NHL DFS | September 30, 2026: DraftKings 3-Game Main Slate

Wednesday’s DraftKings NHL main slate is three games: Islanders-Maple Leafs and Penguins-Flyers at 7:30 p.m. ET, followed by Kings-Avalanche at 10. Toronto is on the second half of a back-to-back, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia open in a playoff rematch, and Colorado begins at home against Los Angeles.

The supplied DraftKings file is our salary authority. Goalie pricing includes multiple goalies per team, so goalie recommendations remain conditional on final starter confirmation.

Favorite stack: Colorado

MacKinnon $8,700 • Necas $6,300 • Lehkonen $4,800

MacKinnon is the slate’s premier raw-ceiling skater. Colorado’s top unit can separate through even-strength and power-play scoring. Cale Makar $7,000 is the premium defenseman attachment, but Lehkonen at $4,800 is especially useful when salary gets tight.

Toronto: back-to-back but stackable

Matthews $7,700 • Marchenko $5,800 • Nylander $6,500

The back-to-back matters, but Matthews remains one of the slate’s best shot and goal bets. Marchenko is $5,800 and Nylander provides another high-end scoring path. We prefer two-man Toronto combinations when also paying for Colorado.

Pittsburgh after Bryan Rust’s injury

Crosby $6,900 • Malkin $5,700 • Rakell $6,200

Rust is on injured reserve with an upper-body injury, removing a major top-six and power-play piece. That concentrates offensive responsibility around Pittsburgh’s stars. Malkin at $5,700 is particularly useful when MacKinnon and Matthews absorb salary.

Philadelphia GPP stack

Zegras $4,600 • Konecny $5,200 • Michkov $4,100

Philadelphia is our tournament side of the Pennsylvania game. Pittsburgh enters with multiple forwards on injured reserve, and Michkov at $4,100 is one of the best salary points in the pool. Use the confirmed line and power-play combinations rather than forcing three players together if deployment changes.

Los Angeles leverage

Panarin $6,800 • Kempe $5,900 • Fiala $2,500

Colorado should attract ownership, making Los Angeles useful leverage. Panarin and Kempe have obvious ceiling. Fiala at only $2,500 is the salary that jumps off the page. If his confirmed deployment provides real scoring access, he can fundamentally change lineup construction.

Best one-offs and defensemen

• MacKinnon $8,700: best raw ceiling.
• Matthews $7,700: elite shot and goal equity.
• Makar $7,000: defenseman with forward-like ceiling.
• Michkov $4,100: strong $4,100 one-off.
• Fiala $2,500: extreme salary value if his role confirms.
• Erik Karlsson $5,700: Pittsburgh power-play access.
• Morgan Rielly $4,400: affordable Toronto defense exposure.
• Brandt Clarke $5,000: preferred Kings defenseman for leverage builds.

Goalie board

Ilya Sorokin, $7,600

Our favorite tournament goalie if confirmed. Toronto is on a back-to-back and can still generate enough shots to give Sorokin save-volume plus upset paths.

Arturs Silovs, $7,400

Expected for Pittsburgh in current reporting. At $7,400, he can make MacKinnon plus another premium stack fit.

MacKenzie Blackwood, $8,300

The premium Colorado option if confirmed. Strong win equity, although we still need enough saves to justify $8,300.

Dan Vladar, $8,000

A viable home alternative if confirmed for Philadelphia, especially in builds betting against Pittsburgh’s depleted forward group.

Lineup construction

• Start with correlation: three-man line or two-man line plus power-play defenseman.
• MacKinnon does not require Makar. Use Lehkonen or Necas when the premium pairing breaks the lineup.
• Cheap Kings need confirmed roles. Salary alone is not value.
• Goalie can be leverage. Sorokin against popular Toronto is a coherent GPP thesis.

CTS core

Stack: Colorado first. Secondary: Toronto two-man combinations and Pittsburgh’s concentrated stars. GPP: Philadelphia and Los Angeles. Value: Michkov and Fiala if roles confirm. Goalie: Sorokin for tournaments, with Colorado’s confirmed starter the win-equity alternative.