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.
There's exactly one month left in the regular season, so let's take advantage of the options that an eight-game slate offers while we can.
Vegas Golden Knights
The Vegas Golden Knights had a good week. They won all four of their games and are now first overall in the NHL. They absolutely dominated in those games, outscoring their opponents 19-6. They got to face two of the weaker teams in the division for those four games, but in this game, the matchup only gets better.
Some of Vegas' key players have been performing well during their six-game winning streak. Max Pacioretty ($8,000) picked up his play after a small slump, and now has six points in his last three games. His linemate, Mark Stone ($7,300), has outdone him of late, with multiple points in four straight games. They continue to be centered by Chandler Stephenson ($4,600), who has proven that he deserves his spot between Vegas' two best wingers. He has seven points in his last 10 games and plays on the power play with those two stars, so he's a pretty good value to add to this stack. Shea Theodore ($6,400) is the power-play quarterback who plays with these forwards. While Theodore hasn't scored in the last ten games, it hasn't been for a lack of trying, as he has 38 shots on goal in that time span.
Vegas' second line with William Karlsson ($5,500), Jonathan Marchessault ($6,300), and Reilly Smith ($4,300) is a good alternative stack if you want to get a piece of Vegas. Marchessault in particular is a good play, as he has 40 shots on goal in his last 10 games but only 2 goals. If he keeps getting that many opportunities, he should be able to put some more in the back of the net.
The Golden Knights will host their rival San Jose Sharks on Monday. The Sharks have allowed the fourth-most goals per game in the league, and the most in the West. This means that this is the best matchup Vegas could face in the regular season, in theory. Vegas' implied team total is all the way up to 3.89, by far the highest on tonight's slate. This puts their first and second lines firmly in play to stack tonight.
Florida Panthers
If there was an award for the most improved team in the NHL, it would probably go to the Florida Panthers. A lot of times when you see teams take a leap as they have, the underlying numbers don't look good for them, but that isn't the case for the Panthers this season. They appear to be legit and have some star players that are performing well in real life and in fantasy.
We have to start with Aleksander Barkov ($7,900) as he has been the team's best player all season. He's added more shots to his game this season, which makes him a better fantasy asset than he was before. He's tied for 12th in the NHL in points per game and has the 10th most shots on goal. The great thing about Barkov is his stacking linemates are extremely affordable. The main one to target with him is newcomer Nikita Gusev ($3,200). Gusev was signed after the Devils waived him, and has immediately slotted in on the first line and first power play. He's a talented offensive player and has an assist and six shots on goal in his two games with Florida, so at this salary, he's a great value. The other wing is Mason Marchment ($3,300), who's been effective at times but doesn't play on the power play.
You could play these guys and add in defenseman Keith Yandle ($4,100) and get a really affordable stack with three members of the first power play that allows you to do a lot of things with the rest of your lineup. If you're more bullish that Florida is the team that can put up a tournament-winning performance, you could play Barkov and Gusev with Jonathan Huberdeau ($7,400) and Patric Hornqvist ($5,700). This gives you access to Florida's four most dangerous forwards, who will have correlation with a teammate at even strength and with all three on the power play.
The reason you might want to use an onslaught is because Florida is in a pretty good spot on tonight's slate. They face the Columbus Blue Jackets, who seem to be dead and buried for the season. They traded away David Savard and Zach Werenski is done for the season, meaning they are down two of their top three defensemen from the start of the season. This has really shown to be a problem, as they've allowed four goals or more in their last five games. Florida's 3.23 implied team total is the third-highest on the slate tonight, and it wouldn't be too surprising if they exceeded that total in this matchup.
Dallas Stars
After making a run to the Stanley Cup Final last season, it's not been as good of a season for the Dallas Stars this season. From the beginning of the season getting delayed due to a COVID situation, to a weather situation causing some games to get canceled, to star players like Tyler Seguin and Ben Bishop being out for the entire season thus far, it's hard to blame them for not living up to last season's highs. The good news is they are still in with a chance at the last playoff spot in the Central. In fact, they actually are in fourth place in the division by points percentage. On Monday, they'll have a good chance of increasing that percentage.
The other challenge that Dallas has had is players being in and out of the lineup due to injury. Roope Hintz ($6,400) has almost been like an NBA player with his injury management, as he is a game-time decision nearly every game. With Dallas needing every point they can get and Hintz only missing two games in April, it's likely he will be in the lineup. That's what we want for fantasy, as he has been fantastic in his last five games, scoring 11 points. He plays with Joe Pavelski ($7,400), who has goals in three straight games and leads the NHL with 11 power-play goals. They will play together on the power play, and at even-strength, they are joined by rookie Jason Robertson ($4,900). Robertson has been nothing short of a revelation this season, as he's third on the team in points behind only Hintz and Pavelski.
There are two defensemen you could play with this stack. John Klingberg ($5,400) has been the most productive member of the blueline for Dallas, with 30 points this season. If you need some savings, you could play Miro Heiskanen ($4,400) at a discount, as he averages over two minutes more than Klingberg per game. These guys are both on the top power play, so either of them are viable for stacking.
Dallas will take on the Detroit Red Wings in a game they need to win. Detroit has played better of late, but they are still in last place in the Central and have allowed the ninth-most goals per game in the NHL. Dallas needs to make sure to get two points in this game, and the fact that they are -275 favorites with a 3.34 implied goal total means they should not have a problem doing that. They are definitely one of the top stacks given the opponent and the situation they find themselves in tonight.
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.