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Get today's top DraftKings daily fantasy hockey lineup picks for October 1, 2026. Doug's expert NHL DFS goalies picks, value plays, stacks, and power play picks.
After a strong first article of the season, thanks to both the Vegas and Vancouver third lines, we look to come back strong once again for the second big slate of the year. Edmonton is the late-game hammer again, but this time we won’t ask Connor McDavid’s line to bring us home.
Elsewhere on the slate, teams like Tampa and San Jose will play their first games of the season, while Chicago looks to rebound off a bad first game. Columbus has a new-look top line after trading for Matthew Knies earlier in the week, while Florida and New Jersey look to bounce back after struggling in their first games of the year.
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NHL DFS Analysis And Picks For 10/1/26
Utah Mammoth (UTA1 - Nick Schmaltz, Clayton Keller, Vincent Trocheck; $17000 DK)
Defensive Addition: Mikhail Sergachev ($5400 DK)
The data has Utah’s top line as our stack of the night, and it’s not remotely close. The Mammoth were strong in the preseason, averaging 3.07 even-strength goals per 60 minutes over their four games. Nick Schmaltz and Clayton Keller were money at home last season, averaging 5.2 more DraftKings points per game at home than on the road.
🚨 Captain Kells in the mix!
2-0, Utah. pic.twitter.com/Bsu96vOVxY
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) September 23, 2026
They also combined for 23 shots on goal in four games against Chicago, averaging 5.75 per game. Vincent Trocheck joins them, coming off a 53-point season for the Rangers. This line will get to share the ice with Chicago’s defensive pairing of Wyatt Kaiser and Artyom Levshunov.
That duo allowed 4.25 expected goals, 20.51 high-danger chances, and 37.11 scoring chances per 60 minutes on the road last season. The Blackhawks got pummeled by Vegas in the season opener and will be on the road again tonight. Spencer Knight isn’t a bad goalie, but he saw more shots per game than any other goalie on tonight’s slate, and with the poor defense in front of him, those shots will be hard to stop.
Utah is priced right to stack with another top stack. Using them avoids relying on one of the value stacks you'll need if you’re looking to roster Tampa, Edmonton, or Minnesota, all of whom are in worse spots than the Mammoth.
New Jersey Devils (NJD1 - Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, Anthony Mantha; $18300 DK)
Defensive Addition: Luke Hughes ($4500 DK)
The Flyers looked to be in a good spot last night against the Penguins, then allowed five goals through the first two periods. That was with Dan Vladar in net, while tonight Joseph Woll will be between the pipes for Philly. Woll struggled on the road last year as a Maple Leaf, giving up 3.36 even-strength goals over the team’s final 20 games of the season.
His biggest issue was high-danger shots, and he stopped just 78.5% of them in those games. One of the pairings charged with helping Woll is Cam York and Jamie Drysdale, who gave up 26.17 high-danger chances per 60 minutes over the last half of last season. They’ll line up against the top line for the Devils.
New Jersey was one of the more aggressive teams in the preseason, averaging 12.35 even-strength high-danger chances and 2.78 expected goals per 60 minutes. Jack Hughes leads the way, entering this year off an epic run to end last year.
He scored double-digit fantasy points in eight of his final 10 games, including five games with 25+ DraftKings points. In his lone game against the Flyers, he took five shots on goal; a number he achieved in five of the last 10 games of last year.
Jesper Bratt joins him on New Jersey’s top line, coming off a 50-assist season. Anthony Mantha joined the team in free agency and had his best season, scoring 33 goals in 2025-26. He should be primed for a big game and a big season, skating next to a pair of 50-assist forwards. At just $4500, he’s one of the best values on tonight’s slate.
San Jose Sharks (SJS1 - Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, Mason Marchment; $18600 DK)
Defensive Addition: Luca Cagnoni ($3100 DK)
San Jose has one of the league's most exciting young teams, and although top draft pick Ivar Stenburg isn’t there, the top line has upside with phenom Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith leading the way. Celebrini was a legitimate MVP candidate last year, racking up 45 goals en route to a 115-point season. He averaged over four shots on goal per game, giving him a nice floor even in games where he didn’t deposit one in the back of the net.
His emergence benefitted Will Smith, who contributed with 24 goals and 59 points. He finished strong with five multi-point games over the season’s final month. Mason Marchment joins the line, coming over from Columbus via Dallas. He finished the year strong, scoring nine points over the season’s final eight games. He provides necessary salary relief at just $4500.
Macklin Celebrini rips home his first of the preseason 🚀 pic.twitter.com/yb8YSSd0cu
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) September 27, 2026
Jacob Markstrom will be in net for the Panthers in this game, and he struggled last year in New Jersey, saving just 78.9% of the high-danger shots he faced over the season’s final 20 road games. He gave up three or more goals in nine of his final 11 starts. He looked good on Tuesday, but having a road game in San Jose just two nights after starting the season in Carolina is a big ask against an aggressive Sharks’ offense.
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NHL DFS Value Stack of the Night
Minnesota Wild (MIN3 - Yakov Trinen, Bobby Brink, Ryan Hartman; $10900 DK)
A shocking number of third lines are in good spots tonight, but none have a matchup as good as Minnesota. The Wild will head into Nashville to face a Predators team that was awful defensively last season. Goalie Juuse Saros allowed 3.66 goals per game over his final 20 road games, saving just 76.7% of the high-danger shots he faced. He gave up at least two goals in 28 of his final 29 starts, surrendering three or more goals 25 times.
The defensive pairing of Brady Skjei and Nick Perbix did him no favors, giving up 4.31 expected goals, 16.58 high-danger chances, and 35.93 scoring chances per 60 minutes at even strength at home over the season’s final 20 games. Those numbers make them one of the most vulnerable pairings on the slate. Last season, Skjei and Perbix faced Minnesota’s third line when the teams met, and I expect the same tonight.
Although this line isn’t known for lighting the lamp, Ryan Hartman has some upside, having scored 26 goals last season. Bobby Brink brings his 15 goals from Philly, and Yakov Trenin is priced at just $2500, meaning he is a steal if he records one assist or takes a small handful of shots or blocks. This line won’t win you a tournament on its own, but it complements a high-priced stack like Edmonton well and just needs a little contribution to be a worthwhile click.
NHL DFS Goalie to Target
Jet Greaves (CBJ - $7900 DK)
Few goalies on tonight’s slate can match Jet Greaves' run at the end of last season. He allowed just 1.86 goals and saved over 85% of the high-danger shots he faced over his final 20 home starts. He allowed more than three goals in just one start in the season’s final month. He also faced a decent volume of shots, as Columbus allowed 28.8 per game last season. Volume is great for a goalie, even if they let in a few, as those fractional points add up quickly.
If Columbus can add a win, which isn’t out of the question against an average Buffalo team that no longer has high-scoring Alex Tuch, then Greaves could put up a tournament-winning score. The loss of Tuch can’t be understated, and Buffalo looked “off” in the preseason, scoring just 2.21 goals and producing fewer than 10 high-danger chances per 60 minutes.
Meanwhile, the Blue Jackets gave up just 1.89 even-strength goals per 60 minutes in the preseason, and all of their defensive pairings are better than average. Andrei Vasilevskiy or Karel Vejmelka may be better cash-game goalies, but Greaves looks like one of the strongest tournament options on the slate, priced at just $7900.
Others in consideration: Andrei Vasilevskiy (TB), Karel Vejmelka (UTA), Yaroslav Askarov (SJ)
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