NHL DFS Lineup Picks for DraftKings: Goalies, Value Plays, Stacks, and Power Plays Picks (10/10/26)

October 10, 2026

Get today's top DraftKings daily fantasy hockey lineup picks for October 10, 2026. Doug's expert NHL DFS goalies picks, value plays, stacks, and power play picks.

Happy Saturday, RotoBallers! The NHL team is on fire right now, producing nightly wins from the Heat Map, this article, our Discord, and our betting content. This hot start has a lot to do with the matchups we target and how we use them to build strong DFS lineups.

Tonight’s slate will give us several opportunities to either chase the chalk in Colorado or pivot to more balanced lineup builds. No matter how you build your team, we’ve got you covered with all our content options. We have a clear roadmap for building tonight’s slate, so read on to see what we do with the Avs and how we shift to create lineups that fade the chalk.

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 DraftKings NHL DFS contests on Saturday, October 10, at 7:00 p.m. ET. Also check out RotoBaller's awesome NHL tools, including our Lineup Optimizer, Research Station, and Heat Map.

NHL DFS Analysis And Picks For 10/10/26

Colorado Avalanche (COL1 - Nathan MacKinnon, Nazem Kadri, Arturri Lehkonen; $21400 DK)

Defensive Addition: Cale Makar ($7600 DK)

As someone who's been doing this for 10 years, I can tell you a few things are less enjoyable than writing up a stack like Colorado. It feels insulting to have to tell you to play Nathan MacKinnon, the game's most dominant fantasy asset. It’s also a challenge, and not the fun kind, to dig for information about him that you don’t already know to keep things interesting. 

Instead, I’ll remind you that Colorado is averaging 5.75 even-strength goals per 60 minutes, they’ve scored six or more goals in three of four games, and MacKinnon has been his usual explosive self with three goals, five assists, and 15 shots on goal through four games. He’s scored 24 or more fantasy points three times, and he makes everyone around him better. 

Arturri Lehkonen has scored 19 or more DraftKings points in half of his games, and Cale Makar is the perfect running mate for MacKinnon, producing three goals, three assists, and 16 SABS (shots and blocked shots) this year. He’s averaging 18 fantasy points per game and is a must with any Avalanche stack. 

The team will face a Toronto squad that allows 2.85 even-strength goals per 60 minutes, and goalie Sergei Bobrovsky has saved fewer than 90% of shots he’s faced on the road over his previous 15 games. The team’s defensive pairing of Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Troy Stecher has surrendered 14.69 high-danger chances per 60 minutes so far this year, which is not good when facing the most dangerous line in hockey. Ho-hum, Colorado should dominate tonight, and with so much value on the slate, they are easy to stack. Get your exposure and find somewhere else to be different. 

Carolina Hurricanes (CAR2 - Logan Stankoven, Jackson Blake, Taylor Hall; $14700 DK)

Carolina came through for us on Thursday, and we are going right back to the well tonight. I mentioned that day that the ‘Canes came out slowly this year, perhaps coming off a playoff hangover, but underlying data suggested a surge was coming. They popped the slate for seven goals and once again have a fantastic road matchup in Chicago. 

The second line of Logan Stankoven, Jackson Blake, and Taylor Hall combined for three goals, four assists, and 12 shots on goal, for 78.8 DraftKings points. While you can't expect that kind of outburst every time they take the ice, it shows what this line can do when the matchup is right. The Blackhawks have given up 3.15 even-strength goals and 13.33 high-danger chances per 60 minutes this year, numbers only surpassed on this slate by the Calgary Flames.  

Can you smell what Stankoven is cookin'⁉️

Logan Stankoven notched his first career hat trick and 100th career point 👏 https://t.co/TT57Za1qUa

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 9, 2026

Chicago goalie Spencer Knight has been atrocious at home since last season, allowing 3.49 even-strength goals while saving only 79.7% of the high-danger shots he’s faced over his previous 15 games. This season, he’s allowed 10 goals in three games, including two four-goal games. The Hawks have shuffled their defensive pairings, and the new duos have far better advanced metrics than the prior ones, but the sample size is small and not nearly as reliable as what we’ve seen this team do over the last year. 

This line is inexpensive enough that you can build a balanced lineup with it, avoiding the punts you’d need if you jam in Colorado’s top line. The baseline for this trio isn’t as high as the Avs', but the overall lineup structure you get by using the defending champs is equally appealing. 

Ottawa Senators (OTT1 - Tim Stuetzle, Drake Batherson, Warren Foegele; $14400 DK)

Defensive Addition: Carter Yakemchuk ($3600)

This article may feel a little like deja vu, as all three of the main teams we are focusing on are repeats, but this is a very different line than what we promoted on Thursday for our Ottawa exposure. In that game, we liked their third line; here, we like the big boys up top. 

We have been picking on Nashville’s Roman Josi for nearly two years with great success, and in this game he and linemate Nick Hague will try to stop the Senators' top trio of Tim Steutzle, Drake Batherson, and Warren Foegele. This looks like a tall order, as the pairing hasn’t stopped anyone yet this year, surrendering an expected 3.42 even-strength goals, 35.52 scoring chances, and 18.47 high-danger chances. Goalie Juuse Saros has been awful when pressured, saving just 76.1% of the high-danger shots he’s faced on the road over the team’s prior 15 games dating back to last season. 

Foegele is a new addition to the line with William Eklund injured, but he’s scored 20 goals twice with Los Angeles and Edmonton and has top-line experience. He comes in priced at just $2700, making him an easy add to a balanced lineup. Stuetzle has stepped up this year, recording six points in four games, including two multi-point outings. Batherson hasn’t been quite as explosive, but he has two double-digit fantasy-point nights and has taken at least two shots on goal in each of the team’s first four games. 

If star defender Jake Sanderson remains out of the lineup, Carter Yakemchuk looks to skate with the top power-play unit with Stuetzle and Batherson once again. He’s a bargain at $3600, and adding him to your stack will help differentiate your lineup and allow you to spend up at your second defender position.

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!

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— 🇺🇦Shockmain (@Shockmain) January 6, 2023

NHL DFS Value Stack of the Night

Pittsburgh Penguins (PIT3 - Ben Kindel, Hendrix Lapierre, Ville Koivunen; $9800 DK)

The Penguins have started the season hotter than anyone expected, averaging 3.84 even-strength goals and 16.98 high-danger chances per 60 minutes over their first four games. Much of the damage has come from their top two lines, but the matchup tonight favors their third line. 

This line isn’t like many other third lines, as Ben Kindel features on the team’s top power play, and Hendrix Lapierre has already skated on the top even-strength line earlier this year.  Kindel has been a revelation, scoring at least one point in each of the team’s first three games and averaging over 14 DraftKings points. 

BEN KINDEL GETS THE PENGUINS ON THE BOARD

NO HIGH STICK HERE https://t.co/0CzYsJ6Ij4

— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) October 6, 2026

They’ll face a Dallas defense that has looked good, but advanced data suggests they could be due for a negative regression. The team has surrendered just 0.62 even-strength goals per 60 minutes, 1.67 goals fewer than expected. Their defensive pairing of Miro Heiskanen and Esa Lindell hasn’t been exposed yet, but they've allowed 3.4 expected goals per 60 minutes, so we want to attack them. 

Goalie Jake Oettinger has been fantastic this year, but his results have outpaced expectations. He’s allowed half a goal fewer per 60 minutes than expected, while saving just 83.7% of the high-danger shots he’s faced on the road over the team’s past 15 games dating back to last year. 

None of those numbers are mind-blowingly bad, but they show that Oettinger, and the team in general, could be vulnerable and worth taking shots at. Pittsburgh’s third line aligns very well with Colorado’s top line in a stack, making them a prime target if you wanted to go all in with the big boys out west.

NHL DFS Goalie to Target

Linus Ullmark (OTT - $8000 DK)

I need to give some love to Ilya Sorokin, who has allowed just three goals in three games and is averaging 22.2 DraftKings points per game. He’s inexpensive at just $7300 and should face a ton of volume against the Lightning. He’s not getting written up because Tampa Bay can make even the best goalies look overmatched, and Linus Ullmark is simply the safer option. 

I was going to write Ullmark up on Thursday, but his status was in doubt after getting banged up earlier in the week. He played in that game and was remarkable, saving 28 of 29 shots and scoring 22.1 fantasy points against the Flyers. That game was his third strong start of the year, continuing right where he left off at the end of last season. 

Since then, he has allowed just 1.95 even-strength goals per 60 minutes over the team’s last 15 home games. Tonight he faces a Nashville squad that has struggled out of the gate, scoring just 1.56 even-strength goals per 60 minutes on the young season. Our biggest issue with Ullmark will be shot volume, as Nashville only takes 22.8 shots on goal per game. 

We had the same concern with Jake Oettinger on Thursday, and he still managed to produce 28.2 DraftKings points despite seeing just 26 shots. It helps that he didn’t allow a goal that game, but with the way Ullmark is playing, it’s reasonable to expect him to surrender no more than two goals. If that’s the case, he should have the floor we need to be a viable cash play, even if someone like Sorokin is better suited for our tournament lineups. 

Others in consideration: Ilya Sorokin (NYI), Joel Hofer, Mackenzie Blackwood (COL)

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