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 .

Follow me on Twitter @fuzzychris91

  • 2026-27 Season Record: 6-4
  • 2026-27 Season Bankroll: +1.54 Units

 🏒NHL Picks, Predictions & Best Bets Today, 10/08

🔥 Philadelphia Flyers vs Ottawa Prediction

To say the Philadelphia Flyers have gotten off to a poor start this season would be an understatement. They are 0-2-2 and are allowing a whopping 39.5 shots against. This team can’t defend, even if they tried. This means we can target a bunch of Ottawa skaters in DFS and for betting purposes. My favourite tonight is William Eklund. He wasn’t much of a shooter in San Jose, but he’s skating on the top line in Ottawa, and he averages about three shots on target per game. We can get that exact amount at plus-money pretty much everywhere. 

🔥 Dallas Stars vs Buffalo Sabres Prediction

The Dallas Stars have one win this season, and it came against a Macklin Celebrini-less Sharks team on home ice. They are averaging two goals a game, and they still haven’t scored a goal on the man advantage. None of that inspires confidence that they'll win tonight.

The Sabres are 2-1-0 this season, undefeated at home, and allowing fewer than 20 shots against. Despite the low shot volume, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has a 4.03 GAA and a .784 SV%. He needs to be better, and it starts tonight. The Sabres are doing everything they can to help him, so now it’s his turn. We probably won’t see much offence in this game, but the Sabres should come away with a win.

 

 

 

🏒Today's NHL DFS Cheat Sheet & Stacks

🏅Goalie of the Day: Ilya Sorokin - NYI

It’s extremely hard to go wrong with Ilya Sorokin tonight. The Russian netminder has posted a 1.02 GAA and a .968 SV% in his two starts this season, and he faces the Chicago Blackhawks, who are 0-3 on the road and averaging fewer than 20 shots. The low volume makes it hard for Sorokin to really exceed value, but with him, all we are chasing is the win, and the Islanders can do that.

🏅Honourable Mention: Jacob Fowler - MTL

Samuel Montembeault was expected to get this start, but he’s dealing with an injury, and Jakob Dobes needs a breather, so in comes Jacob Fowler. The kid has proven he can compete at this level, and it’s another chance to show management he deserves to be in the NHL full time. The Predators don’t shoot the puck a ton, and they have allowed the third most shots against this season per game. The Habs aren’t that much better, but the Canadiens have been able to fill the back of the net, so Fowler has a good chance of picking up the win if he can just keep the goals to two or fewer.

🏅Skater of the Day: Nathan MacKinnon - COL

It was a rare off night for Nathan MacKinnon yesterday, who registered just one shot on goal and no points. If it wasn’t for Stuart Skinner, maybe MacKinnon would have finished with a better stat line. He should have no problem finding the back of the net against the Flames, who just bleed scoring chances to their opponent. He’s an expensive option, but worth paying up for in cash games.

🏅Honourable Mention: Tage Thompson - BUF

No player is averaging more shot attempts per sixty (iCF/60) this season than Tage Thompson. It’s only three games, but the big fella is creating a ton of chances when he’s on the ice. Dallas is still trying to figure out their game, and the penalty kill has been disappointing. Thompson’s floor in cash games is extremely high, so you can use him as a single-bullet or as part of a stack.

🏅Value Play of the Day: Drake Batherson - OTT

Drake Batherson isn’t a high-volume shooter, but that could change against the Flyers tonight. He had a ton of success last season on home ice scoring goals, and there’s no reason that trend can’t continue this year. He’s getting a healthy dose of minutes and occupies a spot on the top power-play unit. His price tag should be much higher than $5300 on DraftKings.

🏅Top Stack of the Day: CAR PP1

We don’t have to dig very deep to understand why a Carolina stack works tonight. The Canucks are allowing over 4.5 goals per game, and their penalty kill is clicking at just 68.8%. It’s still early in the season, but those numbers are quite concerning. Carolina’s offence is trying to find its footing, and this is a perfect spot for them to get on the right track. We’ll target the power play and go with Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov, and Shayne Gostisbehere.

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Player Pool

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