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Get today's top DraftKings daily fantasy hockey lineup picks for December 11, 2025. Doug's expert NHL DFS goalies picks, value plays, stacks, and power play picks.
Tonight’s 13-game slate is an absolute monster. Almost every potent offense in the NHL is featured, and many of them have favorable matchups for fantasy production. That makes this one of the harder slates to navigate in recent memory; just too many choices.
Thankfully, on a slate this large, value starts to emerge. That will help you configure your lineup around any stack that appeals to you. I will be fading some of the more popular teams, focusing only on lines that have premium matchups. Remember, the bigger the slate, the smaller your player pool should be, as ownership is far less of an issue.
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 Thursday, December 11, 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 12/11/25
Edmonton Oilers (EDM1 - Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Connor McDavid, Zach Hyman; $20,300 DK)
Defensive Addition: Evan Bouchard ($6,700 DK)
This is the third straight article where Edmonton has been written up as a top stack, and it has yet to disappoint. I’ve been saying it for over a week now, but the Oilers are finally starting to look like the team that went to back-to-back finals.
Over their past three games, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Connor McDavid, Zach Hyman, and defender Evan Bouchard have combined for 21 goals and assists, an average of 71 DraftKings points per game. Basically, if you didn’t have Edmonton, you weren’t winning a tournament.
That level of production is unlikely to stop against Detroit. The Red Wings have only allowed 1.85 even-strength goals per 60 minutes over their past 10 road games, but that number is a full goal fewer than what they were expected to have allowed. The Wings are also on the second night of a back-to-back, having faced the Flames in Calgary on Wednesday night.
Cam Talbot should start in goal for Detroit, and he’s allowed three or more goals in four of his past five games, an average of 3.8 per game. He’s saved just 74% of the high-danger shots he’s faced on the road, and that’s going to be a problem with McDavid’s line squaring up against the defensive pairing of Ben Chiarot and Axel Sandin-Pellikka.
They have given up 3.8 expected goals and 16.94 high-danger chances. Regression is coming for Detroit, and it could come hard and fast against this white-hot Edmonton offense.
CONNOR MCDAVID TIES IT UP WITH ONE SECOND TO SPARE 🔥
ABSOLUTELY ELECTRIC ⚡ pic.twitter.com/mp71vkPEJ6
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 10, 2025
New York Islanders (NYI2 - Bo Horvat, Emil Heineman, Max Shabanov; $13,200 DK)
Defensive Addition: Matthew Schaefer ($5,500 DK)
On a slate that features Colorado, Toronto, Carolina, Tampa Bay, and many other high-end offenses, it’s the second line of the Islanders that looks to rise to the top of tonight’s rankings. They have the best matchup on the slate against Anaheim’s defensive pairing of Jackson LaCombe and Jacob Trouba. They have allowed a slate-high 4.1 even-strength goals and 17.19 high-danger chances over their past 10 road games.
Goalie Ville Husso has appeared to play well on the road, but he’s also been fortunate if advanced data is to be trusted. The 2.4 goals he’s allowed per game are great, but he was expected to give up 3.79 goals in those games. With defenders like LaCombe and Trouba in front of him, it’s only a matter of time before that luck runs out.
The Islanders are on the other side of the regression monster. They’ve scored 0.81 fewer even-strength goals per 60 minutes over their past 10 home games. Bo Horvat, Emil Heineman, Max Shabanov, and defender Matthew Schaefer have been one of the more productive combinations on the Islanders. They have averaged 4.17 even-strength goals, 41.69 scoring chances, and 12.51 high-danger chances per 60 minutes over the team’s past 10 home games.
Horvat has tournament-winning upside, with multiple games of greater than 27 DraftKings points this week. Schaefer is one of the best defenders in fantasy, scoring double-digit fantasy points in five of his past eight games. He’s a must-add to your Islanders stack as this line is significantly more productive with him on the ice. If they do anything of note, it’ll likely include Schaefer.
Buffalo Sabres (BUF1 - Tage Thompson, Alex Tuch, Peyton Krebs; $15,200 DK)
Defensive Addition: Rasmus Dahlin ($6,100)
Even on a night with so many appealing options, the Sabres stand out as a team to keep an eye on. The duo of Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch is finally back together on a line, and they’ve played very well over their past two games. They’ve combined for six goals and assists, an average of 35 DraftKings points per game. Defender Rasmus Dahlin, with whom they skate on power play, has almost matched their production on his own.
Over the past two games, he has a combined five goals and assists for an average of 21.9 DraftKings points per game. Peyton Krebs isn’t a great fantasy asset, but at $2,500, he’s an essential piece to this stack to lower their average price. If he were to be a part of any of the line’s goals, he would be a smash value play at a very low ownership.
They will head to Vancouver to face a Canucks team that has allowed 3.66 even-strength goals per 60 minutes over their past 10 home games. They have a couple of bad defensive pairings, but the one we want to attack is Elias-Nils Pettersson and Tom Willander. They have given up 3.91 even-strength goals and 14.35 high-danger chances per 60 minutes at home.
Thatcher Demko should return to the roster for the first time in a month for this game, but in the three games he played before his injury, he allowed 11 total goals. Going back a little further, he’s allowed three or more goals in six of his past eight games, which, while he’s an upgrade on what Vancouver has had over the past 30 days, suggests he could be rusty and is coming off a stretch of poor play.
#Sabres 2 @ #Oilers 0 [P2-8:57]:
Goal: Tage Thompson (14)
10' SnapshotAssists: Unassisted#Sabrehood #LetsGoOilers #NHL pic.twitter.com/BxHcJXWy05
— NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalsVideo) December 10, 2025
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— 🇺🇦Shockmain (@Shockmain) January 6, 2023
NHL DFS Value Stack of the Night
Colorado Avalanche (COL3 - Victor Olofsson, Valeri Nichushkin, Jack Drury; $11,200 DK)
The Florida Panthers have surrendered 2.68 even-strength goals per 60 minutes over their past 10 road games. Tonight, they will have Daniil Tarasov in goal with Sergei Bobrovsky starting last night in Utah. Tarasov has allowed nearly 30% more goals on the road, almost 3.1 per game, over the team’s previous 15 games. Jeff Petry and Uvis Balinskis are the defenders we want to target, having allowed 39.55 scoring chances and 15.38 high-danger chances per 60 minutes.
Colorado is a wagon at home, scoring 4.55 even-strength goals and 14.81 high-danger chances per 60 minutes over its past 10 games. Usually, we look to stack its top line, but tonight it’s the third line that will be matched up against Petry and Balinskis. That makes them one of the better value lines you can pair with a top team like Edmonton, Toronto, Tampa Bay, or Winnipeg.
The trio of Jack Drury, Valeri Nichushkin, and Victor Olofsson hasn’t played much as a trio, with Nichushkin new to the line. Drury and Olofsson have played a lot as a duo, and they’ve been surprisingly productive, averaging 4.29 even-strength goals, 34.32 scoring chances, and 10.3 high-danger chances per 60 minutes.
NHL DFS Goalie to Target
Dan Vladar (PHI - $7,100 DK)
I get that the Golden Knights are a strong team, but how in the world is Dan Vladar priced at just $7,100? Does DraftKings know that he’s been excellent this year? Vladar has just four starts this year where he’s scored fewer than 13 fantasy points. He’s allowed more than three goals in just two of his 10 home starts.
Vegas is playing its fourth straight East Coast road game in seven nights, a scenario in which teams typically see a drop-off in production. Even if the Knights play decently, Vladar’s price allows him some wiggle room if he were to allow three goals. Case in point, he’s scored 15.8 and 17.9 DraftKings points in the two games where he’s allowed three goals this year.
While Vladar doesn’t have an overly high ceiling, with only one start of more than 20 DraftKings points on the season, his consistency gives him a high floor. That floor makes Vladar the perfect cash game goalie, especially against a Vegas squad that’s scored just 2.29 even-strength goals per 60 minutes over its past 10 road games. His price makes him a good tournament click, especially since it gives you a few extra dollars for an improved defender or forward.
Others in consideration: Dennis Hildeby (TOR), Logan Thompson (WSH), Mackenzie Blackwood (COL)
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