The Complete Guide to an Elite NHL DFS Cash Lineup Build (DraftKings & FanDuel)

If your GPP lineups are boom-or-bust but your bankroll feels like a third-pair defenseman on back-to-back nights, this guide is for you. NHL DFS cash games are where you build a steady, repeatable edge – but only if your NHL DFS Cash Lineup Build is tight, disciplined, and grounded in real numbers.

In this guide we’ll walk through a full, practical process: contest selection, bankroll rules, site scoring, goalie strategy, high-floor skaters, correlation, advanced stats, and how to turn your cash lineup into a small-field GPP winner with a couple of smart tweaks. We’ll also show you how to plug in data from tools like the 5v5 Hockey DFS projections and lineup optimizer so you’re not guessing.

Think of this as the “process manual” serious players use – just written in plain English, with plenty of examples and a little bit of fun along the way.

1. Cash Games vs GPPs: What Are You Actually Optimizing For?

Before you build a single lineup, you need to be crystal-clear on what a cash game is and why the lineup you use there should look very different from your GPP dart throws.

1.1 What is a Cash Game in NHL DFS?

A “cash game” is any contest where roughly half the field gets paid:

50/50s
Double-ups
Head-to-heads (H2Hs)
Small multipliers (e.g. 3x, sometimes)

In these formats you’re not trying to beat everyone – you just need to beat about half the pool. That means your NHL DFS Cash Lineup Build should prioritize:

Secure ice time
Shot and block volume
Stable power-play roles
Goalies with strong win odds

In other words: you’re playing to be above average almost every night, not to spike a top 1% score.

1.2 Why Your Cash Lineup Should Look “Boring”

If your cash lineup looks like a galaxy-brain GPP entry – triple-stack underdogs, punt goalie, that random third-liner in a 5.5 total game – you’re probably doing it wrong.

The best DFS players embrace “boring” in cash:

They play the best values even when everyone else does (“eat the chalk”).
They avoid low-minute wildcards unless price and role absolutely demand it.
They often run one cash lineup across all their cash action to maximize edge and reduce variance.

If you want the “fun” sweat with big upside, that’s what tournaments are for. You can check out tournament-specific thinking in our NHL GPP lineup guide, then come back here to build your bank roll the steady way.

2. Step Zero: Bankroll & Contest Selection for Cash

Your process starts before you open a player pool. The YouTube grinders and long-time pros say the same thing: if your contest mix and bankroll strategy are off, even great lineups won’t save you.

2.1 How Much of Your Bankroll Should You Risk?

A simple, proven framework:

Risk 2–5% of your total bankroll per slate when you’re primarily a cash player.
Within that 2–5%, put roughly 70–80% into cash games and the rest into GPPs for upside.

Example: if your bankroll is $500, a typical night might look like:

Total in play (3%): $15
Cash games (75%): $11–12
GPPs (25%): $3–4

Track this over time – a simple spreadsheet plus your contest history works, or you can log slates alongside projections from tools like fantasy points against by team to see which matchups you attack most often.

2.2 The Best Cash Contest Types

Not all cash contests are equal. A sharp mix might look like:

Head-to-heads (H2H) – best for long-term grind. Post many at your buy-in level.
50/50s – solid, especially single-entry or small-field.
Double-ups – fine, but watch out for huge fields stuffed with pros.

Common pro move: use one cash lineup and deploy it across H2Hs, 50/50s, and double-ups rather than building five slightly different lineups that just increase variance.

3. Know the Rules: DraftKings vs FanDuel Cash Strategy

You can’t build an elite NHL DFS Cash Lineup Build if you don’t know how points are scored. DraftKings (DK) and FanDuel (FD) reward slightly different things, which changes how valuable certain player archetypes are.

3.1 Core Scoring Differences That Matter

The exact numbers can change season to season, so always verify on the site, but broadly:

DraftKings – more weight on shots on goal, blocked shots, and bonuses (e.g. shot/block bonuses).
FanDuel – still rewards shots and blocks but leans a bit more into raw goals and assists.

What that means in practice:

On DK, a high-volume shooting defenseman can be a core cash play even if he doesn’t score.
On FD, raw scoring upside matters a bit more – but you still want volume, not ghost skaters.

Use the scoring tabs inside your DFS tools – for example, the 5v5 Hockey player stats page and game logs make it easy to see how often players hit key categories like shots, blocks, and points.

3.2 Roster Construction & Its Impact on Your Build

Different roster rules push different strategies:

Some sites force multiple centers, multiple wings, and multiple defensemen.
Flex or utility spots can be used on high-floor skaters to juice your median projection.
Salary caps are tight enough that you can’t “pay up” at every position, so you need a plan.

A simple, repeatable approach:

Decide where you’ll pay up (usually goalie + 1–2 star forwards).
Identify value defensemen who block shots and play big minutes.
Fill remaining forward spots with volume shooters on PP1 from good teams.

If you’re unsure where the value is on a slate, the projections on 5v5 Hockey’s projections page will quickly show you which players are underpriced relative to their workload.

4. Goalie: The Backbone (and Tilt Engine) of Your Cash Lineup

Ask any experienced NHL DFS player which position has cost them the most hair and they’ll say it in unison: goalie.

The consensus advice from long-running cash-game guides is clear: in cash, you usually pay up for a heavy favorite.

4.1 A Simple Goalie Checklist for Cash Games

When you’re choosing your cash goalie, run through this checklist:

Is he confirmed as the starter? Never guess. Use official team sources or trusted news feeds.
Is his team a clear favorite? Look for strong home favorites in games with higher implied win odds.
Will he see enough, but not insane, volume? You want saves for points, not a 45-shot onslaught against.
Is this a back-to-back or weird schedule spot? Backup risk or fatigue raises volatility in cash.

If two goalies project similarly, you can lean on matchup tools like NHL DFS matchups and fantasy points allowed to see which opponent suppresses shots or struggles to finish.

4.2 Common Goalie Mistakes in Cash

A few patterns you’ll see over and over in losing lineups:

Punting goalie on a large underdog to jam in skaters.
Guessing on “probable” starters without confirmation.
Pairing a cash goalie against a stacked group of your own skaters, reducing your own ceiling and raising correlation risk.

Fix these, and your cash results will stabilize quickly.

5. Building a High-Floor Skater Core

Once goalie is locked, your job is to fill the rest of your NHL DFS Cash Lineup Build with skaters who show up on the scoresheet in multiple ways: shots, blocks, power-play time, and of course goals and assists.

5.1 What a “Cash-Ready” Forward Looks Like

Forwards you can trust in cash typically have:

Top-six role (1st or 2nd line)
Time on ice around 17–20+ minutes
Top power-play usage (PP1 whenever possible)
Shot volume – think in terms of 3+ shots per game, not 1.2
Reasonable salary relative to projection

Those are all things you can find quickly on current NHL line combinations and line stats. If a winger is on Line 1 and PP1 and shoots a ton, he’s immediately on your cash radar.

5.2 Mining Value on Defense

Defense is where you often “make the math work” in cash.

Great cash defensemen tend to:

Play big minutes (20+ per night)
Accumulate blocked shots
Contribute some shots on goal
Sometimes get PP2 or PP1 time as a bonus

On DraftKings, shot and block bonuses make these players gold. Even in a 0–0–0 game for points, they can finish with 4–6 DK points on peripherals alone.

Use the player stats and line risers & fallers tools to spot defensemen whose minutes are trending up or who recently moved onto a power play unit but haven’t been priced up yet.

6. Correlation & Stacking in Cash: How Much is Too Much?

In GPPs, stacking is king. In cash, it’s more like a helpful assistant – useful, but dangerous if you give it too much power.

6.1 The Case for Mini-Stacks in Cash

Limited correlation can be very +EV in cash:

A 2-man mini-stack from a strong favorite’s top line (C + W)
A PP1 correlation (Winger + D on the same power play)

If that line scores on the power play, you might get the goal, the assist, the PPP bonuses, and a couple of shots all in one play.

6.2 When Stacking Becomes a Problem

Cash-game content from seasoned grinders is almost unanimous on this point: if you’re rolling 3–4 stacks from an underdog in a low-total road game, you’re turning a cash lineup into a high-variance GPP entry.

A safe default:

Cap yourself at one 2-man stack (occasionally two if they’re both from high-implied-total teams).
Avoid full 3–4 man stacks in cash.
Spread exposure across multiple good offenses rather than betting your entire slate on a single game script.

If you want to see how different stacks correlate historically, the DFS correlation tool is a great way to sanity-check whether two players really move together.

7. Using Advanced Stats (Without Overcomplicating Your Life)

You don’t need to be a full-time analyst to leverage modern NHL stats. A few simple concepts will dramatically sharpen your NHL DFS Cash Lineup Build:

7.1 The Big Three: Shot Volume, Expected Goals, and Matchups

For cash, focus on repeatable volume:

Shot volume: players who habitually shoot are more predictable than pass-first guys.
Expected goals (xG): tells you the quality of chances, not just the outcomes.
Matchups: use fantasy points against and line matching to see who draws soft opposition.

You can approximate a lot of this using fantasy points against defenses, historical line matchups, and the home-ice line matching tool to understand who will see which opponents at even strength.

7.2 A Simple “Cash Floor Score” You Can Use

You don’t need a PhD model. Even something simple like this can work:

Start with a player’s median projection (from your favorite projection source).
Add small bonuses for:

Time on ice above 18 minutes
3+ shots per game average
2+ blocks per game for defensemen
PP1 role

Subtract small penalties for:

Road underdog status
Low implied team total

Rank your player pool by this “floor score” and cross-check it with 5v5 projections and optimizer outputs. You’ll quickly see which names keep bubbling to the top.

8. A Practical, Step-by-Step NHL DFS Cash Lineup Build

Let’s stitch everything together into a repeatable routine you can run in 20–30 minutes once you’re comfortable.

8.1 Pre-Research Setup (Morning / Afternoon)

Check the slate size and contest lobby on your DFS site.
Decide your total outlay (2–5% of bankroll) and split it between cash and GPP.
Skim today’s NHL DFS games overview to see matchups, totals, and back-to-backs.

8.2 Core Research (1–2 Hours Before Lock)

Open projections and player stats.
Identify high-implied-total teams and confirm lines on the lines page.
Shortlist:

2–3 goalies who project best relative to salary and win odds.
6–8 forwards with high shot volume and PP1 roles.
4–6 defensemen with big minutes and blocks.

8.3 Building the Skeleton Lineup

Pick your cash goalie using the checklist above.
Lock in your favorite stud forward (usually a PP1 winger or elite center on a strong favorite).
Add 1–2 value defensemen who give you peripherals and minutes.
Fill remaining forward slots with your best floor values, optionally adding one 2-man mini-stack.

At any point, you can plug your pool into the 5v5 Hockey lineup optimizer with conservative stacking rules (e.g., at most one 2-man stack) and let it find the highest median projection under the salary cap.

8.4 Final 30 Minutes: News, Goalies, and Late Swap

The last 30–45 minutes before lock is where the edge lives:

Confirm starting goalies via team news or trusted beat reporters.
Watch for line changes and injured players moving up the lineup.
Use line risers/fallers to catch late promotions.
Re-run your build if a key value suddenly appears on PP1 at a low salary.

For late games, be prepared with a couple of pivot options at similar salary levels in case an unexpected scratch drops after the early games lock.

9. Common Cash-Game Mistakes (and Easy Fixes)

A lot of players lose in cash for the same few reasons. If you can avoid these, you’re already ahead of a big chunk of the field.

9.1 Over-Stacking Like It’s a Tournament

Mistake: 3–4 skaters from one team, sometimes even as an underdog, in a cash lineup.

Fix: Cap yourself at one 2-man stack from a strong favorite. Spread the rest of your skaters across other good teams and matchups.

9.2 Punting Goalie to Afford Skaters

Mistake: Taking a cheap road goalie who’s a big underdog just so you can jam another star forward.

Fix: Respect the volatility of the position. Pay up for a confirmed starter on a favorite, even if it means dropping from a superstar winger to a still-solid but cheaper option.

9.3 Playing Too Many Different Cash Lineups

Mistake: Running three different cash builds across your bankroll because you “like them all.”

Fix: Do the hard work up front to settle on one lineup you believe is the best combination of floor and projection. Deploy that one across your 50/50s, double-ups, and H2Hs. Use alternative builds in GPPs instead.

9.4 Ignoring Matchups and Usage Trends

Mistake: Playing “name value” stars without noticing their ice time has dropped or their role has changed.

Fix: Check player ratings, recent game logs, and role changes to make sure the player you’re paying for still has the workload you expect.

10. Turning a Cash Lineup into a Small-Field GPP Weapon

One of the smartest ways to play tournaments is to start with your rock-solid cash lineup and make 1–2 targeted tweaks to chase a higher ceiling while keeping your floor intact.

10.1 When to Enter Cash Builds in GPPs

Cash lineups can do surprisingly well in:

Small-field single-entry GPPs
3-max tournaments
High-minimum-cash payout structures

If the field is small enough (think a couple hundred entries), a lineup that’s built to be rock-solid with a couple of high-upside studs can absolutely win.

10.2 Simple Tweaks for Extra Upside

Here’s a common pattern:

Take your completed cash lineup.
Identify one or two “chalky but low-ceiling” pieces (usually cheap, low-shot role players).
Swap them to:

A lower-owned but correlated linemate with more goal upside, or
A similarly-priced player on another team’s top line who projects a bit lower but has a big range of outcomes.

You can evaluate how those pivots affect correlation and team exposure with the DFS correlations tool and the line stats page.

11. Example Workflow: From Blank Slate to Finished Cash Lineup

To make all of this less abstract, here’s a condensed “real-world” flow using the tools and ideas we’ve discussed.

Morning: Peek at today’s slate overview and lock in your bankroll plan (3% in action, 75% of it in cash).
90 minutes before lock: Open projections, lines, and fantasy points against. Highlight 2–3 favorite teams to attack.
60 minutes before lock: shortlist players who meet your “floor criteria” for minutes, shots, and PP role. Tag a few value defensemen and mid-range forwards.
45 minutes before lock: choose a goalie using matchup info and then run an initial lineup through the optimizer with tight stacking rules.
30 minutes before lock: confirm starters and line changes, then adjust if a new value opens. Re-run the build, compare a couple of top projected lineups, and pick your favorite.
Lock: enter that lineup into your selected H2Hs, 50/50s, and double-ups. If you’re playing a small GPP, clone it and make 1–2 higher-upside swaps.

12. Final Checklist for Every NHL DFS Cash Lineup Build

Before you hit “enter contest,” run through this quick checklist:

Did I follow my bankroll rule (2–5% of roll, mostly in cash)?
Is my goalie a confirmed starter on a strong favorite?
Do my skaters mostly play top-six / top-four minutes and get PP time?
Am I leaning on players with real shot and block volume?
Do I have at most one 2-man stack, not a giant all-in stack?
Did I cross-check projections with ownership expectations and floor?
Am I running just one primary cash lineup across my cash contests?

If the answer to all of those is “yes,” you’ve done more work than most of your opponents. Over a big enough sample of slates, that’s exactly how you grind a profit in NHL DFS cash games.

Further Tools & Resources

If you want to go deeper, here are a few resources that pair nicely with this guide:

Internal tools:

External reading and tools:

Use this article as your backbone, plug in slate-specific data from your favorite tools, and over time you’ll develop a personal NHL DFS Cash Lineup Build style that fits your risk tolerance and still leans on proven winning principles.