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Get today's top DraftKings daily fantasy hockey lineup picks for November 22, 2025. Doug's expert NHL DFS goalies picks, value plays, stacks, and power play picks.
What a slate of NHL hockey we have ahead of us tonight! The night starts strong with two of the original six teams in action, as the Toronto Maple Leafs head to Montreal to take on a shaky Canadiens defense. Might there be some value to be found in this matchup? Keep reading to find out which line I like from this game.
The night continues with Nathan MacKinnon and the high-flying Avalanche traveling to Nashville to take on the Predators. Is there enough juice to squeeze out of Colorado to make them a worthwhile play despite their high price tag? The night concludes with a potential shootout in Southern California, as the Golden Knights and Ducks battle it out in Anaheim.
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, November 22, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. ET. Be sure also to check out RotoBaller's awesome NHL tools, including our Lineup Optimizer, Research Station, and Heat Map.
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NHL DFS Analysis And Picks For 11/22/25
Tampa Bay Lightning (TB1 - Nikita Kucherov, Brandon Hagel, Anthony Cirelli; $19700 DK)
Defensive Addition: Darren Raddysh ($3700 DK)
Tampa Bay let us down on Thursday night, scoring just two goals in a seemingly favorable home matchup against the Oilers. The data points back at them tonight, this time on the road in Washington against one of the best goaltenders in the league, Logan Thompson. Despite the former Golden Knight being in net for the Capitals, we still like what we see for the Lightning.
Thompson has hit a bit of a cold stretch recently, allowing three or more goals in three of his past five starts, including a game against Tampa where he allowed three goals. While Thompson’s struggles are promising for Lightning backers, it’s the defense in front of him that points us towards Tampa. The duo of John Carlson and Martin Fehervary has struggled at home, allowing 2.93 expected goals and 12.92 high-danger chances per 60 minutes to their opponents.
Nikita Kucherov hasn’t exploded yet this year, but he seems to be rounding into form lately with four straight games of 11.3 or more DraftKings points, three of which were for more than 17 points. He’s still taking a ton of shots, 17 over his past four games, so it’s only a matter of time before has a monster performance.
Anthony Cirelli and Brandon Hagel showed some aggression in Tampa’s last game, combining for seven shots on goal. Hagel has now taken three or more shots in eight of his previous 11 games.
Colorado Avalanche (COL1 - Nathan MacKinnon, Artturi Lehkonen, Martin Necas; $22800 DK)
Defensive Addition: Cale Makar ($8500 DK)
Colorado is wildly expensive tonight, clocking in at a combined total of $31300 if you want to include defender Cale Makar. Still, if any line is capable of returning a profit on that price, it’s the Avalanche. Nathan MacKinnon is once again having an MVP-type season, combining for 36 goals and assists in just 20 games.
He’s now scored 21 or more DraftKings points in five of his past six games, with half of those games totaling more than 33 fantasy points. That makes him one of the only players in fantasy who can justify a near-$10000 price tag.
MacKinnon isn’t doing this work alone, as Martin Necas and Artturi Lehkonen have combined for 46 goals and assists, averaging 25.4 DraftKings points per game on the season. Makar is the best fantasy producer on defense in the NHL, averaging 16.3 fantasy points per game on the strength of a combined 28 goals and assists and 94 SABS (shots and blocked shots) in 20 games.
For comparison’s sake, only seven players on tonight’s slate average more fantasy points than Makar; three of whom are on the injured list and one of whom is MacKinnon. Even more telling about Makar’s dominance is that no other defender on tonight’s slate averages even 13 DraftKings points per game; getting him in your lineup, even at his high price point, is like a cheat code. He’s the Trey McBride of the NHL (if you know, you know).
The biggest question is whether we can justify Colorado’s price as a road team against a defensive pairing that hasn’t been awful. On the other hand, Nashville has severely underperformed at home this year, allowing 3.25 even-strength goals per 60 minutes.
Goalie Juuse Saros has saved just 75% of the high-danger shots he’s faced. That may suffice against lesser teams, but the Avalanche have averaged 15.1 high-danger chances per 60 minutes on the road this year, meaning Saros should be under significant pressure all game.
Cale Makar is currently on pace for the best defenseman season in FOURTY YEARS 🤯
Also on track to become the 4th different defenseman with 30 goals and 100 points (Orr, Coffey, Potvin) pic.twitter.com/4zKVKrdUea
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) November 21, 2025
Philadelphia Flyers (PHI2 - Trevor Zegras, Owen Tippett, Christian Dvorak; $12800 DK)
The Flyers don’t usually get my juices flowing, but tonight they’ve got a tasty matchup that piqued my interest. The Devils have been terrible on the road, allowing 2.86 even-strength goals and 12.52 high-danger chances per 60 minutes. Jacob Markstrom has saved just 74% of the high-danger shots he’s faced away from home, allowing three or more goals in four of six road starts.
Overall, he’s allowed three or more goals in 78% of his starts this year, and the defense in front of him is doing him no favors. Simon Nemec and Jonas Siegenthaler have been one of the worst duos in hockey, allowing 4.07 expected goals and 15.36 high-danger chances per 60 minutes.
Philly isn’t known for their offensive prowess, averaging just 1.92 even-strength goals per 60 minutes at home, but this matchup is too appealing to ignore. The trio of Christian Dvorak, Owen Tippett, and Trevor Zegras is playing their best hockey of the season, combining for 14 goals and assists while taking 29 shots on goal over their past three games. That makes this the perfect time to jump on the Philly bandwagon and invest in their forwards.
Trevor Zegras became the 4th player in the past 30 years to record 20 career points with the Flyers in fewer than 20 games.
The other 3 are: Peter Forsberg, Danny Briere, and Dale Hawerchuk#Flyers
— Jamey Baskow (@JameyBaskow) November 21, 2025
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NHL DFS Value Stack of the Night
Toronto Maple Leafs (TOR2 - Bobby McMann, Max Domi, Nicholas Robertson; $10200 DK)
With Auston Matthews' injury forcing John Tavares and William Nylander to the top line, the second line has suddenly become highly affordable. The trio of Nicholas Robertson, Max Domi, and Bobby McMann will cost you just a shade over $10000, making them a perfect complement for some of the higher-priced stacks on the slate (though not Colorado, you have to dumpster dive to afford them).
The Leafs have been one of the best road teams in the league this season, averaging 3.01 even-strength goals and 13.96 high-danger chances per 60 minutes. Meanwhile, the Canadiens have been really bad defensively at home, allowing 3.55 even-strength goals per 60 minutes.
Goalie Sam Montembeault has saved just 70% of the high-danger shots he’s faced at home, while the defensive pairing of Lane Hutson and Jayden Struble has surrendered 12.21 high-danger chances per 60 minutes.
NHL DFS Goalie to Target
Yaroslav Askarov (SJ - $7100 DK)
I said this on Thursday morning in our Discord, and I’m going to repeat it here: I’m riding Yaroslav Askarov’s hot streak until it dies or until DraftKings raises his price. He’s now scored at least 15.8 DraftKings points in seven straight games, so the streak is not yet dead. DraftKings once again has him priced at $7100, a salary ceiling we haven’t seen him pass since his first start of the season on October 11, so they haven’t raised his price.
I’m a man of my word, so I’m going to continue to ride with Askarov. It may be boring to read about him every time you click on this article, but making money is never dull, and if you’re not profiting, it’s undoubtedly not Askarov’s fault. He’s allowed just 11 goals during this seven-game run, while saving at least 28 shots in six of the seven.
Tonight’s assignment is trying to stop an Ottawa offense that has been a little lucky, scoring 0.93 goals more than expected on the road this season. The Senators only take 26.5 shots on goal per game, which is more than enough to sustain a goalie as inexpensive as Askarov in cash games. The wiggle room Askarov’s salary gives you with the rest of your lineup still makes him a strong option in tournaments, even if his opponent somewhat caps his upside.
Others in consideration: Dan Vladar (PHI), Scott Wedgewood (COL), Igor Shesterkin (NYR)
NHL DFS News and Injury Alerts
More DFS Lineup Picks and Analysis
