3 Daily Fantasy NHL Stacks for 4/8/21
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.
On this 10-game slate, we've got six rematches from Tuesday and one from Wednesday, so we should know the stacks that match up well against their opposition.
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers would probably choose to play the Ottawa Senators every game if they could. They beat up on the Senators on Wednesday, winning their eighth game against the team that sits at the bottom of the North Division.
The Oilers have scored a whopping total of 40 goals in those wins. That isn't too surprising considering that the Senators allow the most goals per game in the NHL, but that rate is only 3.73, not the five that the Oilers are averaging against them. Edmonton's star players have been the ones feasting in this matchup, which is perfect for stacking.
It's no surprise that Connor McDavid ($9,000) has been one of the standout players for Edmonton in this season series. He had a goal and three assists on Wednesday, bringing his total to 20 points in the eight games against Ottawa.
That would be production that is unheard of if it wasn't for his teammate Leon Draisaitl ($8,000). The German scored a hat trick yesterday, which was his second of the season, and both have been against the Senators. He has his teammate pipped, with 21 points in this matchup. Edmonton seems to like using their two best players together against Ottawa, which overwhelms the Senators and allows them to totally dominate the game when they are on the ice.
The third member of the line is Jesse Puljujarvi ($3,600), who wasn't able to produce anything in the game yesterday but has a low enough salary that he's worth adding to any stack.
The other piece of this stack who had a good game was defenseman Tyson Barrie ($6,100). He's now third in points for defensemen and also third in shots on goal for blueliners, so he combines well with McDavid and Draisaitl.
With the Oilers having an implied team total of 3.72 goals in this game, McDavid and Draisaitl will certainly be popular, but the two other pieces of this stack might not reach the same number of lineups. It's worth playing the two secondary players because of that, and if the Oilers have another seven- or eight-goal performance against the Senators, all of these guys could have big games.
Nashville Predators
The Nashville Predators have really turned things around after a bad start to the season. They looked like they were going to have to move out some pieces at the trade deadline, but now that's up in the air with how well they've played of late. They've won eight of their last 10 games and now occupy the final playoff spot in the Central Division.
What's more impressive is that they've been able to do it with some key players out of the lineup. This has opened up some value for daily fantasy, and in tonight's matchup, it makes them a nice stack.
Nashville will welcome Viktor Arvidsson ($5,100) back to the lineup in their game tonight. He hasn't been at his best this season with just five goals, but he has scored at least 29 goals three times in his career and is due for some positive regression in the shooting percentage department.
He'll play with Ryan Johansen ($4,600) and Eeli Tolvanen ($4,700) on the top line. Tolvanen has been Nashville's breakout player of this season, as he has 10 points in his last 10 games. He and Johansen will play on the top power play, which is led by reigning Norris trophy winner Roman Josi ($6,800). Josi hasn't quite hit the same heights this season, but he's still one of the best offensive defensemen in the league.
Another way to stack Nashville is to use two players from the second line. Mikael Granlund ($5,200) and Calle Jarnkrok ($4,200) have shown good chemistry together and also are on the power play with Josi.
Nashville has the sixth-highest implied team total in this game against the last place Detroit Red Wings. That's higher than the likes of the Carolina Hurricanes, Boston Bruins, and Chicago Blackhawks, who will all likely be more popular. Those stacks will also likely use more salary to complete them.
With Nashville, you're getting a stack in a good matchup with decent upside at good value, and these stacks can be used with an Edmonton stack to create a lot of correlation with two teams that could have great nights.
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are one of the more interesting teams in the league this season. No one would confuse them for one of the best teams in the NHL, but they have been one of the best teams for daily fantasy purposes of late. They've scored eight goals or more three times in the past three weeks, including Tuesday night against the same opponent they will face tonight.
The Rangers have players who we know have high ceilings based on what they've done this season, so it's somewhat easy to identify where the fantasy points will come from if the team has another big game.
The tricky part of stacking the Rangers is deciding between the first line, the second line, or a mix between the two to get power play correlation. Mika Zibanejad ($8,000) has been having big games of late, with two different six-point outings in the past three weeks. He had a goal and a shorthanded assist in the game on Tuesday, so he had another stellar performance.
Chris Kreider ($6,400) and Pavel Buchnevich ($6,000) are the wings on Zibanejad's line, and they also picked up points in Tuesday's game. The second line was the stack you wanted in that game on Tuesday, however, as Artemi Panarin ($8,300), Ryan Strome ($6,200), and Colin Blackwell ($3,700) all had goals. Panarin also added three assists, with multiple points in four straight games.
Panarin, Strome, Zibanejad, and Kreider make up the four forwards on the top power play that went three for three in Tuesday's game. The other player on that unit is Adam Fox ($6,200), who has been on an absolute tear. He has 21 points in his 11-game point streak and is now tied for the most points for defensemen in the league. With how he has been playing, he's a key part of any Rangers stack you decide to go with tonight.
The Rangers will face the Pittsburgh Penguins again on Thursday. The Penguins have typically been a decent defensive team this season but have allowed eight to the Rangers and seven to the Bruins in their last two games. Their defensive depth players haven't been playing well, which could lead to another big game for New York.
The Rangers have the second-highest implied team total tonight, and with how explosive their offense is, it wouldn't be too surprising to see Rangers players in winning lineups on Thursday night.
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.
