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.
We've got a nine game slate that has a lot of great spots for teams, so let's look at the best ones to use in lineups tonight.
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks are doing their best to stay in the playoff hunt in the Central Division. They currently sit in fifth place, four points out of the last playoff spot. Since Chicago was expected to be one of the worst teams in the league this season, many people have pointed out that they've beaten up on the weaker teams in the division to get where they are in the standings. The other reason they are in contention is because of a few star players dragging them along this season. Well, on Thursday, both of those things come into play.
The Blackhawks will face the Detroit Red Wings tonight. Detroit is in last place in the division and has allowed the eighth most goals per game. Chicago's two best players have had success against the Red Wings this season. Patrick Kane ($7,600) has eight points in the six meetings with Detroit. He's also up to third overall in scoring with 54 real-world points. Alex DeBrincat ($7,000) has done him one better with nine points in six games against Detroit this year. After briefly being apart, these two are back together at even strength, making them a great pair in lineups. Kirby Dach ($3,600) is the center on the line and is one the best values on the slate at this salary.
With Adam Boqvist out of the lineup, the Blackhawks seem to be going with five forwards on the power play. They don't really have a defenseman who can be a power-play quarterback at this stage of their career, so this makes sense. If you wanted to use an onslaught of Chicago forwards, adding in Dominik Kubalik ($4,600) or Dylan Strome ($4,100) could be an interesting way to build a lineup.
Chicago's power play has been a strength for them, as it has the sixth highest success rate this season. Meanwhile, penalty killing is certainly a weakness for Detroit, as they have the seventh worst penalty kill in the league. We should take advantage of this matchup and roster some Blackhawks tonight.
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins have been on a good run of late. They're 8-2 in their last 10 games and sit firmly in third place in the East despite having some injuries this season. They didn't do much at the trade deadline to really shake things up, but that's good news for us in fantasy. The way they have the first line set up is pretty ideal, and the matchup they have today gives them a boost.
The first line for the Penguins has remained intact for the most part. It's headlined by Sidney Crosby ($8,200), who continues to be one of the best players in the game in his 16th season in the league. He has 16 points and 30 shots on goal in the last 10 games, so he has gotten better as the season has gone on. Jake Guentzel ($7,700) has joined Crosby on this run, as Guentzel has 15 points in the past 10, including a hat trick in his last game on Sunday. Bryan Rust ($6,000) has also averaged a point per game over the last 10, so he's a fine third piece of this line. Kris Letang ($6,300) is always viable as the fourth piece to the line, as he plays with them on the power play and has 12 points in the last 10 games.
The Penguins will face the in-state rival Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday. In what's been a lost season for the Flyers, they had another poor defensive showing on Tuesday, giving up six goals again. What also benefits the Penguins is that they will face Carter Hart, who has been the worst goalie in the league by some distance in terms of goals saved above average this season.
Pittsburgh's implied team total is 3.6 goals, the second highest on the slate. They should be able to put some pucks in the net versus their fierce rivals, making them a great choice to stack.
Washington Capitals
The first game after the trade deadline was a good display for the Washington Capitals. They scored six goals and looked like the high-powered offense we would expect. Of course, they also scored eight goals in the game just before the deadline, so it wasn't some new thing. The point is that with all the skill they have on the ice, the Caps are capable of exploding, and that is definitely the case tonight.
Neither of the last two games have really seen eruptions from Alex Ovechkin ($8.800) despite Washington's outbursts. He did have a goal and an assist on Tuesday and had 10 shots on goal on Sunday, so it's not like he's been invisible. He hasn't broken any slates of late, but we know he is capable of doing that any time he takes the ice.
Ovechkin continues to play with Evgeny Kuznetsov ($6,100) and Tom Wilson ($5,200) at even strength, and Ovi sees power-play time with both on separate units. Wilson has a power-play goal and an assist in each of the last two games, so for $5,200, he's a good value. John Carlson ($6,900) is third in points for defensemen this season, and correlates well with Ovechkin as it's his job to set up the Russian for one-timers on the power play.
The newly formed second line had success in its first game on Tuesday. Nicklas Backstrom ($6,700) notched a goal and an assist for his second consecutive two-point game. T.J. Oshie ($6,500) had an assist and five shots on goal, and the new guy, Anthony Mantha ($4,800), stole the headlines with a goal, assist and six shots. This makes them a good stack, as well, and if you wanted to get even more upside, you could also play Ovechkin with them as Ovi will play on the power play on any unit the Capitals put out there, giving everyone the chance to connect on a goal with him.
Washington will take on the league's worst team, the Buffalo Sabres. The Caps have won six out of seven against Buffalo this season, scoring 27 goals in those seven games. That's close to four a game, which is actually lower than their implied team total tonight. Washington's implied total is sitting at 4.13, one of the highest of the season. It definitely makes sense to play Capitals tonight, and you can mix and match different pieces to create a unique stack of what is likely to be one of the more popular teams.
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.