RADIO
Get today's top DraftKings daily fantasy hockey lineup picks for January 6, 2026. Doug's expert NHL DFS goalies picks, value plays, stacks, and power play picks.
Tonight’s 10-game slate is one of the better ones we’ve seen this year. Top-tier teams like Edmonton and Tampa Bay are in excellent spots, and there’s enough value on the slate to build strong lineups around them. The slate caps off with a potential shootout in San Jose, as the Blue Jackets and Sharks can’t stop anyone and possess potent offenses.
With this being the first Tuesday of the month, DraftKings has loaded up its slate with excellent contests. Six contests cost $20 or less that have a top prize of at least $1,000. Both the $5 Poke Check and $20 Overload have a $10,000 top prize, meaning there’s a lot of money out there for the taking.
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 Tuesday, January 6, 2026, 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 1/6/26
Edmonton Oilers (EDM1 - Connor McDavid, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Zach Hyman; $22,300 DK)
Defensive Addition: Evan Bouchard ($7000 DK)
If this were a smaller slate, I might be less inclined to use such an expensive stack, but the Oilers are very much in play tonight with all the value that can be found on this slate (Tampa, Philly, and Seattle’s third lines all fit with a full Oilers stack). Edmonton has been playing great at home, averaging 2.86 even-strength goals and 13.6 high-danger chances per 60 minutes over the past 10 games.
The quartet of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Connor McDavid, Zach Hyman, and Evan Bouchard has been dominant during this stretch, averaging 5.83 even-strength goals per 60 minutes. Luck hasn’t been a factor, as advanced data support this level of scoring as legitimate.
McDavid has taken his game to another level recently, combining for 36 goals and assists during his current 15-game point scoring streak. In that time, he’s had 10 multi-point games and has exceeded 20 DraftKings points 13 times. Adding to his ridiculous run, McDavid has been awarded the shot bonus on DraftKings in six of his past seven games.
McDavid’s line should see a lot of Nashville’s defensive pairing of Roman Josi and Nick Perbix. The duo has allowed 3.42 expected goals and 14.01 high-danger chances per 60 minutes over their past 10 road games. Goalie Juuse Saros has allowed three or more goals in eight of his past 11 games despite saving 85% of the high-danger shots he’s faced over the team’s past 10 road games.
Connor McDavid’s 15-game point streak:
One-point games: 5
Two-point games: 4
Three-point games: 2
Four-point games: 3
Five-point games: 114G, 22A — 36 PTS#Oilers pic.twitter.com/9Fo7RrAZrR
— Tony Brar 🚀 (@TonyBrarOTV) January 5, 2026
Tampa Bay Lightning (TB1 - Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, Gage Goncalves; $19,000 DK)
Defensive Addition: Darren Raddysh ($6500 DK)
The Avalanche may have one of the league's two most lethal offenses, but their defense has been suspect recently, especially on the road. The team has allowed 2.71 even-strength goals and 14.06 high-danger chances over their past 10 games, and advanced data suggests that they should be even worse. Goalie Scott Wedgewood has surrendered 13 goals over his past four road starts, allowing fewer than three goals just once.
The team’s top defensive pairing of Devon Toews and Cale Makar has been anything but “top” during this slide, allowing 3.73 expected goals and 18.36 high-danger chances. Those high-danger chances are a problem for Wedgewood, as he’s saved fewer than 80% of those shots he’s faced over the team’s previous 10 road games.
Even worse for Colorado is that Toews and Makar should be tasked with stopping Tampa Bay’s top line of Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, Gage Concalves, and white-hot defender Darren Raddysh. The Lightning seem to be turning things around, scoring 2.93 even-strength goals per 60 minutes over their past 10 home games. Raddysh has been a considerable boost to this offense, recording seven goals and assists over his past three games, helping the team score 16 goals.
Kucherov has matched Raddysh’s output, combining for 17 goals and assists during the team’s current seven-game win streak. Point has chipped in with an average of 19 DraftKings points over the past three games, and even Goncalves has contributed with a combined five goals and assists over the past five games. The team is rolling, and Colorado’s poor defense doesn’t look able to slow them down. The Lightning are a great pivot off of Edmonton to save you a few bucks to build a more balanced lineup.
HE'S SOARING 🦅 pic.twitter.com/k8eixUPwPj
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) January 3, 2026
San Jose Sharks (SJ1 - Macklin Celebrini, William Eklund, Igor Chernyshov; $19300 DK)
It’s wild that the Sharks have turned into one of the best offenses in the NHL, but that’s what a generational talent like Macklin Celebrini can do for a team. He’s currently riding a 10-game point scoring streak that’s seen him combine for 20 goals and assists. He’s scored at least 15.5 DraftKings points in nine of those 10 games, exceeding 23 fantasy points six times.
Igor Chernyshov has helped unlock this top line, combining for eight goals and assists in his eight career games. Not coincidentally, the Sharks have scored at least three goals in six of those games, and Chernyshov scored double-digit fantasy points five times. He’s priced at just $4,400, making him one of the best values on the slate.
William Eklund doesn’t have the ceiling of Celebrini, nor does he possess the value of Chernyshov, but he’s been consistently decent when he skates on this line. Since Chernyshov joined the team, Eklund has exceeded 10 DraftKings points five times. Tonight, they’ll face a bad Columbus squad that’s consistently allowed three even-strength goals per 60 minutes when on the road this year.
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
Columbus Blue Jackets (CBJ3 - Boone Jenner, Charlie Coyle, Mathieu Olivier; $11,500 DK)
As great as the San Jose offense has played, their defense is still suspect. The team has allowed 3.59 even-strength goals per 60 minutes over their past 10 home games, resulting in multiple shootout games.
Goalie Yaroslav Askarov, who went through an impressive stretch earlier in the season, has been in a freefall since the calendar turned to December. He’s allowed at least three goals in 11 straight games, facing over 30 shots per contest.
The third line for Columbus has the best matchup on the team. This line played one game together over the team’s past 10 road games, but it was a stellar performance, putting up 8.05 even-strength goals per 60 minutes.
Various iterations of this line have played together in pairs, and all of them have a higher expected goals scored than actual goals scored, meaning they are ready to break out in the right matchup. Tonight, facing Askarov, presents that opportunity for positive goal regression.
NHL DFS Goalie to Target
Dan Vladar (PHI - $8,200 DK)
Dan Vladar has been a beast at home recently, allowing just 1.53 even-strength goals per 60 minutes over the team’s past 10 games. His most significant strength is his calm under pressure, saving over 85% of the high-danger shots he’s faced in this span. He also rarely gets blown out, allowing more than three goals in just four of 24 starts, which has helped him maintain that 14-fantasy-point floor even if he doesn’t face a large shot volume.
Tonight, he gets a Ducks squad that has struggled in their past 10 road games, averaging just 2.09 even-strength goals a slate-low 9.01 high-danger chances per 60 minutes. They’ll also be playing their second game in as many nights, which makes them an offense we want to pick on with our goalie.
Overall, Vladar has scored at least 14.4 DraftKings points in 12 of his past 16 games, giving him one of the highest floors of any goalie in the league. Vladar scored more than 20 fantasy points just once this year, limiting his upside in tournaments, but his consistency is perfect for cash games.
Others in consideration: Andrei Vasilevskiy (TB), Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (BUF), Connor Hellebuyck (WPG)
NHL DFS News and Injury Alerts
More DFS Lineup Picks and Analysis
