 21 games.
Alex Ovechkin is warming up, scoring six goals in his past six games. Jakob Chychrun is one of the best fantasy defenders in the league, with only Cale Makar averaging more than his 13.5 DraftKings points per game. Conveniently, they fit perfectly with an Anaheim Ducks stack.
Buffalo Sabres (BUF1 - Josh Doan, Alex Tuch, Tage Thompston; $19400 DK)
Defensive Addition: Rasmus Dahlin ($6900)
It’s hard to imagine the Sabers and Penguins game not being a shootout, given how poor both defenses are. Pittsburgh has allowed 3.14 even-strength goals per 60 minutes at home, which is even worse when Artus Silovs is in goal. He’s allowed 4.21 goals per game; three or more in four of five games. Defenders Ryan Shea and Kris Letang have allowed opposing lines to score 3.27 expected goals and 37.33 scoring chances at home, making them the line we want to attack.
Buffalo’s top line should see the most time against Shea and Letang. They’ve finally put Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch back together and have added Josh Doan as the third skater. Doan has spent most of the year on Buffalo’s second line and has been very productive for a value play with 57 shots on goal and a combined 15 goals and assists in 22 games.
His aggression keeps his floor high, with 12 games of three or more shots on goal. Defender Rasmus Dahlin is the quarterback of the power play, and he’s scored at least 11.3 DraftKings points in four of his past five games. He makes for an excellent fourth man for your Sabres’ stack.
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— 🇺🇦Shockmain (@Shockmain) January 6, 2023
NHL DFS Value Stack of the Night
Pittsburgh Penguins (PIT2 - Anthony Mantha, Evgeni Malkin, Kevin Hayes; $12300 DK)
As bad as the Penguins are defensively at home, the Sabres are that much worse on the road, allowing 3.81 even-strength goals per 60 minutes. Goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has been awful, allowing over four goals per game and saving fewer than 70% of the high-danger shots he’s faced on the road.
The team’s defensive pairing of Conor Timmins and Bowen Byram may be one of the worst in the league. They have surrendered 4.31 expected goals, 46.21 scoring chances, and 21.95 high-danger chances per 60 minutes; all of which are the worst of any pairing on the slate.
Pittsburgh’s second line is led by the ageless Evgeni Malkin, who has a combined 24 goals and assists in 21 games. He’s a little pricey for a “value” play at $6200, but he’s joined by Anthony Mantha and Kevin Hayes, whose combined price is less than what Malkin costs by himself. This line fits nicely with the Sabres for a game stack of what could be the highest-scoring game of the night.
NHL DFS Goalie to Target
Andrei Vasilevskiy (TB - $8400 DK)
I almost wrote about Yaroslav Askarov for the fifth-straight time, given how well he’s playing. However, a matchup against the Avalanche is not one to take lightly, and he’s relegated to tournament-only lineups. Meanwhile, Andrei Vasilevskiy is on an Askarov-like run of his own.
He has scored 15.8 DraftKings points or more in six of his last seven starts, including four straight of 17.9 or more fantasy points. He’s allowed a total of three goals in those four games, saving 97% of the 100 shots he’s faced.
Tonight, he faces the Calgary Flames, who have allowed the most fantasy points to opposing goalies. Vasi is expensive at $8400, but given how large the slate is, it won’t be hard to find enough value to fit him into your lineup in cash games. There’s nobody safer, and he’s worth the price. It wouldn’t surprise me if his ownership is low in tournaments, given his high cost, which actually makes him a half-decent play in those formats as well.
"You're 80% on your way to a win when he plays like that." - @KevinWeekes
Andrei Vasilevskiy is playing at his peak right now!
📺: Watch #NHLNow weekdays at 5p ET on NHL Network pic.twitter.com/TMZ10TVy3p
— NHL Media (@NHLMedia) November 25, 2025
Others in consideration: Joey Daccord (SEA), Spencer Knight (CHI), Yaroslav Askarov (SJ), Jakub Dobes (MTL)
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