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.
Tuesday's NHL slate has eight games, so there should be some good options for stacks. Let's see which ones stand out above the rest.
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers' playoff chances are hanging on by a thread. They are four points behind the Boston Bruins while having played two more games. So, the Rangers aren't one of the best teams in the league, but they are one of the most fun teams for fantasy.
They are fifth in the NHL in goals per game with 3.33. They also have some of the most fun players to roster in DFS, hitting some high ceilings that most players in the league can't reach.
The Rangers have three players who have been carrying the team through their 15-6-3 run. On Sunday, it was Mika Zibanejad ($8,200) scoring a hat trick to lead the team to victory. This was his third hat trick in his last 22 games, making him one of the hottest goal scorers in the league.
He didn't miss a beat with rookie Alexis Lafreniere ($3,800) joining his line, as he has points in all three games since the change occurred. Pavel Buchnevich ($6,500) is also on this line and is the Rangers leading goal scorer with 20 this season.
The issue with playing this line is that Zibanejad is the only one on the top power play unit. It also means that you don't get exposure to the Rangers' leading scorer in Artemi Panarin ($8,200), another player who has carried the team through their good stretch of play.
Panarin is second in the NHL in points per game, so getting him in your lineup is obviously a good idea.
You can play him with Ryan Strome ($6,000), who correlates with him at even strength and on the power play and is averaging a career high in points per game. The third player who has been vital for the Rangers is defenseman Adam Fox ($6,200), as he leads all defensemen in points and is tied for fifth in the league in assists. He plays on the top power play as well, so he fits the stack nicely.
A good reason to target the Rangers tonight is because of the opponent. They'll face the Buffalo Sabres for the second game in a row. The Sabres remain in last place in the league and have allowed the fourth-most goals per game in the league.
This gives the Rangers a very high implied team total of 4.05 goals tonight. You can get creative in stacking them because of the high total, but getting at least two of the three most important players is probably the best way to go.
Philadelphia Flyers
This season has not gone the way the Philadelphia Flyers had hoped. Last season saw them outperform expectations under new coach Alain Vigneault. This season has seen them fall out of playoff contention due to a classic Flyers' problem: goaltending.
They still have capable offensive players who have been reasonably good this season and who can be useful in fantasy in the right situations. This game on Tuesday is certainly one of them.
The Flyers have changed up their lines from what we saw early in the season. They have reunited the old guard of this era of the team. Sean Couturier ($7,300) centers a line with Jakub Voracek ($6,200), and Claude Giroux ($6,800) on his wings. These are three of the Flyers' top four scorers this season, and they all play together on the same power play unit.
If you want a line that uses less of your available salary, you could stack the second line instead. The line of Kevin Hayes ($4,800), James van Riemsdyk ($6,100), and Travis Konecny ($5,200) includes the team's leading scorer in JVR and is also fully correlated on the second power play unit. They are a solid option that makes it easier to fit in another top stack than if you played the first line.
Philadelphia takes on the New Jersey Devils in a rematch from a game on Sunday. The Flyers won that one and should be able to do the same in this game. The Devils are 0-9-1 in their last 10 games and have allowed the third-most goals per game in the league.
They also have the worst penalty kill in the league, so the Flyers should be able to do damage on the power play. Philly's implied team total trails only the Rangers' on the night, and they may go overlooked considering their struggles this season.
Florida Panthers
The Florida Panthers are one of the most improved teams in the NHL. They sit in fourth place in the league in terms of points. They are in a dogfight with the Carolina Hurricanes and Tampa Bay Lightning for first place in the Central division, and that would mean they don't have to face one of the other great teams in their division in the first round of the playoffs.
Florida came up empty on Monday night, but they'll get their chance on Tuesday against the same opponent.
The Panthers played the Nashville Predators last night and lost 4-1. The score doesn't really tell the story of the game, as Florida definitely carried the play. They had 40 scoring chances and 2.99 expected goals, according to Natural Stat Trick. This was nullified by a great performance from Nashville goaltender Juuse Saros, who may not be in net on the second night of a back-to-back.
Florida's lines have been jumbled since the trade deadline saw them acquire some new players.
On Monday, star center Aleksander Barkov ($8,000) skated with Noel Acciari ($3,700) and Frank Vatrano ($4,600). Vatrano is having a good year with 17 goals, but neither he nor Acciari played on the first power play with Barkov.
The second line saw power play correlation between Jonathan Huberdeau ($7,400) and newcomer Sam Bennett ($3,600). Bennett has been a revelation since coming over from the Calgary Flames, with four goals and seven points in his six games as a Panther. Now playing with a talented player like Huberdeau, he may be finally showing the promise he had that made him the fourth overall pick in the 2014 draft.
Adding Barkov to a stack of these two could work, as Barkov is good enough to carry his line at even strength and may be able to link with these two on the power play.
Nashville's win on Monday basically all came down to Saros in net, as he stopped 39 shots. It would be very difficult for him to repeat that if he does play, but if Pekka Rinne starts instead of him, it should be a big boost to the Panthers.
Rinne has a goals saved above average of -3.87 this season, much worse than Saros' 18.43. Either way, the Panthers proved to be dangerous against the Predators last night, and if the puck bounces their way tonight, they could be in for some nice fantasy point outputs.
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.