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Get today's top DraftKings daily fantasy hockey lineup picks for December 30, 2025. Doug's expert NHL DFS goalies picks, value plays, stacks, and power play picks.
The NHL usually has its biggest and best slate of the week on Tuesday nights, but this week it scheduled only five games. Thankfully, it’s a solid-looking slate with a few spots that appear to be especially juicy for fantasy. Most of the games start in the early window, with only one beginning at 10 p.m. ET.
The night starts with Florida and Toronto in very favorable home matchups. The Panthers and Canadiens game looks to be a potential shootout and should be full of fantasy production. The two games starting after 8:30 p.m. ET could be defensive affairs and should be where we look to lock in our goaltender.
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NHL DFS Analysis And Picks For 12/30/25
Toronto Maple Leafs (TOR1 - Bobby McMann, Max Domi, Auston Matthews; $14900 DK)
Defensive Addition: Morgan Rielly ($4800 DK)
Yes, somehow I’m back on the Maple Leafs after swearing them off earlier this year. This line has talent, and the matchup is very strong. Max Domi has played well in his promotion to this line, recording at least 16 DraftKings points in two of his past three games.
Bobby McMann has joined in on the fun as well, scoring at least 14 DraftKings points in two of three, and has a combined 10 shots on goal in those games. It doesn’t hurt that Auston Matthews has averaged over 27 DraftKings points over his past two games, but even if he were ice cold, I’d still want to be on Toronto tonight.
The New Jersey Devils' defense has struggled on the road this year, but has been saved by strong goaltending from Jacob Markstrom. The team has allowed just 2.1 even-strength goals over its past 10 road games, but it should have allowed more than three. The team has allowed 14.26 high-danger chances per 60 minutes in those games, and the defensive pairing of Brett Pesce and Luke Hughes has been especially abused.
They’ve given up 17.85 high-danger chances per 60 minutes, and they’re going to be the duo tasked with stopping Matthews and friends. There’s no way that Markstrom can keep blocking high-danger shots at a 92% rate, especially against an aggressive team like Toronto.
Bobby McMann on cleanup duty ☝️ pic.twitter.com/fBxsuVnHfy
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) December 28, 2025
Florida Panthers (FLA1 - Eetu Luostarinen, Anton Lundell, Sam Reinhart; $15900 DK)
Defensive Addition: Aaron Ekblad ($3700 DK)
Very few lines popped hard on the Heat Map tonight, but one that did was Florida’s top line of Eetu Luostarinen, Anton Lundell, and Sam Reinhart. While the team has struggled in defending their back-to-back titles, Reinhart has picked up where he left off last season and is playing as strongly as ever.
He has more combined goals and assists than games played and has scored double-digit fantasy points in five of his past seven games. He’s recorded multiple goals and assists in four of those games, giving him quite the ceiling for tournaments.
Tonight, they host the Canadiens, who are below league average defensively. Goalie Sam Montembeault has surrendered three or more goals in 11 of his 15 appearances this season, making him one of the goalies we look to attack regularly.
While their defenders are excellent offensively, they struggle to prevent other teams from scoring. Mike Matheson and Noah Dobson have been terrible over the team’s past 10 road games, allowing 3.19 expected goals, 16.32 high-danger chances, and a slate-high 36.72 scoring chances per 60 minutes.
Montreal Canadiens Defense (MTL - Lane Hutson, Noah Dobson, Mike Matheson; $15300 DK)
The line that popped for the Canadiens was their third line, but it wasn’t a huge pop, and there’s no need to use such an unreliable line given the makeup of tonight’s slate. This is a tiny slate for a Tuesday night, and with that comes the need for unusual roster builds. One type of build that intrigues me is stacking defenders from Montreal with none of their forwards.
The trio of Lane Hutson, Dobson, and Matheson has been on fire recently. Dobson has been the best of the bunch, averaging 22.3 DraftKings points over his past three games. He’s a SABS (shots and blocked shots) machine, totaling at least three in 15 of his past 16 games. He’s also been very involved in the offense, combining for six goals and assists during this three-game run.
Hutson is the most consistent of the trio, scoring double-digit fantasy points in nine of his last 11 games. Like Dobson, he’s highly involved in the offense and has recorded multiple goals and assists in five of his past nine games. Matheson is the cheapest of the bunch, and he’s averaged 6.3 SABS per game over his past three contests.
Florida allows the third-most fantasy points to defenders this year, which is par for the course. One of the mantras that has consistently worked for us over the years has been “play your defenders against Florida.” Today is a great day to put that into action.
Dobson fait dire que ce n'est pas fini
Noah doubt about it#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/KREBPjYmiI
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) December 29, 2025
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— 🇺🇦Shockmain (@Shockmain) January 6, 2023
NHL DFS Value Stack of the Night
Pittsburgh Penguins (PIT2 - Anthony Mantha, Justin Brazeau, Tommy Novak; $10800 DK)
This line just went bananas on Saturday night, combining for 59 DraftKings points on the strength of a combined six goals and assists. Novak is the weak link of the bunch, but Mantha and Brazeau have had a habit of putting up big games when they’ve had good matchups.
Mantha has scored double-digit fantasy points in five of his past 10 games, while Brazeau scores in bunches. He’s scored two or more goals twice over his past seven games, and three times this year.
This line will face off against one of the more vulnerable defensive pairings tonight, Jalen Chatfield and K’Andre Miller of the Carolina Hurricanes. Over their past 10 road games, they’ve allowed 4.2 expected goals and 17.84 high-danger chances. Goalie Frederik Andersen has saved just 60% of the high-danger shots he’s faced over the team’s past 10 road games, setting up this line for a potentially big night once again.
NHL DFS Goalie to Target
David Rittich (NYI - $8000 DK)
On a slate bereft of quality goalie options, it makes sense to spend up a little bit for a guy who has been playing well over his past handful of games. Rittich isn’t a world-beater, but he hasn’t scored fewer than 11.2 DraftKings points since early December, a stretch of five games. Going further back, he’s hit that 11.2 fantasy point mark in eight of his past 10 starts.
Rittich hasn’t allowed more than three goals in any of those 10 games and has saved more than 30 shots in each of his past four starts. His biggest strength has been composure under pressure, as he’s saved over 92% of the high-danger shots he’s faced over the team’s past 10 road games.
He’s in a favorable matchup tonight, facing a Chicago team that’s scored just 2.18 even-strength goals over its past 10 home games, with very little pressure put on opposing goalies. He may be a little expensive at $8000, but there’s comfort in his floor, and on a night like tonight, that’s more than enough to justify his price point.
Others in consideration: Joseph Woll (TOR), Dan Vladar (PHI)
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