NHL DFS Picks, Projections, Lineups & Predictions Today: Tuesday Playbook, 10/22
Published: Oct 22, 2024
What a slate of NHL games we have today! Every single NHL team is in action tonight with 16 games across the league, giving us an amazing set of options tonight!
NHL DFS Picks & Daily Fantasy Playbook Today, October 22nd
With every single player in the league in action tonight, there's a ton to sort through and a variety of different stacks we should be considering. Let's narrow down the list and find the best options!
NHL DFS Lineup Picks: Starting Goalies
Top Options For Saves
Sam Montembeault is off to a solid start for the Montreal Canadiens, and we could see a bit more of that tonight. Per MoneyPuck.com, Montembeault is number two in the league with 5.5 Goals Saved Above Expected. He's locked in right now and that has helped push him to 24 saves or more in all four games and 28 or more in two of the four games.
The Canadiens are allowing 75.67 Total Shot Attempts per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which is the worst in the league. That means Montembeault is set to face a high workload every single night and should be piling up the saves.
Best Odds For A Win
Kevin Lankinen of the Vancouver Canucks should be in a spot for a cleaner win tonight against the Chicago Blackhawks. Despite the slow start for the Canucks in terms of their overall record, their team has been playing well.
To start the season, they've only allowed 2.00 Goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which is the ninth-best in the league. They have things locked down on defense and that should continue tonight versus a Blackhawks' lineup, which is only producing 1.84 Goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which is the fifth-lowest in the league. It's an easier matchup to pick up a win.
NHL DFS Lineup Picks: Skaters
Play Of The Day: Auston Matthews - TOR
The Maple Leafs come in with a slate-high 4.0 implied goal total and are set to take on the Columbus Blue Jackets. As usual, the Maple Leafs are pouring in the goals to start the season and sit at 3.55 Goals Score per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which is the third-highest in the league.
Auston Matthews comes in with 5 points and 19 shots on goal over his last three games, living up to the offensive potential we know he has. With time on the first forward line and the first power-play unit, Matthews has hat-trick, slate-breaking potential every night, especially against a weak defense such as the Blue Jackets.
Columbus allows 2.99 Goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which is the 10th worst in the league. The Blue Jackets also sit in the bottom 10 of the league in penalty kill, which is where Matthews can do plenty of damage.
Value Play Of The Day (DraftKings): Martin Necas - CAR
The Carolina Hurricanes have been one of the more consistent offensive teams over the last few seasons and while they're off to a bit of a slow start, I have faith they will turn things around.
Right now, the Canes are scoring 2.60 Goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which is 17th in the league. That is super average but if we look at their Expected Goals Scored (xGF/60), they are up at 3.82, which is the highest in the league.
They're doing a lot of things right, they're just not getting the results aka goals. I'll buy into that type of offense, which leads me to Martin Necas, who skates on the second forward line and the first power-play unit.
Just over $4K on DraftKings is a great spot and they are now up against the Edmonton Oilers, who have had their own struggles to start the season. Necas has two points and five shots on goal over his last two games, a trend which should continue tonight.
Value Play Of The Day, FanDuel: Barrett Hayton - UTA
The Utah Hockey Club are in the top 10 of the league in goals scored and that will absolutely remain true tonight after their matchup against the Ottawa Senators.
With 3.69 Goals Allowed per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, the Senators have one of the worst defenses in the league and will be a target every single time they are on the slate.
Barrett Hayton is the center on the first forward line and the first power-play unit, while being just $5K on FanDuel. This has led him to pile up 6 points and 14 shots on goal through six games. A solid level of production to start the season and with a juicy matchup, he should be in the mix for multiple points tonight.
Stack Of The Day: TOR L1/PP1 (Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, Oliver Ekman-Larsson)
The Maple Leafs have the highest implied goal total on the slate and a soft matchup against the Blue Jackets. The Leafs played last night, and their offense looked amazing versus the Tampa Bay Lightning, which should only be a preview of what they do tonight.
Highest Expected Goal Totals
- Toronto Maple Leafs 4.0
- New Jersey Devils 3.7
- New York Rangers 3.7
- Edmonton Oilers 3.5
- Anaheim Ducks 3.5
Today's NHL DFS Cheat Sheet & Stacks
Player Pool
| $ Tier | C | W | D | G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High |  Auston Matthews  $8,700 |  Nikita Kucherov $0 |  Cale Makar $8,500 |  Igor Shesterkin $8,900 |
| Nathan MacKinnon $9,300 | Artemi Panarin $8,900 |  Roman Josi $7,500 |  Ilya Sorokin $8,800 | |
 Connor McDavid $9,000 |  Mikko Rantanen $9,200 |  Quinn Hughes $7,300 | Jake Oettinger $8,700 | |
 Jack Eichel $8,900 |  David Pastrnak $8,700 | |||
| Medium | William Nylander $8,000 | Chris Kreider $7,900 |  Mikhail Sergachev $6,400 | Kevin Lankinen $8,200 |
 Tim Stutzle $7,700 |  Jesper Bratt $0 | Noah Dobson $6,500 | Adin Hill $8,100 | |
 Tage Thompson $7,400 | Clayton Keller $7,400 | Dougie Hamilton $0 | Justus Annunen $7,900 | |
| Mika Zibanejad $7,300 |  Cole Caufield $7,300 |  Brandon Montour $6,100 | ||
 Evgeni Malkin $7,100 | ||||
| Low | Logan Cooley $6,400 | Dylan Guenther $6,000 | Jake Walman $5,700 |  Lukas Dostal $7,700 |
| Barrett Hayton $5,000 |  Kirill Marchenko $5,300 |  Brock Faber $0 | Stuart Skinner $7,600 | |
| Adam Fantilli $5,800 | Tyler Seguin $5,500 |  Shayne Gostisbehere $5,800 | Jeremy Swayman $7,400 | |
 Anton Lundell $0 | JJ Peterka $5,600 | Oliver Ekman-Larsson $4,600 | ||
| Kyle Palmieri $5,700 |
Stacks
| Maple Leafs | Auston Matthews | Oliver Ekman-Larsson | Mitch Marner | William Nylander |
 DraftKings | 9400 | 4200 | 6500 | 7000 |
| Fanduel | 8700 | 4600 | 8200 | 8000 |
| Rangers | Artemi Panarin | Vincent Trocheck | Adam Fox |
| DraftKings | 9100 | 6700 | 6600 |
| Fanduel | 8900 | 8400 | 7000 |
| Hockey Club | Clayton Keller | Mikhail Sergachev | Barrett Hayton |
| DraftKings | 7700 | 5300 | 5100 |
| Fanduel | 7400 | 6400 | 5000 |
Player News
Dolphins signed No. 13 overall pick DT Kenneth Grant to a four-year contract.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that Grant will sign his contract today. The former Michigan defensive tackle is expected to fill a major void left by Christian Wilkins, who left for the Raiders in the 2024 offseason. Grant totaled 32 tackles, three sacks, and seven TFLs in his final season at Michigan and excelled at stopping the run while also generating 27 pressures in his final season, per PFF.
Daulton Varsho picked up three hits, three RBI and a homer in a win over the Angels on Thursday.
Varsho has only played in seven games this year, but they’ve been seven good ones. He’s homered three times already, and his slugging percentage is a remarkable — and entirely unsustainable — .727 over 22 at-bats. Varsho has been a mediocre offensive player in his two seasons with the Blue Jays, but it’s possible at the age of 28 he’s having a breakout campaign. Far from a guarantee, but possible.
Taylor Ward hit a two-run homer in a loss to the Blue Jays on Thursday.
Ward, 31, gave the Angels a 2-0 lead with a two-run homer off Chris Bassitt in the first inning. He’s now gone deep in two of his last three games, and it ‘improves’ his slash to .181/.224/.391. Ward has been one of the most hot/cold players players in the sport over the last few years, so fantasy managers who can afford to make some roster moves may want to look at Ward while the going is good.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. picked up three hits and scored twice in an 8-5 win over the Angels on Thursday.
Guerrero also drew a walk. It gives the first baseman multiple hits in back-to-back games, and it’s the third time in May that he’s reached that mark. That’s helped raise his average from .268 to .295, and the only thing fantasy managers can be disappointed with is his .432 slugging percentage. That number should continue to climb as the season unfolds, but Vladdy Jr. has had some inconsistent seasons when it comes to power production.
Chad Green picked up his first save of 2025 with a scoreless ninth against the Angels on Thursday.
Green got the save after Jeff Hoffman worked in back-to-back games — and struggled — in the first two contests against the Angels. He struck out two and looked the part while needing just nine pitches to get through the inning. Hoffman should remain the closer, but Green is on his tail if the struggles were to continue.
Chris Bassitt allowed five runs — four earned — while working six-plus innings against the Angels on Thursday while picking up a win.
Bassitt allowed three runs over the first two innings on a pair of homers, but settled down over his next four frames. He came out to work the seventh, but ended up being charged for two more runs after leaving the contest. The 36-year-old veteran has forged a 3.35 ERA and outstanding 49/8 K/BB ratio over the first quarter of the season, but this wasn’t him at his best. He’ll get the Rays next week if the rotation order stays the same for Toronto.