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Get today's top DraftKings daily fantasy hockey lineup picks for October 29, 2026. Doug's expert NHL DFS goalies picks, value plays, stacks, and power play picks.
For the second time this week, we have a big slate without monster teams like Toronto, Edmonton, and Colorado. We won’t see the Florida Panthers, and my boys, the Golden Knights, aren't taking the ice tonight either. Still, it's an awesome night of hockey.
Even with those big boys off the slate, we have maybe the best offense, with the league's hottest player taking the ice. They will be going up against one of the league's best goalies. Who is this mystery team? Do we still like them? You'll have to read on to find out.
I aim to help you narrow your plays to get the most bang for your DFS buck. NHL Premium members can find the RotoBaller NHL family on Discord, where the chat is always active. I'll bring my NHL lineup picks, analysis, and advice for DraftKings NHL DFS contests on Thursday, October 29 at 7:00 p.m. ET. Also 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 10/29/26
Tampa Bay Lightning (TB1 - Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, Gage Goncalves; $16800 DK)
Defensive Addition: Charle-Edouard D’Astous ($3500 DK)
The Winnipeg Jets have been so bad defensively this year that two Tampa Bay lines looked appealing on the Heat Map. I’m going with their top line because nobody else on the team matches Nikita Kucherov's upside. The Lightning's all-time leading scorer has started the year strong, with four goals, ten assists, and an average of 13 DraftKings points per game. That number increases to 15.6 points per game at home, where the Lightning average 3.26 even-strength goals and 15.29 high-danger chances per 60 minutes.
This line should be spending significant time against the defensive pairing of Neil Pionk and Dylan Samberg, who have surrendered 3.41 expected goals and 17.17 high-danger chances per 60 minutes on the road. Goalie Stuart Skinner has been tremendous all year, but his 93% success rate against high-danger shots is bound to dip given the high volume he faces every game.
Skinner hasn’t allowed more than four goals in any game, but he's given up at least two every time out. He's lost four straight starts, averaging 2.75 goals allowed. I’m trusting Tampa's offense and Winnipeg's poor defense, and I'm running the Lightning out as one of my top stacks tonight.
Carolina Hurricanes (CAR1 - Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov, William Carrier; $16800 DK)
Defensive Addition: Shayne Gostisbehere ($4200 DK)
Jet Greaves is a terrible goalie. He’s allowed at least three goals in four of his five starts this year. I am going to target him anytime he is on the slate. In front of him sits the defensive pairing of Denton Mateychuk and Jake Christiansen. They are among the league's worst pairings, allowing 5.32 expected goals per 60 minutes on the road. They are also the players I want to attack every time they are on the ice.
Facing the defending Stanley Cup champions, a team that has scored 0.75 fewer goals than expected per 60 minutes at home, is a bonus. Positive regression is heading to Carolina, which is why I featured them on Tuesday. Their top line of Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov, and William Carrier responded with one goal, two assists, and 11 shots on goal.
While it wasn’t their best game, it was still a fine performance for a team that cost less than $17,000. I’m betting on home cooking and a great matchup over bad luck and an early-season slump from tired legs after a Stanley Cup run. Carrier and his $2800 price tag make this a very affordable stack you can pair with another top team to build a strong tournament lineup.
Minnesota Wild (MIN1 - Joel Eriksson Ek, Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy; $23800 DK)
Defensive Addition: Quinn Hughes ($6800)
Outside of Connor McDavid, has anyone been playing better hockey than Kirill Kaprizov? He has 14 goals in 14 games, nine assists, and at least two points in seven of his last 10 games. He's fallen below 16.5 DraftKings points only twice in that run, and he's failed to produce double-digit fantasy points just once. I don’t care who he’s playing; you need exposure to him on a night devoid of big stars.
OH. MY. GOODNESS. 🫨
Kirill Kaprizov now has his 14th goal in just 14 games! https://t.co/cEjfarZCCh
— NHL (@NHL) October 28, 2026
Matt Boldy hasn’t had a ceiling as high as Kaprizov, but his shot volume gives him a high floor every night. He's taken at least three shots in 12 of 14 games this season, earning the shot bonus in six. Joel Eriksson Ek is the “weak” link on the line, averaging 11.2 fantasy points per game. For many teams, that would make him the leading point scorer, but in Minnesota he ranks third on his own line.
Ek has stepped up his level of aggression this year, taking at least three shots in nine of his last 11 games. He has at least one point in eight of his past 10. Besides Edmonton, I don’t think any grouping in this league has been more consistently excellent than Minnesota’s top line. Even against Ilya Sorokin, one of the best goalies in the NHL, I’m willing to pay up to take shots with this high-powered offense.
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— 🇺🇦Shockmain (@Shockmain) January 6, 2023
NHL DFS Value Stack of the Night
Nashville Predators (NSH1 - Ryan O’Reilly, Steven Stamkos, Mavrik Bourque; $14400 DK)
Most nights it’s very easy to find a value line because I just run to my heat map and see which one popped. The problem tonight is that no traditional value lines look to be in a great position. Thankfully, aside from wanting to save money to run a full stack of Minnesota, this slate doesn’t need much heavy value.
Nashville is far from a great offense, but they have a good matchup against a Washington team playing its second game in as many nights. The Caps have allowed just 2.29 even-strength goals per 60 minutes on the road, but advanced data suggest this number is more than half a goal below what they should allow. They also allow nearly 13 high-danger chances per 60 minutes, while the Predators score one full goal fewer per 60 minutes than expected at home.
Ryan O’Reilly has been on a tear, putting up 13 points in 12 games and failing to score a point in just three. He has scored at least 15 DraftKings points in five of his last seven games and taken at least four shots in three of his past six. He is still priced at $5500, making him one of the better values on the night.
If at first you don't succeed, try, try again 👊 https://t.co/DWJPKFOD24
— Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) October 26, 2026
Steven Stamkos may be playing even better, recording 15 points in 12 games. Clearly, this duo isn't why Nashville has been underperforming at home. I have no problem pairing them up in a balanced lineup with pieces from Tampa and Minnesota thrown in for massive upside.
NHL DFS Goalie to Target
Arturs Silovs (PIT - $7500 DK)
About a week ago, I added another layer to my goalie projections. Arturs Silovs wasn’t on my initial radar, but he immediately jumped to the top when I added this extra line of data. He came out and pitched a 28-save shutout. Since then, the model has had its ups and downs, but it has correctly identified a number of goalies I wouldn't normally have featured.
The biggest change is factoring in potential shots faced more than I ever have, because shots equal saves and saves equal points in DFS. The man who started it all finds his way back at the top of my rankings, as Silovs takes on a pesky Utah team struggling to find its footing on the road.
The Mammoth take 30+ shots per game but have scored just 1.82 even-strength goals per 60 minutes on the road. Silovs has allowed just 1.27 goals per game and saved nearly 92% of the high-danger shots he faced at home. His play is unsustainable long term, but given Utah's struggles and aggressive play, he could once again be in line for a big game. At just $7500, he offers tremendous tournament value and is a fine play for cash games.
Others in consideration: Jesper Wallstedt (MIN), Stuart Skinner (WPG), Jeremy Swayman (BOS), Karel Vejmelka (UTA), Pyotr Kochetkov (CAR)
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