NHL DFS Lineup Picks for DraftKings: Goalies, Value Plays, Stacks, and Power Plays Picks (10/3/26)

October 3, 2026

Get today's top DraftKings daily fantasy hockey lineup picks for October 3, 2026. Doug's expert NHL DFS goalies picks, value plays, stacks, and power play picks.

Oh goodness, here we go! Not only is there a monstrous 13-game slate tonight, but almost every high-end offense is on the docket. San Jose, Edmonton, Colorado, Tampa Bay, and Toronto are all in great spots, and our job is to discern which of those big boys will lead us to glory. 

Thankfully, we’ve got a Heat Map to help point us in the right direction, and it’s done just that. That’s not to say that we can’t have exposure to every big stack tonight, but if you’re running only a few lineups, I’m here to help you make the tough choices. Read on to find out which teams we are loading up on, and who we think we can fade.

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 Saturday, October 3, 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 10/3/26

Edmonton Oilers (EDM1 - Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Vasily Podkolzin; $23300 DK)

Defensive Addition: Evan Bouchard ($7800 DK)

At their prices, it may be impossible to fully stack the Oilers, but it’s also foolish to ignore them completely. The team scored 14 goals over their first two games, and although it was against a terrible Vancouver team, we know the upside that Connor McDavid, Evan Bouchard, and Leon Draisaitl bring to the table. They have already combined for 19 goals and assists and can break any slate. 

FIRST CONNOR MCDAVID GOAL OF THE SEASON AND IT WAS GROSS 🤢 pic.twitter.com/5Zn0XN3XOy

— NHL (@NHL) October 2, 2026

On a normal night with fewer games, their matchup against the defensive pairing of Brandon Montour and Ryker Evans would look fantastic. Even on nights when many other teams have better matchups, you can’t ignore the 3.01 expected even-strength goals and 13.34 high-danger chances per 60 minutes allowed on the road over the final 20 games of last season. 

This defense has a large enough sample size to know it's incredibly vulnerable. You'll have to find a ton of value to make it work, and you are unlikely to stack a full line, but no team brings higher offensive upside on tonight’s slate than Edmonton. 

Buffalo Sabres (BUF1 - Tage Thompson, Josh Doan, Josh Norris; $17000 DK)

Defensive Addition: Rasmus Dahlin ($6400 DK)

The team with the best matchup on tonight’s Slate is the Buffalo Sabre's top line. They get the Chicago pairing of Wyatt Kaiser and Artyom Levshunov. We have been picking on them for a year now with consistently impressive results. Over the final 20 games of last season, the duo surrendered a season-high 4.27 expected goals, 20.18 high-danger chances, and 37.61 scoring chances per 60 minutes on the road. In two games this year, Chicago has been torched for 11 goals. Most of that damage came from their opponents' top lines. 

Tage Thompson anchors this line, coming off a 45-goal season. He finished the year strong in the playoffs with six games of double-digit fantasy points in his final 10 appearances, four of which were multi-point games. He is a high-volume shooter, averaging nearly 4 shots on goal per game. 

Buffalo is one of the more affordable top stacks on the slate, as Josh Doan and Josh Norris cost a combined $10,000. That leaves you plenty of money to run a second premium line with Buffalo. Although the trio failed to score in their opening game, they did combine for eight shots on goal, so it’s only a matter of time before they turn those shots into scores.  Against a team like Chicago, a turnaround is likely tonight.

San Jose Sharks (SJS1 - Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, Mason Marchment; $18200 DK)

Defensive Addition: Luca Cagnoni ($3200 DK)

Edmonton and Buffalo were the two easy spots to identify as top plays, but nailing down a third is difficult with Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh, and Colorado all presenting impressive resumes. All three are in play tonight, but I’m throwing my weight behind San Jose as my third featured stack. I love that they’re playing in the latest game on the slate, giving you a hammer to move up tournament rankings while others sit and watch their leads dwindle. 

Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith came out hot in their opening game, helping rock the Panthers for four goals in an overtime win. What makes this line especially appealing is that Mason Marchment and defender Luca Cagnoni are priced so cheaply that you can stack this team for just over $21,000. This lets you pair them with another top team like Buffalo, while those with Edmonton will have to punt three or four positions and ignore correlation. 

MACKLIN CELEBRINI TO WILL SMITH!! 🚨 pic.twitter.com/uKQgkigURX

— NHL (@NHL) October 2, 2026

The Kings have multiple vulnerable defensive pairings that allowed more than three expected goals and 12 high-danger chances per 60 minutes over their final 20 road games last year. San Jose’s top line will see significant ice time with both of those pairings. I love how your lineup can look with San Jose and Buffalo as your stacks, and I will be using them frequently in tonight's tournaments.

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

Calgary Flames (CGY1 - Mikael Backlund, Joel Farabee, Samuel Honzek; $9800 DK)

It says something when a team’s entire top line can be stacked for about the same price as Connor McDavid. I get that the Calgary Flames are supposed to be one of the worst teams in the league, but this line has positives, and they have a fantastic matchup against a Vancouver team that just got rolled and back-to-back games by Edmonton. The Canucks look like they can’t stop anybody.

Mikael Backlund and Joel Farabee combined for 37 goals last year, which isn’t nothing. Farabee had double-digit fantasy points in five of his final 10 games last year, showing his upside. Defender Zayne Parekh, one of the league's better young talents at the position, finished last year strong with three games of 12.8 or more DraftKings points. He had at least five SABS (shots + blocked shots) in five of those six games, giving him a sizable floor even if he doesn’t contribute offensively. 

NHL DFS Goalie to Target

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (BUF - $8300 DK)

My partner in crime, Sean Goodwin (@bignumber55 on X), will tell you that we like to target cheap goalies who will see a ton of volume, and he’s not wrong. With a recommendation of an expensive goalie like Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, I’m arguing the point that grabbing a win and not giving up a lot of goals has value as well.

The Blackhawks will likely not give UPL enough volume to be a tournament-winning goalie. They averaged only 24.6 shots per game last season and are now without an injured Connor Bedard, but their lack of offensive firepower should keep his floor high enough to make him a strong cash-game play. 

A prime example of this mentality in action was the last time these two teams met, when Chicago took only 16 shots. The Sabres won the game 5-1, and Luukkonen scored a respectable 13 DraftKings points. I’m perfectly fine with getting that kind of a return for $8300 in a cash game where I don’t want my goalie blowing up my team. In a tournament, I'd probably pivot to Casey DeSmith and save a couple hundred bucks, since he will be on the road facing a less-than-stellar Nashville squad. 

Others in consideration: Casey DeSmith (DAL), Jet Greaves (CBJ), Andrei Vasilevskiy (TB)

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