Welcome to the very first edition of the NHL DFS Playbook in the year 2025! Happy New Year to everyone and what a way to kick things off with 12 games around the league to dig into for our lineup building!

We have a multitude of teams on this slate with goal totals around four, so we are going to need to make some tough choices. Let’s take a look at some options and see if we can make it all come together.

 

 

 

NHL DFS Picks & Daily Fantasy Playbook Today, January 2nd

Before we get into DFS, let’s make some pick’em picks for the night over on Sleeper There are lots of ways we try to fill your wallet over here at Fantasy Alarm and this is just another option. 

 

 

 

NHL DFS Pick'em Picks On Sleeper Fantasy

You could honestly go with anybody in the Jets lineup tonight to bet on for their shots prop as they are going to put up big numbers against this Ducks defense. Anaheim allows the 2nd most shots against per game in the NHL this season at 34.4 on the road, only the Sharks are worse. Ehlers logs big minutes for the Jets and should have no problem reaching 3 shots on goal, lock this one in and cash it. 

I think the hockey world has a pretty good on again and off again with Boeser and that's fair but right now he's on the ball with 6 points in the last 4 games and his Canucks play an average at best Seattle team that is allowing 3.11 goals per game this season. Just one point is all it takes to cash this prop, let's do it!

You may be sensing a theme with the picks but another horrible defense is the San Jose Sharks and now that their goaltending is coming back to earth they are struggling and allowing 30.6 shots per game at home, 5th most in the NHL. Enter Kucherov who has posted 63 shots on net over just 16 games played, he should soar over 3.5 shots tonight. 

 

 

 

Thursday Salary Cap DFS Picks

Goalie Of The Day: Connor Hellebuyck - WPG

This is going to be the mega chalk of the day, and I looked for reasons to pivot but I just couldn't find any good way to fade the best goalie in the NHL tonight. 

He's first in so many analytical categories including goals saved above expected in which he is miles ahead at 26.5 of everyone else. The matchup against the Ducks is an easy one too so I will not be overthinking this one tonight. 

Player Of The Day: Nikita Kucherov - TB

I think for player of the day you could go a couple different directions, but I chose Kuch as the Lightning head to San Jose to take on the lowly Sharks. San Jose has lost 8 straight games and has yet to win without MacKenzie Blackwood in net and during that span they have given up 32 goals for an average of 4 goals per game. 

This is a game that Kuch and the Lightning could go nuclear, and I just can't miss out on the exposure to him or this group of players tonight. 

 

 

 

Value Play Of The Day: Victor Olofsson - VGK

I like the Golden Knights all around tonight as the matchup against the Flyers is a great one as they are allowing 3.6 goals per game on the road this season the 5th most in the NHL. I came to select Olofsson though as his exposure on the top forward and power play units gives incredible opportunity given his price on DraftKings of 4.6k. The chances are going to be there and even if he doesn't score himself a chance of some points remains clear. 

Stack Of The Day - TB PP1 (Brayden Point, Nikita Kucherov & Victor Hedman)

Back on the attack against the Sharks tonight but this time with a full-on stack of players! These guys all log huge minutes and, in a game where the Lightning could easily score 4-5 goals, it's going to be critical to stack them all up. They are all members of the top powerplay unit as well which never hurts!

 

 

Today's NHL DFS Cheat Sheet & Stacks

Player Pool

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Stacks

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