Four games, two road teams on the second night of a back-to-back, and starting goalies still up in the air in most of them. Everything you need before puck drop.
| NHL | Wednesday, October 28, 2026
Wednesday brings four NHL games with plenty to work with for bettors and DFS hockey players. Edmonton hosts Calgary in the Battle of Alberta, Colorado gets a New Jersey team that played last night in Dallas, and Toronto finishes a western swing in Seattle.
The key to tonight's card is not chasing the biggest favorite. Starting goalies, power-play roles, injury replacements and shot volume matter as much as picking the winner.
WATCH EVERY NHL GAME IN GAME ZONE
Game Zone puts all four NHL games on one screen with live play-by-play and live box scores, right next to tonight's NBA slate and World Series Game 5. Watch on the website (Game Zone on the website), on Roku (add the FantasyDailies channel on Roku) or on Amazon Fire TV (get the FantasyDailies app for Amazon Fire TV), and catch FantasyDailies TV on FantasyDailies TV in your browser. Every score updates on the live scores page.
TONIGHT'S NHL SCHEDULE
Puck drop (ET)GameArenaBox score7:30 PMFlyers at CapitalsCapital One Arena, WashingtonBox score8:30 PMFlames at OilersRogers Place, EdmontonBox score9:00 PMDevils at AvalancheBall Arena, DenverBox score10:00 PMMaple Leafs at KrakenClimate Pledge Arena, SeattleBox score
Each box score goes live at puck drop and keeps the final. The full calendar is on the NHL schedule by date, and every result lives on NHL box scores.
Back-to-backs: Philadelphia lost 4-3 in overtime to Columbus last night (box score), and New Jersey won 5-1 in Dallas (box score). Both play again tonight. Track every team's schedule spots on the NHL back-to-back tracker.
STARTING GOALIES
TeamGoalieStatusFlyersJoseph WollProjectedCapitalsLogan Thompson or Charlie LindgrenUnclearFlamesDevin CooleyProjectedOilersTristan JarryProjectedDevilsJake AllenConfirmedAvalancheMackenzie BlackwoodProjectedMaple LeafsAnthony StolarzProjectedKrakenPhilipp GrubauerProjected
Only one of the eight was confirmed as of Wednesday afternoon. Never pay for an unconfirmed goalie in DFS. Compare save percentage and goals against on the goaltending leaders, and check the NHL player news for late updates.
FLYERS AT CAPITALS, 7:30 PM
Box score: Flyers-Capitals.
Philadelphia comes in on the second night of a back-to-back after a wild overtime loss Tuesday. Columbus scored three goals in under three minutes, and the Flyers tied it with 10 seconds left and the net empty before losing in overtime, despite outshooting Columbus 31-15. Dan Vladar played that game, so Joseph Woll is projected to start tonight. Philadelphia is without Travis Konecny and Owen Tippett, and Matvei Michkov's five-game point streak ended Tuesday.
Washington has played just once in the last seven days, a 4-3 overtime win over Buffalo on Saturday, and closes a five-game homestand tonight. The Capitals are 5-2 at home. Logan Thompson missed Saturday with a lower-body injury but practiced fully Tuesday. If he can't go, Charlie Lindgren starts. Rasmus Sandin and Vincent Desharnais are out, and Jakob Chychrun is expected back after a maintenance day.
What to watch: Washington's power play and sustained zone pressure, Philadelphia's legs late in the game, and the Capitals' goalie decision.
DFS angle: Alex Tuch leads Washington with seven goals and Dylan Strome leads with nine points, so they are the natural stack, ideally with the top power-play unit. On the Philadelphia side, Michkov is the one-off with the most offensive role.
FLAMES AT OILERS, 8:30 PM
Box score: Flames-Oilers.
The Battle of Alberta. Calgary comes in off a 5-2 home win over Toronto on Monday (box score), while Edmonton lost 4-3 at home to Detroit the same night (box score). Devin Cooley is projected in goal for Calgary, and Tristan Jarry for Edmonton.
What to watch: Edmonton's first power-play unit and its high-danger chances, and Calgary's ability to stay out of the penalty box.
DFS angle: Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard are the premium tournament stack if the top power-play unit is intact. Check the Oilers' final lineup on the NHL player news before you build around them. Calgary's leading shooters work as lower-owned one-offs.
Props to research: Edmonton's top forwards on points and shots, and Calgary's primary shooter on shots on goal. Compare them on the NHL props page and the NHL prop hit rate board.
DEVILS AT AVALANCHE, 9:00 PM
Box score: Devils-Avalanche.
New Jersey is playing the second night of a back-to-back after a 5-1 win in Dallas, and Jake Allen is confirmed in goal. Colorado has been off since a 6-2 loss in Nashville on Sunday (box score), so the rest edge belongs to the Avalanche. Mackenzie Blackwood is projected for Colorado.
What to watch: Colorado's ability to control possession and pile up shots, New Jersey's power play, and whether fatigue shows up for the Devils in the third period.
DFS angle: Colorado's top line, with Nathan MacKinnon centering Artturi Lehkonen and Martin Necas, is the primary stack, and Cale Makar adds power-play correlation. Nazem Kadri is the mid-priced route into Colorado's offense on the second line with Gabriel Landeskog. For New Jersey, Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt are the skaters with the biggest offensive roles.
MAPLE LEAFS AT KRAKEN, 10:00 PM
Box score: Maple Leafs-Kraken.
Toronto lost 5-2 in Calgary on Monday and is without John Tavares and Chris Tanev, both week-to-week with lower-body injuries. Seattle lost 5-1 at home to Minnesota on Saturday (box score) and has lost Jared McCann for about 10 weeks with a lower-body injury, so Kaapo Kakko has moved to the top line with Matty Beniers and Jordan Eberle.
Anthony Stolarz is projected for Toronto and Philipp Grubauer for Seattle, neither confirmed.
What to watch: Seattle's ability to limit Toronto's high-danger chances, and whether the Kraken can turn it into a special-teams game.
DFS angle: Auston Matthews and William Nylander are the premium Toronto plays, with Bobby McMann a cheaper path into the same offense. Seattle's new top line of Beniers, Eberle and Kakko is the contrarian tournament stack.
INJURY REPORT
TeamPlayerStatusFlyersTravis KonecnyOutFlyersOwen TippettOutCapitalsLogan ThompsonUnclear (lower body)CapitalsRasmus SandinOutCapitalsVincent DesharnaisOutMaple LeafsJohn TavaresWeek-to-week (lower body)Maple LeafsChris TanevWeek-to-week (lower body)KrakenJared McCannInjured reserve (lower body)AvalancheNicolas RoyWeek-to-week (lower body)
One late scratch can change a line combination, a power-play unit and a DFS value play. Check the all-sports injury report and NHL player news pages before puck drop.
NHL DFS VALUE AND STRATEGY
Tonight is about correlated scoring, not collecting the biggest names. A goal, an assist and a power-play point from the same line can create a big edge in tournaments.
- Oilers top stack: the highest ceiling on the slate if the first power-play unit is intact.
- Avalanche top stack: a rested home team against a Devils team on its second night.
- Capitals: Tuch and Strome against a tired Flyers team.
- Matthews: the premium goal-scoring option on the late game.
- Kraken top line: the contrarian stack, with Kakko in a bigger role.
Three rules for tonight:
- Stack players who skate together on the power play, and add the defenseman who runs the unit.
- Avoid an unconfirmed goalie. A late change can flip the matchup.
- Prioritize shot volume. Players who put pucks on net score fantasy points without scoring a goal.
Build it in the DFS Lineup Generator, run it through the Lineup Doctor, and compare value on the NHL DFS value page and NHL start/sit board. The NHL hot list, NHL heat map and NHL team streaks show who is hot, and the goals leaders, assists leaders, points leaders, shots leaders and power-play leaders show who gets the volume.
NHL PLAYER PROPS AND PARLAYS
Hockey doesn't have a football-style teaser market, but there are plenty of ways to build a card: shots on goal, points, goal scorers, saves and same-game combinations.
Prop angles to research:
- Edmonton's top forwards on shots and points.
- Colorado's top line on shots against a tired opponent.
- A starting goalie's saves once he is confirmed.
- A top-line forward on the late Toronto-Seattle game after lineups are set.
Compare every number on the NHL props page, see how often players clear on the NHL prop hit rate board, and check the NHL unders page for the other side. Research the matchups with NHL team offense, NHL team defense and the plus/minus leaders.
Build your slip:
- NHL Parlay Builder and NHL Slip Builder: stack props from tonight's four games
- AI Parlay Generator: let the AI build a slip across hockey, basketball and the World Series
- Parlay Builder: custom slips across every sport
- Parlay Doctor: check for weak legs and correlation before you place it
- parlay calculator: see what your legs pay together
- parlay hub: every parlay tool in one place
Every leg you add is another way to lose, and two favorites on the same ticket can lose to one upset. If you work with alternate lines, run them through the teaser calculator first.
For our official calls on all four games, head to the NHL verdicts page. The picks live there, and only there.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Edmonton and Colorado are the first places to look for DFS exposure. Washington gets a tired Flyers team, and Toronto-Seattle shapes up as the closest game on the board.
The biggest pregame concern is goalie confirmations and late scratches. Confirm everything before puck drop, plan ahead with the NHL fantasy weeks and the NHL hub, and look at the long view on the NHL season simulator.
Watch it all in Game Zone, then talk about it in the community forum.
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