NHL DFS Lineup Picks for DraftKings: Goalies, Value Plays, Stacks, and Power Plays Picks (10/15/26)

October 15, 2026

Get today's top DraftKings daily fantasy hockey lineup picks for October 15, 2026. Doug's expert NHL DFS goalies picks, value plays, stacks, and power play picks.

After a wild Tuesday night that saw every team in action, we settle back down tonight with “only” 11 games on the slate. You’ll notice that many of the names and lines I’m writing up will be familiar from that article, and from articles even earlier than that. Remember, I’m not trying to make each write-up unique; I'm looking for exploitable matchups we can use to make money. 

Good teams tend to show up more often in the Heat Map, which is the primary resource we use to decide who gets highlighted here. A few of those teams are in advantageous spots again tonight. We’ve been running good all year, so if it ain’t broke, I ain’t fixing it.

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 15, 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 10/15/26

Vegas Golden Knights (VGK1 - Jack Eichel, Ivan Barbashev, Mark Stone; $19500 DK)

Defensive Addition: Shea Theodore ($4700 DK)

As I said on Tuesday, I will stop writing up the Golden Knights when they stop performing. The team has scored just 2.1 even-strength goals per 60 minutes at home this year, but advanced data suggests they should have scored nearly a full goal more. Jack Eichel and Mark Stone have combined for 27.7 DraftKings points per game this year, individually scoring more than 20 fantasy points five times. 

Ivan Barbashev skates on the top line with them, but Tomas Hertl joins them on the power play and has four goals on the season. Using him is a way to differentiate your stack while still maintaining correlation. Defender Shea Theodore slowed after a hot start, but he’s averaging more than twice as many fantasy points at home (10.7 DraftKings points), making him a worthy fourth man for your stack at just $4700.

Tonight they’ll get a prime matchup against the Flames, who have surrendered 2.7 even-strength goals per 60 minutes on the road. Goalie Dustin Wolf has been one of the league's worst, allowing 18 goals in four starts, including three games with four or more. If Devin Cooley ends up in net for Calgary, that’s fine, because he’s allowed 10 goals in two games, making him just as vulnerable as Wolf. 

The team’s defensive pairing of Jake Middleton and Zayne Parekh has allowed 14.4 high-danger chances and 33.6 scoring chances per 60 minutes on the road. Parekh is one of the league's more promising young defenders, while Middleton is a veteran we’ve picked on for years in Minnesota. I’m more than happy to continue that tradition now that he’s mentoring Parekh north of the border. 

Edmonton Oilers (EMD1 - Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Vasily Podkolzin $25400 DK)

Defensive Addition: Evan Bouchard ($7800 DK)

I mentioned the other day how boring it is to write about the same team multiple days in a row, and we are there again with the Oilers, but do you know what isn’t boring? Winning money is, and Edmonton has been a printing press all season. 

The team continued their onslaught Tuesday night, scoring four goals in Los Angeles, the sixth time in six games they’ve scored at least three. What made this game special was that the top line of Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Vasily Podkolzin, and defender Evan Bouchard accounted for all four goals and seven assists. If you entered that game below the cash line, as I did, they single-handedly ran you into profit. 

That’s the power of the Oilers: they give you more hope than any other team of making money every time you put them in your lineup. The problem with the Oilers is that you have to sacrifice other spots in your lineup to fit their high salaries. Thankfully, despite their strong Tuesday showing, the price on a full stack dropped $300, giving you a bit of wiggle room. 

If you punt a $7100 goalie like Joey Daccord, you're left with $2675 for each of your other four positions. Thankfully, I’ve got two lines that popped in the Heat Map and you can fully stack them with Edmonton: TB3 and FLA4. They’re far from sure things, but the correlation a full stack brings increases your chances for success exponentially compared to filling your team with random punts. 

I realize I didn’t even mention their matchup while gushing over the upside the team brings. It’s a plus matchup once again, lining up against Utah’s defensive pairing of John Marino and Nate Schmidt. Together, they’ve allowed three expected goals and 14.99 high-danger chances per 60 minutes on the road this year. Goalie Karel Vejmelka has saved just 75.9% of the high-danger shots he’s faced on the road over the team’s past 15 games dating back to last season. Fire away! 

Chicago Blackhawks (CHI1 - Connor Bedard, Patrick Kane, Roman Kantserov; $17000 DK)

Defensive Addition: Bowen Byram ($4000)

Although I’ve enjoyed playing Edmonton and Vegas all season, it is nice to explore some variety in my lineups. Connor Bedard returned to the Chicago lineup on Tuesday night and immediately paid dividends, helping the Blackhawks score a season-high five goals and lead them to their second win of the year. Bedard had just one assist and three shots on goal, but linemate Roman Kantserov picked up the slack with two goals and four shots. 

That marked his second straight game scoring, a sign of things to come for the young Russian sniper. Veteran Patrick Kane has just two goals this year, but he has multiple games with four or more shots on goal, and I don’t count anything this team did before Bedard’s return. 

ROMAN KANTSEROV SCORES OFF A PASS FROM CONNOR BEDARD!!! https://t.co/FQTfSQnvJt

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 14, 2026

They host Winnipeg tonight to face one of the league's luckiest defenses this season. The Jets have allowed just 1.87 even-strength goals per 60 minutes, but advanced data suggests that number should be two full goals higher. Their biggest weakness is letting opponents play aggressively, as they’ve surrendered just shy of 20 high-danger chances per 60 minutes. 

Goalie Stuart Skinner struggles with those, having saved just 76.7% of the high-danger shots he’s faced on the road over his team’s past 15 games dating back to last season. Winnipeg has allowed over 28 shots on goal per game this year, yet Skinner has allowed more than two goals in only one of four starts. This data screams regression, and with Bedard back in the fold, the scrappy Blackhawks should benefit big. They’ll carry next to no ownership, and their prices make it easy to pair them with a team like Vegas.

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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NHL DFS Value Stack of the Night

Detroit Red Wings (DET2 - Alex DeBrincat, Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, Emmitt Finnie; $13800 DK)

Most of the lines we like tonight won’t require you to punt to pair them with anything other than Edmonton, but I already alluded to the stacks I like to pair them with. This lets us spend a little more than normal on our value stack, which brings us to Detroit. The Red Wings get a juicy home matchup against a Flyers team that has stumbled out of the game to start the year. 

Philly goalie Dan Vladar has given up 17 goals in four starts and has surrendered fewer than three just once. He’s lost every start and has seen at least 31 shots on goal in each. He has multiple defensive pairings in front of him who haven’t stopped anyone, but we are focusing on Jamie Drysdale and Nick Seeler tonight. That duo has allowed 5.17 expected goals and 36 scoring chances per 60 minutes on the road. 

They haven't helped their goalies, and tonight they will try to defend against newly resigned Alex DeBrincat and company. DeBrincat has been a bright spot for Detroit, combining for eight goals and assists, while scoring at least 13.5 DraftKings points in four of six games. He gets there by being hyper-aggressive, taking at least three shots in all but one game, including a combined 13 over his past two games. 

Detroit goal!

Scored by Michael Brandsegg-Nygård with 18:17 left in the 2nd. Assisted by Emmitt Finnie and Alex DeBrincat.

DET: 2 | NJD: 1

#NJDvsDET #LGRW #NJDevils https://t.co/ExVRklYrhk

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) October 13, 2026

Michael Brandsegg-Nygard has been a pleasant surprise, with four combined goals and assists and nine shots on goal over his previous three games. He’s scored over 17 fantasy points in half of his six games, offering solid value for just $3100. Center Emmitt Finnie hasn’t been quite as good, but he’s taken at least two shots in each of his past five games, giving him enough of a floor to be a competent piece for this stack.

NHL DFS Goalie to Target

Dylan Garand (NYR - $7400 DK)

I’ve been dancing around this play for days, but it’s finally time to give Dylan Garand his flowers. The young goalie has stepped in for an injured Igor Shesterkin and held this Rangers team afloat on the back end. He’s saved 77 of 81 shots in four appearances and has produced at least 12.3 DraftKings points in three of four games, twice surpassing 20 points. 

Garand has a tough matchup against the Devils, a team that’s taken 36.3 shots on goal per game this year, but we thought the same thing when he faced Tampa on Tuesday and held them to one goal. The high volume of shots he’ll face is a fantasy positive, as it gives him wiggle room even if he allows three goals. 

A 35-save performance is huge, and if the Rangers can pull out a win, we can afford a less-than-perfect game. Garand isn’t a highly touted prospect; in fact, the team waived him earlier in the year, but when a goalie is hot, we ride them until they aren’t. He’s not the safest cash-game play, but he’s priced just right for a tournament run. 

Others in consideration: Andrei Vasilevskiy (TB), Jesper Wallstedt (MIN), Jake Allen (NJ)

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