NHL DFS Picks, Projections, Lineups & Predictions Today: Tuesday Playbook
Published: Feb 25, 2025
We have a loaded 12-game slate for NHL DFS picks tonight and it's shaping up to be a very high-scoring set of games.
There are a whopping 14 teams on tonight's slate with implied goal totals at 3.0 or higher.
NHL DFS Picks & Daily Fantasy Playbook Today, February 25th
The NHL Trade deadline is on March 7th, giving us one of the most important stretches of the NHL season.
It's always possible that players sit out for trade precautions, so keep an eye on lineups close to puck drop.
NHL DFS Lineup Picks: Starting Goalies
Top Options For Saves: Jeremy Swayman - BOS
We have an Original Six matchup tonight with the Boston Bruins hosting the Toronto Maple Leafs, which always brings its own level of excitement. It should be Jeremy Swayman in net for the Bruins and he's generally consistent when it comes to piling up the saves.
Over his last 10 games, Swayman has had 26 or more saves nine times and 30 saves or more five times. That's because the Bruins allow 30.59 Shots on Net per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations since the start of January, which is the third-most in the NHL.
For the Leafs, they have generated 28.51 Shots on Goal per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations since the start of January, which is the 10th highest in the league. The win is a bit of a toss-up for Swayman but he should see plenty of action in net tonight.
Best Odds For A Win: Frederik Andersen - CAR
The Carolina Hurricanes are a good team, and the Montreal Canadiens are not a good team, it's as simple as that. I often look to good teams coming off of losses and in a spot to bounce back, and that's exactly what we have with the Hurricanes tonight.
They are hefty moneyline favorites tonight and even if Andersen lets in a goal or two, the Canes' offense should carry them. Since the start of January, the Canadiens have allowed 2.84 Goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which is the fourth-worst in the NHL. Andersen is expensive on both FanDuel and DraftKings, but the win equity is very high tonight.
NHL DFS Lineups: Core NHL DFS Skaters
Play Of The Day: Tage Thompson - BUF
Tage Thompson is a goal machine, and we saw that get going in his first game after the 4 Nations break with two goals, one assist, and four shots on goal on Saturday versus the New York Rangers.
All of that should continue tonight with a great matchup against the Anaheim Ducks. Thompson now comes in with 8 points, 27 shots on goal, and 7 blocked shots in his last 10 games. While we have plenty of big names on tonight's slate, I like the combination of Thompson's salary and his matchup.
Value Play Of The Day: Sean Durzi - UTA
Sean Durzi is back after a multi-month absence from Utah and has posted six shots on goal, one assist, and three blocked shots in two games. He's posted on their second power-play unit and they have a juicy matchup against the lowly Chicago Blackhawks, who have allowed 3.11 Goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations since the start of January, which is the second-worst in the league.
Durzi and other players from Utah should be popular options tonight, as they aren't overly expensive and can be used as a solid secondary stack.
Stack Of The Day: BUF L1/PP1 (Tage Thompson, JJ Peterka, Rasmus Dahlin)
The Buffalo Sabres have a solid 3.5 implied team total against the Anaheim Ducks, which should make them a solid stack to target tonight. It should be noted that both Jason Zucker and Alex Tuch are listed as game-time decisions tonight. They would both be on the first power-play and viable options for this stack.
Since the start of January, the Sabres' offense has been a powerhouse with 3.38 Goals scored per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which is the best in the league. While the Sabres power-play (17.0%) isn't great, the Ducks penalty kill (73.6%) is the sixth-worst in the league.
Highest Expected Goal Totals
- Utah Hockey Club - 4.1
- Dallas Stars - 3.5
- Buffalo Sabres - 3.5
- Edmonton Oilers - 3.5
- Carolina Hurricanes - 3.3
Today's NHL DFS Cheat Sheet & Stacks
Player Pool
| $ Tier | C | W | D | G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High |  Leon Draisaitl  $9,200 |  Nikita Kucherov $9,000 |  Zach Werenski $7,400 |  Frederik Andersen $7,900 |
| Connor McDavid $9,100 |  Alex Ovechkin $8,500 | Victor Hedman $7,000 | Logan Thompson $8,000 | |
 Auston Matthews $8,900 |  Mikko Rantanen $8,300 |  Roman Josi $6,900 | ||
 Tage Thompson $7,900 |  David Pastrnak $8,700 | |||
 Clayton Keller $7,700 | ||||
| Medium | Sebastian Aho $7,500 | Jake Guentzel $7,400 | John Carlson $6,100 | Jake Oettinger $7,800 |
 Aleksander Barkov $7,600 | Dylan Guenther $7,300 | Thomas Harley $6,000 | Sergei Bobrovsky $7,600 | |
| Brayden Point $7,500 | Seth Jarvis $7,100 | Mikhail Sergachev $6,000 | ||
| Wyatt Johnston $7,300 | Carter Verhaeghe $6,800 | |||
| Tom Wilson $6,600 | ||||
| Low | Sam Bennett $6,500 | JJ Peterka $6,200 | Sean Durzi $5,300 |  Ilya Sorokin $7,500 |
| Barrett Hayton $5,900 | Andrei Svechnikov $6,200 | Owen Power $5,500 | Jeremy Swayman $7,400 | |
| Elias Lindholm $5,800 | Aliaksei Protas $6,200 | Bowen Byram $5,100 | ||
 Dylan Cozens $5,700 |  Owen Tippett $6,100 | Gustav Forsling $4,800 | ||
| Nick Schmaltz $5,900 |
Stacks
| Sabres | JJ Peterka | Rasmus Dahlin | Tage Thompson |
 DraftKings | 5800 | 6300 | 7900 |
| Fanduel | 6200 | 6300 | 7900 |
| Hockey Club | Clayton Keller | Nick Schmaltz | Dylan Guenther |
| DraftKings | 7200 | 5700 | 6900 |
| Fanduel | 7700 | 5900 | 7300 |
| Sabres | JJ Peterka | Rasmus Dahlin | Tage Thompson |
| DraftKings | 5800 | 6300 | 7900 |
| Fanduel | 6200 | 6300 | 7900 |
| Hockey Club | Clayton Keller | Nick Schmaltz | Dylan Guenther |
| DraftKings | 7200 | 5700 | 6900 |
| Fanduel | 7700 | 5900 | 7300 |
| Sabres | JJ Peterka | Rasmus Dahlin | Tage Thompson |
| DraftKings | 5800 | 6300 | 7900 |
| Fanduel | 6200 | 6300 | 7900 |
| Hockey Club | Clayton Keller | Nick Schmaltz | Dylan Guenther |
| DraftKings | 7200 | 5700 | 6900 |
| Fanduel | 7700 | 5900 | 7300 |
| Sabres | JJ Peterka | Rasmus Dahlin | Tage Thompson |
| DraftKings | 5800 | 6300 | 7900 |
| Fanduel | 6200 | 6300 | 7900 |
| Hockey Club | Clayton Keller | Nick Schmaltz | Dylan Guenther |
| DraftKings | 7200 | 5700 | 6900 |
| Fanduel | 7700 | 5900 | 7300 |
| Sabres | JJ Peterka | Rasmus Dahlin | Tage Thompson |
| DraftKings | 5800 | 6300 | 7900 |
| Fanduel | 6200 | 6300 | 7900 |
| Hockey Club | Clayton Keller | Nick Schmaltz | Dylan Guenther |
| DraftKings | 7200 | 5700 | 6900 |
| Fanduel | 7700 | 5900 | 7300 |
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.