3 Daily Fantasy NHL Stacks for 2/22/21
In daily fantasy hockey, stacking is a key strategy in tournaments. We want to correlate our lineups with up to four players to maximize our upside as if one player on a line is scoring goals, it's likely that his linemates are getting assists as well. Ideally, we'll want players that will get a lot of ice time together on an even-strength line and a power-play line. Two good resources for line combinations are LeftWingLock.com and DailyFaceoff.com, so be sure to check those sites for up-to-date line information.
With eight games on Monday, there are plenty of teams we can look to stack. Let's take a look at three of the best.
Toronto Maple Leafs
People were expecting the Toronto Maple Leafs to dominate the North division, and it's all going according to plan. They lead the league in goals per game, with 3.79 per contest. They also have the best power-play in the league, clicking at an absurd 37.5% success rate. The most obvious play on the Maple Leafs is Auston Matthews ($9,200), who has been on an absolute tear this season. He has points in 16 straight games, a streak that includes 18 goals. He's been particularly good over the last four games, scoring seven goals. When a player is scoring this much, he will usually bring a teammate with him to the top. That's happening with Mitch Marner ($8,300), who is tied for second in the league with 30 points. Playing together at even-strength and on the power-play has seen these two combine for 80.1 and 89.6 FanDuel points in their last two games, respectively.
With Joe Thornton out tonight, it looks like Travis Boyd ($3,200) will take his spot on this line. Boyd was playing on the fourth line but getting power-play time. His ice time had been limited, but his scoring has been impressive, as his points per 60 minutes are higher than teammates John Tavares and William Nylander, according to Natural Stat Trick. Morgan Rielly ($5,400) contributed two assists in each of the last two games, and his salary is still not too restrictive to play him with Matthews and Marner.
The Leafs are playing a Calgary Flames team that got ripped up for seven goals the last time they played. With how explosive Toronto has been of late, this stack continues to be one of the best on every slate they are on. Tonight is no different, so get some exposure to them in your lineups.
Colorado Avalanche
We saw the Colorado Avalanche play against the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday at Lake Tahoe, and while this game inside won't be as aesthetically pleasing, it could produce better hockey. The conditions didn't seem to matter for Nathan MacKinnon ($8,400) though, as he put up three points and five shots on goal. He has a goal in two straight games against Vegas, so despite them being one of the best defensive teams in the league, he's still able to get his fantasy points. His right wing Mikko Rantanen ($7,600) had two assists on Saturday and is always a good stacking partner with MacKinnon because they play together on the power play. Andre Burakovsky ($4,700) has taken the left wing spot on this line and while he's not Gabriel Landeskog, he is a very capable offensive player who started off the season with eight points in six games.
The Avalanche got back Cale Makar ($6,000) on Saturday. Makar didn't have any points for the first time in five games, but the Avalanche dominated the puck when he was on the ice. They controlled 66.67% of the shot attempts when Makar was playing. He clearly makes a big difference and allows the rest of the Avalanche to flourish. Against a team like Vegas who has been able to limit the weaker teams in the division offensively, the numbers may make the matchup tougher than it looks for a team with the talent of Colorado.
Colorado will definitely be less popular than the Leafs with a stack that will cost a similar amount of salary. While they haven't shown the same kind of upside as Toronto, if the Leafs don't have a huge night, the Avalanche are a nice leverage play as a team that could outscore Toronto if things break right.
St Louis Blues
The St. Louis Blues have been without star sniper Vladimir Tarasenko for much of the last two seasons, and other forwards have had to step up. David Perron ($7,200) has done that this season, leading the team with 19 points in 18 games. His center Ryan O'Reilly ($6,900) always has had a great reputation for his defensive play and has added to his offensive game with 16 points so far this season. Perhaps the biggest surprise has been Jordan Kyrou ($4,300), who is second on the team with 17 points. He has recently got the bump up to the first line to play with these guys, so with the ice time no longer being much of a concern, he's a great value at $4,300.
The Blues will face the Los Angeles Kings in a matchup they should like. The Kings allow the sixth-most expected goals per 60 minutes in the league. With Jonathan Quick expected to start, the Blues get a bit of a break, as he has been the worst of the two Kings' goalies this season. His apprentice Cal Petersen has a goals saved above average of 5.42, while Quick's is all the way down at -3.77.
Torey Krug ($5,300) got his role on the first power-play back and has been good of late, with 3 assists and 14 shots on goal in his last four games. While Kyrou isn't on the first power play with Krug and the forwards, he's such a good value that he's definitely worth throwing into the stack. St Louis has a 3.11 implied team total, so they are definitely a team to get a piece of on tonight's slate.
Nicholas Vazquez is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Nicholas Vazquez also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username hbyanksman. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.
