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Get today's top DraftKings daily fantasy hockey lineup picks for October 20, 2025. Doug's expert NHL DFS goalies picks, value plays, stacks, and power play picks.
Monday night’s NHL slate is surprisingly good for having only five games. The slate starts strong with the New York Rangers in a great spot against a struggling Minnesota Wild defense. Philly and Montreal are also in good home spots against defenses that leave much to be desired.
The late window only has two games, but both offer much to like from a fantasy perspective. The Golden Knights host Carolina in a game where we could extract some value out of bottom-six lines. The game of the night will see Calgary hosting a high-powered Jets offense in a game where we can make an argument that both teams have the best line of the night for DFS.
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NHL DFS Analysis And Picks For 10/20/25
New York Rangers (NYR1 - Mika Zibanejad, Artemi Panarin, Alexis Lafreniere; $18300 DK)
Defensive Addition: Adam Fox ($6200 DK)
Minnesota goalie Filip Gustavsson has allowed at least three goals in each of his past three starts, saving fewer than 90% of the shots he’s faced in each game. Although many of Minnesota’s problems have come from the goalie position, their defensive pairing of Jared Spurgeon and Jake Middleton hasn’t helped to ease the burden. They have combined to allow 2.96 expected goals, 36.81 scoring chances, and 14.72 high-danger chances per 60 minutes in the young season.
This pairing should see a lot of ice time against the top line for the Rangers. This line has shuffled a bit since the start of the season, and it now features Mike Zibanejad joining Artemi Panarin and Alexis Lafreniere with Vincent Trocheck on the IR. Zibanejad has played well on the top line, having scored 11 or more DraftKings points in three of his five games, with only one game where he’s shot the puck fewer than three times.
As a team, the Rangers are due for a breakout, having scored over a full goal fewer per 60 minutes than expected this year. They have been aggressive, producing 12.5 high-danger chances per game, a number surpassed by only Carolina on tonight’s slate. It’s only a matter of time before New York fulfills their potential, and a matchup against a goalie who can’t keep the puck out of the net is as good a place as any for the ascension to begin.
Winnipeg Jets (WPG1 - Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor, Gabriel Vilardi; $20900 DK)
Defensive Addition: Josh Morrissey ($6000 DK)
The Jets are one of the most potent offenses in the NHL so far this year. They have averaged 3.18 even-strength goals per 60 minutes, a number exceeded only by Carolina on tonight’s slate. Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele continue to be a menace for opposing defenses, combining for 17 goals and assists through the season’s first five games.
They have yet to have a game where they both didn’t produce at least one goal or assist, and have a pair of games where they both have multiple goals and/or assists. Their 29 combined shots on goal through five games speak to how aggressive they are, which is always a good thing for fantasy purposes.
Calgary has struggled on defense this year, allowing 2.65 even-strength goals and a slate-high 12.47 high-danger chances per 60 minutes. Goalie Dustin Wolf has been awful, allowing 4.21 goals per game, while saving just 69% of the high-danger shots he’s faced. He hasn’t had a game yet where he’s allowed fewer than three goals, and against a potent Jets offense, he’s unlikely to change that tonight.
Kyle Connor grabbing the puck 🥲 pic.twitter.com/EPf1jEUOK1
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 18, 2025
Calgary Flames (CGY1 - Jonathan Huberdeau, Nazem Kadri, Joel Farabee; $15200 DK)
Defensive Addition: MacKenzie Weegar ($5700 DK)
As referenced in the introduction, this game has the potential to be the shootout of the night. We already spoke about how bad the Calgary goaltending has been, but the Winnipeg defense hasn’t been much better. Through five games, they’ve allowed a slate-high 3.72 even-strength goals per 60 minutes as goalie Connor Hellebuyck has saved fewer than 90% of the shots he’s faced.
The Jets’ defensive pairing of Haydn Fleury and Luke Schenn is the worst on the slate, allowing a slate-high 3.77 expected goals, 37.11 scoring chances, and 17.13 high-danger chances per 60 minutes. The Calgary top line should get the most ice time against them, allowing them to be an impactful line at a reasonable price point of just $15,200. In their one game together, Nazem Kadri and Jonathan Huberdeau looked great, combining for 23.8 DraftKings points in a tough matchup against Vegas.
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NHL DFS Value Stack of the Night
Carolina Hurricanes (CAR4 - Jesper Kotkaniemi, Eric Robinson, Andrei Svechnikov; $10000 DK)
We rarely roster a fourth line, but Carolina doesn’t have your typical fourth line. Andrei Svechnikov and Jesper Kotaniemi have played significant top-six minutes in their careers, making them a far more talented line than most teams are used to facing. Perhaps Carolina’s depth is one of the reasons they have started the season so hot, averaging 4.45 even-strength goals and 17.55 high-danger chances per 60 minutes.
Their matchup is strong tonight, going up against the defensive pairing of Zach Whitecloud and Ben Hutton. That duo has allowed 3.31 expected goals, 31.11 scoring chances, and 14.52 high-danger chances per 60 minutes this year. Goalie Adin Hill has struggled at times this year for Vegas, saving just 71% of the high-danger shots he’s faced.
Given the lack of ice time a fourth line gets, we should temper our expectations, but if you’re rostering the Winnipeg Jets, you’ll need to find value somewhere. This line has both the price point and the matchup to be a worthy secondary stack.
NHL DFS Goalie to Target
Igor Shesterkin (NYR - $8200 DK)
Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin just had his worst game of the year…where he allowed just two goals on 24 shots. That’s how well he’s been playing this year. For the season, he’s allowed an average of just one goal per game and has scored double-digit DraftKings points in every start. He’s scored more than 15 points in 60% of his starts, making him one of the most productive goalies in the league this season.
Shesterkin has been incredible under pressure, saving 95% of the high-danger shots he’s faced. Tonight, he shouldn’t be under that much pressure, as Minnesota has scored just 1.25 even-strength goals and attempted fewer than nine high-danger chances per 60 minutes. The biggest issue we may have with using Shesterkin is a lack of shot volume that he’ll face, as the Wild have averaged just 28 shots per game.
On the other hand, if he can hold them to two or fewer goals on that many shots, he will be in line for another win and a strong, if not spectacular, fantasy score. He’s a stud for cash games, and his price point should keep him low-owned in tournaments.
Igor Shesterkin...
2 wins in his first 5 games.
All 5 starts have been quality starts (+ goals saved above expected).
3 of the top 15 goalie performances this season (by GSAE).
Leads NHL in save % (min. 2 games), despite facing league-high 63 slot shots.
Leads NHL with 7.5 GSAE. pic.twitter.com/QwvksTS5fJ— Mike Kelly (@MikeKellyNHL) October 17, 2025
Others in consideration: Connor Hellebuyck (WPG), Adin Hill (VGK), Sam Montembeault (MTL)
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