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.
As we wind down on the regular season, we are going to see teams play each other consecutively three to four times. That's the case tonight, as these five games are all repeats of Monday. Luckily, we still have some good teams to stack.
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins clinched their playoff spot on Monday night with a win. They've gone 8-2 in their last 10 games and are looking much better than the team that slumped in the middle of this season. They will still have to jockey for position in the East, as first place in the division is still realistically attainable. They are in a great spot to try to gain more ground in the division in this game, as we saw in last night's win.
The Bruins were able to beat the New Jersey Devils 3-0 on Monday. The score didn't tell the entire story in the game, though, as Boston dominated the puck. They had 39 scoring chances and 3.39 expected goals, according to Natural Stat Trick. The first line did the damage in that game. Patrice Bergeron ($7,300) had a goal and an assist along with four shots on goal. His long-time running mate, Brad Marchand ($7,800), had two assists and six shots on goal. The disappointment of this first line was David Pastrnak ($7,600), who had no points and three shots on goal in the game, but he's obviously still a good part of this stack as the dangerous goalscorer that he is. Matt Grzelcyk ($4,000) added a goal and will be on the first power-play unit with this trio.
While the first line did the damage last night, the second line had been playing better of late. David Krejci ($5,600) saw his streak of multiple points in three straight games snapped as he was held off the scoresheet last night. He still has 12 points in his last 10 games, including five goals, making people forget his scoring woes to start the season. Taylor Hall ($6,500) and Craig Smith ($5,100) each have nine points in the last 10 games, and this second line is one of the best complimentary lines in the NHL.
The Bruins get one of the best matchups they can draw, as the Devils are probably just hoping for the end of the season. The Devils are 3-6-1 in their last 10 games and have allowed the fifth most goals per game. They also have the worst penalty kill in the league, which means that either of Boston's top two lines could be in for a big game.
Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes had a big win last night against the Chicago Blackhawks. They won 5-2 and maintained their lead in the Central Division. Winning this division is a huge boost for whatever team does it, because facing the fourth-placed team will be a much easier task than facing the third-placed team.
Carolina was able to win in impressive fashion on Monday night and should be able to do it again today. The Canes produced 5.54 expected goals against Chicago, which was the fifth most in any game in the league this season. Sebastian Aho ($7,900) picked up a hat trick and now has 16 points in his last 10 games. Lnemate Andrei Svechnikov ($5,900) chipped in with an assist for the fourth straight game. Teuvo Teravainen ($5,600) couldn't extend his goal streak to three games but has looked good since returning from injury.
Aho and Svechnikov play on Carolina's league-leading power play, which scored in Monday's game. Dougie Hamilton ($6,700) is the quarterback on the power play and had a goal and an assist last night, so he should be considered in any Carolina stack.
The Blackhawks were once considered contenders for the playoffs this season, but they were eliminated last night. Their play has really gone downhill, and they are a great matchup for Carolina. Chicago has allowed the seventh most goals per game and owns the fifth worst penalty kill. That is not good for them as they go up against Carolina's power play that is clicking at a 27.1% rate. The Hurricanes have the highest implied team total of the night at 3.91, and they proved last night that they can produce a slate-winning performance in this matchup.
Edmonton Oilers
We talked about the Edmonton Oilers yesterday, and they delivered. We need to consider going right back to them tonight in the same matchup. They won 5-3 last night and were able to outshoot and out-chance the Vancouver Canucks. The Oilers' best players were able to play well on Monday, and there are no reasons to suggest that won't continue tonight.
An update on Connor McDavid ($9,300) and his pursuit on 100 real-world points for the season is that he had four points last night and now sits at 91 with six games left. He has at least three points in six of his last seven games and 23 points in his last 10 games. He was playing with the second leading scorer in the league in Leon Draisaitl ($8,300), who had two assists in Monday's game. Their linemate ended up being Jesse Puljujarvi ($4,100), who had a goal and an assist.
While McDavid and Draisaitl were two of the most popular players on Monday, Puljujarvi appeared on just five percent of rosters last night. While this certainly will increase because there are far fewer games tonight, Puljujarvi might be a unique correlation piece to add to the always popular McDavid and Draisaitl. Tyson Barrie ($6,400) falls under the same category, as fewer than six percent of lineups benefitted from the goal he scored last night.
It's been a nightmare season for the Canucks -- on and off the ice. They've allowed the most shot attempts and most expected goals per 60 minutes in the league. McDavid now has 12 points in six meetings with Vancouver this season, and with three more games against them on the schedule, that could be the boost he needs to hit 100 points. The Oilers and their stars have the second highest implied total 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.