Welcome to another season of NHL DFS! For those of you who are new, thank you for being here! You won’t find a better community. If you’re returning, you already know the routine. Nothing has changed from last season, so get ready for another year of Best Bets, DFS recommendations, and the unpredictable nature of goalies.

Before we dive into the fun, I want to remind everyone that the start of the season is often very volatile. We’ll be using last season's data, and not everything will translate perfectly to the 2026-27 season (unless we’re talking about Edmonton’s goaltending situation being #NotGood, which remains consistent). Be cautious with your bankroll in the first week of action. We have an entire year ahead of us, so let’s take it slow and build up to something great, like prom night. Keep units small so your wins can grow as the season progresses.

If you’re looking for wagers from everyone on the NHL team, you can find them here, on the NHL Bet Tracker.

Dominate your NHL DFS contests today with our DFS Playbook,  Player Projections, & Lineup Generator .

  • 2026-27 Season Record: 3-3
  • 2026-27 Season Bankroll: +0.23 Units

Follow me on Twitter @fuzzychris91

 🏒NHL Picks, Predictions & Best Bets Today, 10/05

🔥 Ottawa Senators vs Boston Bruins Prediction

This is purely a system play. The Bruins have been very good to start the season, and Ottawa picked up a win in their first game. It’s still early, so teams are still ironing out the kinks. The Total sitting at 5.5 feels low considering both sides can shoot the puck. The goaltending will be a factor, so we might need an empty-net goal to get us over the edge. The Over has enough value, so that’s the first play of the day.

🔥 Winnipeg Jets vs Pittsburgh Penguins Prediction

I know the Winnipeg Jets are playing the tail end of a back-to-back and three games in four nights, but how in the world are we getting Kyle Connor’s shot total at 2.5? Is he dealing with a mystery illness we don’t know about?

I know -170 is a lot of juice to drink, but the man has racked up 15 shots on goal in the first two games and shows no signs of slowing down. The Penguins allowed the 8th most shots to LW in 2025, and while they have been good defensively to start 2026, Connor is going to get so many quality chances to shoot the puck that I don’t see how they can limit him. If you want some plus-money value, you can go all the way up to 4+ shots on goal, which pays +120, but for those trying to stay conservative, we’ll take the lower number and play it for a full unit.

 

 

 

🏒Today's NHL DFS Cheat Sheet & Stacks

🏅Goalie of the Day: Andrei Vasilevskiy - TBL

There are a lot of reasons to love Andrei Vasilevskiy tonight. He’s the most expensive goalie on the slate, but his matchup looks elite on paper. The Flyers have played three games this season and have scored exactly four goals. That's 1.33 goals per game. I know it’s a small sample size, but it’s still horrendously bad. I’ll gladly pay up for Vasi and try to save salary elsewhere.

🏅Honourable Mention: Yaroslav Askarov - SJ

I know this looks scary on the surface, but let me cook. The Stars are 0-2 and have scored just ONE goal. They lost to St. Louis and Nashville, two teams that aren’t exactly elite defensively. I know the Sharks are young and still working on things in their own zone, but the offence has carried them, and that should hold true tonight. Yaroslav Askarov is $7500 on DraftKings, and he could be value if he keeps goals below three. It might be asking too much, but on a short slate, we need to take some chances.

🏅Skater of the Day: Macklin Celebrini - SJ

Macklin Celebrini has five assists in two games, which sounds nice, but you know the new captain is itching to find the back of the net. It’s not due to a lack of effort—he has nine shots on goal in two games—and considering how poorly Dallas has played to open the season, this could be a smash spot for him. Use him in your lineup however you see fit.

🏅Honourable Mention: Kyle Connor - WPG

Do I need to explain it a second time? Connor has 14 shots and five points in two games. Pittsburgh isn’t allowing many shots, but that doesn’t mean the Winnipeg winger can’t find a way to add value. His floor is extremely high, and he could be in for another big performance.

🏅Value Play of the Day: Thomas Chabot - OTT

Newly minted captain Thomas Chabot has himself quite the first game of the season. He racked up two points, two shots on goal and SEVEN blocked shots. If you’re doing the math, that’s 28.6 fantasy points on DK. Am I expecting the same thing tonight? No, but do I think he can hit value? Absolutely. At $5100, that price tag is too low to ignore.

🏅Top Stack of the Day: Penguins L1

There are lots of stack options tonight, but the best bang for your buck is the Penguins’ top line. Nicholas Robertson and Rickard Rakell join Sidney Crosby on the top line, and they’ve found some early success. Crosby and Rakell are on the top power-play unit, which is operating at 50% to start the year. Again, it’s a small sample size, but against a goalie making his sixth NHL start at 27, I’ll take the risk. 

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Player Pool

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Stacks

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