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Get today's top DraftKings daily fantasy hockey lineup picks for October 8, 2026. Doug's expert NHL DFS goalies picks, value plays, stacks, and power play picks.
Tonight’s slate is unusual. Despite many strong teams on the docket, few have matchups we can exploit. That leaves the Heat Map, and thus this article, loaded with second- and third-line recommendations. That makes for a fun slate, especially as we fade popular players like Auston Matthews, Tage Thompson, and Jack Eichel in favor of Callum Ritchie, Dalibor Dvorsky, and Trevor Connelly.
That’s not to say that there aren’t some heavy hitters worth looking at; most notably the Colorado Avalanche. The Avs are on the second night of a back-to-back, but they have one of the best matchups on the slate and should figure heavily into our builds. Maybe it’s not so bad that all this value is showing up, since you’ll need it to afford the big boys from the Rocky Mountains.
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NHL DFS Analysis And Picks For 10/8/26
Colorado Avalanche (COL1 - Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Necas, Arturri Lehkonen; $210000 DK)
Defensive Addition: Cale Makar ($7400 DK)
I alluded to it in the intro, but tonight’s slate lacks good matchups for traditionally strong lines…except the Avalanche. Colorado has an incredible matchup, facing off against a wretched Flames defense. Calgary is due for major regression, having allowed nearly 1.5 fewer even-strength goals per 60 minutes than expected.
Even with that good fortune on even strength, goalie Dustin Wolf has allowed six goals in each game. Colorado has started off the year like gangbusters, averaging a whopping 6.56 even-strength goals per 60 minutes in their first two games. Even with regression to expected performance, they still would average nearly 3.5 goals. These are two teams headed in opposite directions, and the Avs are in a great spot to dominate this slate.
I don’t care that they’ll be playing their second road game in as many nights; it’s too early in the season, and Colorado is too explosive to ignore. Through two games, Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Necas, Arturri Lehkonen, and defender Cale Makar have combined for eight goals, eight assists, and 29 shots on goal. That’s insane, and now they have their best matchup of the year. Pay the $28000, find value elsewhere (the Islanders' second line fits perfectly), don’t fade this chalk.
The feed from MacKinnon.
The move and feed from Necas.
Cinema from Makar 🎥 https://t.co/jlEAxRkCXg— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) October 4, 2026
Carolina Hurricanes (CAR2 - Logan Stankoven, Jackson Blake, Taylor Hall; $14500 DK)
If the Flames don’t have the worst defense in the league, then Vancouver does. The Canucks have allowed 3.52 even-strength goals per 60 minutes this year, with their expected goals allowed hovering around three. They have been bad because they are bad, not because they are unlucky.
Goalie Kevin Lankinen has been bad since last year, giving up 3.93 goals per 60 minutes while saving just 86.6% of the shots he’s faced over the team’s past 15 road games. Their defensive pairing of Jamie Oleksiak and Tom Willander has been their worst offenders, giving up an expected 4.21 even-strength goals and 33.55 scoring chances per 60 minutes.
They’ll try to stop one of last year’s hottest lines: Logan Stankoven, Jackson Blake, and Taylor Hall. The trio has started the season slowly, combining for just three goals and three assists over the first four games. This isn't just a problem for this line; the whole team has a bit of a playoff hangover, scoring 0.9 fewer even-strength goals per 60 minutes than expected.
This team is too talented to stay down for long, and now that they have over a week of games under their belt, they should start to see some positive regression. I’ll back the champs given their strong matchup and low prices, especially on a night where we are fading most of the more popular teams.
Vegas Golden Knights (VGK3 - Tomas Hertl, Trevor Connelly, Victor Olofsson; $13200 DK)
If they keep winning us money, I’ll keep writing them up. The Knights have started the season on a tear, scoring 17 goals through the season’s first four games. Just as important, the team hasn’t scored fewer than three goals in any game, meaning that even if they aren’t blowing up the slate, they have provided a floor that will at least get you across the cash line.
Tonight we are looking to their third line for the third time this season. The first two times we used them, they came through, and once again the trio of Tomas Hertl, Trevor Connelly, and Victor Olofsson have the best outlook on the team, facing off against Toronto’s most generous defensive pairing of Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Troy Stecher.
Olofsson is banged up and may not play, but that won’t prevent me from using Hertl, Connelly, and whoever lines up with them anyway. Hertl has been particularly impressive, scoring more than 20 DraftKings points in half of his games. He plays on the team’s top power play, giving him even more chances for easily attainable goals and assists.
FOUR point knight for FOURTY EIGHT 🐢😮💨 https://t.co/NvoYWyMpdl
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) October 7, 2026
I’ve been impressed with his aggressive play overall, averaging 3.5 shots on goal. That kind of volume provides a nice floor for a modest $5700 price point. This line is a little pricey to use with a full Colorado stack, but if you fade Makar, you can make the pairing work. Otherwise, this Vegas line is exactly who you’d want to pair with Ottawa or Carolina to build a balanced lineup.
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NHL DFS Value Stack of the Night
Ottawa Senators (OTT3 - Claude Giroux, Michael Amadio, Shane Pinto; $10800 DK)
The Flyers are one of only two teams on tonight’s slate that have allowed more than three even-strength goals per 60 minutes, but whose expected goals are even higher. In layman's terms, the defense has been bad, but they have room to be even worse. That’s the kind of defense we want to attack on all fronts.
Philly has a pair of defensive units worth attacking, opening multiple avenues for us to build our lineup and get exposure to Ottawa. One vulnerable pairing is Travis Sanheim and Cam York. They have surrendered 5.38 expected goals, to go along with slate highs of 37.37 high-danger chances and 59.63 scoring chances per 60 minutes.
The last time these two teams met in Ottawa, the Senators’ third line saw the most ice time against Sanheim. Shane Pinto and Michael Amadio have started the season strong, combining for five goals and assists with 10 shots on goal through three games. Amadio has scored double-digit fantasy points in two of three games, while Pinto has at least eight DraftKings points twice.
Claude Giroux hasn’t been as consistent, but he started the season with a two-assist, four-shot game, showing the veteran still has gas in the tank when given the right matchup. With Colorado being a top priority, we need to find ways to save money, and this line, or at least parts of it, can do exactly that.
NHL DFS Goalie to Target
Jake Oettinger (DAL - $7800 DK)
I really wanted to highlight Linus Ullmark here, but he’s banged up and his status for tonight’s game is uncertain, making him too much of a risk to spend a couple of paragraphs on. Just know that if he’s active, I like him quite a bit.
Instead, we will look at Dallas goalie Jake Oettinger for our core play. Oettinger has played well so far, allowing just two goals on 35 shots over two games. Since last season, Oettinger has surrendered just 2.15 even-strength goals per 60 minutes on the road over the team’s last 15 games.
Our biggest issue is his lack of shot volume. The Stars have allowed just 21 shots on goal per game this season, the second-lowest on the slate. If Oettinger continues to see that few shots, he has to be nearly perfect to produce a ceiling game. That said, 20 saves with two goals allowed and a win will still produce double-digit fantasy points. If you use Oettinger, it’s because of that floor rather than a high ceiling, making him more of a cash-game option than a tournament option.
Others in consideration: Karel Vejmelka (UTA), Jeremy Swayman (BOS), Scott Wedgewood (COL), Linus Ullmark (OTT) if healthy
NHL DFS News and Injury Alerts
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