NHL

2 Daily Fantasy Hockey Stacks for 12/18/19

Thomas Vecchio  —  @Tom_Vecchio1 Dec 18th, 2019
Colorado's first power-play stack is the best option on this three-game slate. What team can we look to pair with them?

When playing NHL DFS -- much like MLB DFS -- stacking is key. Having multiple players from the same team, who correlate together, can give your lineup upside and help you maximize potential points.

You can roster up to four players from the same team in NHL, and you should look to have players from the same forward line or power-play unit together. Shared ice time is the key, as it will maximize their ability to contribute to real-life goals with each other, ultimately leading to more fantasy points for us.

Generally, we don't see late scratches in the NHL, and the team's lines are confirmed at practice or before the game. Two of the best resources for that are LeftWingLock.com or DailyFaceOff.com. That is where you can find updated forward and power-play lines for each team.

Colorado Avalanche

With only three games on the slate, we want to look towards the Colorado Avalanche and their slate-high 3.52 implied goal total.

Given the matchups on this slate, I think it's safe to say that Nathan MacKinnon ($9,200) is the best player on the slate. Yes, even on a slate which includes Connor McDavid ($9,000), MacKinnon is still the best player to roster tonight. We have to consider the matchups tonight, and the Edmonton Oilers are facing the St. Louis Blues, who are allowing the third-fewest shot attempts to opposing teams. Meanwhile, MacKinnon is up against the Chicago Blackhawks, who are allowing the third-most shot attempts to opposing teams. This is a matchup thing, and we want to roster the Avalanche's top lines in a significantly better spot.

Colorado's top power-play unit is back at full strength and offers one of the highest upside stacks you can find on this slate or really any slate. MacKinnon leads the way, along with Gabriel Landeskog ($7,200), Mikko Rantanen ($7,800), and defender Samuel Girard ($4,500). Over their last five games, those four players have 15 points and 60 shots -- a level of production that cannot be matched on this slate. The issue with this stack is their high prices when we have only three games and are lacking value. Roster construction is always tougher on small slates, but it can be done tonight, specifically, with the next stack we will get to.

New Jersey Devils

The New Jersey Devils traded Taylor Hall to the Arizona Coyotes the other day, thus making their lineup that much cheaper.

Hall is an elite player, that much is clear, but he is also expensive. With Hall off the top power-play unit, they now have Nico Hischier ($5,200), Kyle Palmieri ($6,000), Nikita Gusev ($4,000), Sami Vatanen ($4,900), and Jack Hughes ($4,300). As you can see, they are cheaper options outside of Palmieri, who might be their best player but is worth fading for the price of this overall stack.

This is how you will be able to pay up for the Avalanche's top power-play unit, and don't worry, you aren't punting just for the sake of it. The Devils are actually in a good spot since they are up against the Anaheim Ducks, who are sixth-worst when it comes to Corsi Against and the seventh-worst in expected goals against per 60. The Devils ease roster construction immensely tonight.