I’m Kayla. I play NHL DFS most nights. Not every night, but close. I tried three tools this season: Fantasy Cruncher, RotoGrinders LineupHQ, and SaberSim. (If you’re curious how a deep dive with an optimizer can go, here’s what happened when someone used an NHL DFS optimizer for a month.) Before we go any deeper, anyone who wants a rock-solid refresher on DraftKings strategy should skim the NHL DFS DraftKings fantasy primer on NHL.com—it lays a smart foundation for the lineup mechanics I’m about to unpack. I used my own notes, plus their numbers. I built stacks. I set rules. And yes, I won some, lost some, and learned a lot.
You know what? It felt like building a Lego rink. Fun, a little nerdy, and weirdly calming.
What I wanted from the tool
I needed speed and control. I care about:
- Stacks by line (like top line or PP1)
- Caps on player exposure (no 80% Connor McDavid—tempting, but scary)
- Late swap help for those 10 p.m. games
- No skaters vs my goalie (please don’t make me cry)
Fantasy Cruncher gave me the most knobs to turn. LineupHQ was the easiest for quick stacks. SaberSim had the nicest “feel” with sim-heavy builds, though it can get cute with third-line darts.
How I set it up (simple, on purpose)
On DraftKings I used:
- Stacks: 3-3-1-1 or 4-3
- Max 4 skaters from one team
- At least two players from the same power play when I used a star
- 15–25% randomness
- Caps: 40–50% on super chalk, 20–30% on volatile values
On FanDuel I leaned 3-3 stacks. It just fits the site.
I also made a group rule: “If I play Nathan MacKinnon, try to pair one of Mikko Rantanen or Cale Makar.” Simple rule, big ceiling.
A real slate that made me grin
Eight-gamer, midweek. I set a 3-3-1-1 style. Here’s the exact build that cashed in the top 5% on DK (single entry, nothing huge, but it felt nice):
- C Nathan MacKinnon (COL)
- C Leon Draisaitl (EDM)
- W Mikko Rantanen (COL)
- W Zach Hyman (EDM)
- W Carter Verhaeghe (FLA)
- D Cale Makar (COL)
- D Evan Bouchard (EDM)
- G Sergei Bobrovsky (FLA)
- UTIL Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (EDM)
Why it worked:
- Two mini-cores tied to PP1 (COL and EDM)
- Goalie not facing my skaters
- One-off Verhaeghe filled salary and shot volume
Did I get lucky? A little. But the structure did the heavy lifting. Less guessing. More math with a hockey soul.
When it went sideways
Saturday night slate. I went heavy on Florida stacks on back-to-back travel. They looked gassed. SaberSim pushed some third-line value I didn’t love. Fantasy Cruncher ran fast, but my caps were too loose. I had way too much of a cheap winger that ended with 11 minutes on ice. Brutal.
Lesson: check morning skate notes, watch for back-to-backs, and don’t chase every punt. Also, late swap matters. I fixed two lineups with a West Coast pivot and saved the night. Well, half the night.
Tool by tool, my feel
- Fantasy Cruncher: Best for control. Groups, rules, and exposure feel tight. It can be a lot at first. But once it clicks, it flies.
- RotoGrinders LineupHQ: Great for quick stacks and ownership reads. Easy to use. Sometimes slow with late scratches, so keep an eye out.
- SaberSim: Chill workflow. The sim-based sets felt smart on small slates. But it can lean chalk or toss in third-line fliers that make you squint.
If you want to go deeper on the big-picture “how to actually beat NHL DFS” concepts that fuel LineupHQ’s projections, the RotoGrinders team breaks it down in their guide on how to play and win at NHL DFS. It’s a sharp complement to any optimizer you run.
If you ever want a nerd-level look at how optimizers actually crunch those numbers, check out this concise guide on Optimization World — it demystifies the math without frying your brain. DFS props more your speed? Then you may like this honest take on trying a free PrizePicks optimizer.
I used all three at times. Not every slate needs every tool. I know—that sounds silly—but it’s true. When hoops season rolls around, I lean on an optimizer there too; this month-long NBA lineup builder test drive shows exactly what that workflow feels like.
A second real example (FanDuel)
Short slate. I built a 3-3 stack and one-offs:
- EDM PP1: McDavid, Draisaitl, Bouchard
- COL mini: Rantanen, Makar, Valeri Nichushkin
- G Jeremy Swayman (BOS) as a stand-alone
I capped McDavid at 40% across my small set, just so I didn’t go overboard. I did a tiny shuffle before lock when a late winger moved to PP2. It bumped my Rantanen combo into the top lineup. Small cash. Still smiled.
The little things that felt big
- I set “no skaters vs my goalie” as a hard rule. Peace of mind, honestly.
- I boosted defensemen who play PP1. Blocks are fine; points are better.
- I lowered exposure on lines that change a lot. Coaches get spicy. That can burn you.
- I checked travel and back-to-backs. NHL legs matter. You can see it.
What I loved
- Speed. Building 20+ lineups took minutes, not an hour.
- Stacks stayed tight. The tool didn’t forget my plan.
- Late swap saved me twice. That alone paid for a month.
What bugged me
- If you trust the default settings too much, you’ll get chalk soup.
- Lines move after morning skate. Projections can lag.
- Third-line darts can look cute and then… six minutes of ice. Ouch.
My small, real-money note
I played low-to-mid stakes. Some top 1–5% finishes. Some min-cashes. A couple blanks. No magic wand here. The optimizer helps, but you still need a plan.
My game-night routine (don’t laugh)
I pour tea. I check lines. I set my rules. I run 50–100 builds. I scroll exposures. I lock a core. I do one last pass after late news. Then I watch the first period with my hoodie up like it’s playoff time. Weird? Maybe. Calm? Yes.
Sometimes, if the slate looks like a bust and I just want to vent or celebrate with other puck-heads, I’ll hop into the Chatrandom Gay Version on GayChat.io where the roulette-style video chat makes it easy to find fellow sports fans, share last-minute injury notes, or simply laugh off a bad beat while the clock ticks toward lock.
Off-ice chemistry can matter, too. If the idea of matching your needs with someone generous sounds more appealing than sweating a late-night goalie pull, a local guide like this Amarillo-focused sugar-daddy resource can connect adults in the Texas Panhandle who want mutually beneficial arrangements—complete with tips on staying safe and making sure expectations are clear from day one.
Final word
If you play NHL DFS, a good optimizer is worth it. It keeps your stacks sharp and your head clear. I’d pick Fantasy Cruncher for control, LineupHQ for ease, and SaberSim when you want a softer, sim-first build. When summer comes, a FanDuel baseball itch hits me too—this field test of an MLB FanDuel lineup builder might convince you to give it a whirl.
Use it like a coach uses a whiteboard. Make a plan. Stick to it. Tweak when the news hits. And yeah—enjoy the sweat. Hockey has a way of making your heart race, even on a Tuesday.