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.
This is the last large slate of the season, with nine games on tap. Let's see how we can attack this slate with a lot of good fantasy options.
Philadelphia Flyers
There are quite a few teams on this slate with nothing to play for, and the Philadelphia Flyers are one of them. They get to face a worse team with nothing to play for in the New Jersey Devils. The Flyers are an average offensive team that is in their current predicament thanks to poor goaltending and defensive play. But they are still usable for daily fantasy in good matchups, and they are definitely stackable.
Philadelphia's top line has been fairly productive of late. Sean Couturier ($7,400) has eight points in his last 10 games and is the Flyers' leader in points per game with 0.89. Claude Giroux ($6,800) also has eight points in the last 10. Both of these guys have averaged a point per game against the Devils this season.
They'll be joined by Travis Konecny ($5,400) at even strength and on the power play. Konency has had a down season, but he is still a talented player who can do well with these guys on his line. Shayne Gostisbehere ($4,000) will return from his suspension and play on the power play with this trio and had points in three straight games before being banned for the last two.
The Flyers' second line also has viability as a stack. Kevin Hayes ($4,500) and Joel Farabee ($4,600) are both affordable and play together in most situations. Farabee is the Flyers' leading goal scorer, so he has some upside for that salary. They are joined by rookie Wade Allison ($3,300), who has four goals in 13 games despite not always getting a ton of ice time.
The matchup for the Flyers against the Devils is a very good one, as New Jersey has allowed the fifth-most goals per game and also has the worst penalty kill in the league. Philly has tonight's highest implied team total at 3.58 goals, so we can expect them to exploit their favorable matchup in this game.
Winnipeg Jets
While the Winnipeg Jets did clinch a playoff spot, things have not been going well for them of late. They are 2-8 in their last 10 games and are headed to the playoffs ice cold. The North Division has a bit more runway left than the other divisions, and their playoffs should start at least a few days later than everyone else. This might give Winnipeg a chance to right the ship, and they'll start with a good matchup on Monday.
Winnipeg has sometimes been frustrating this season from a stacking perspective with the way they've deployed their lines. They don't always give us the full correlation we want and also mix in some players who aren't too appealing for fantasy.
Well, that's not the case currently, as the three players we want most in fantasy are on the same line and same power play unit. Kyle Connor ($6,100) has been in a slump that has seen his salary fall, but given that he is a proven goal scorer for his four seasons in the league, the salary should be looked at as a great opportunity to buy low. Mark Scheifele ($7,400) is 12th in the NHL in points and has been trying to drag the Jets through this rough period, with nine points in his last 10 games. Blake Wheeler ($5,700) has received some negativity about his play this season, but he has a respectable 40 points in 47 games, including 9 in the last 10.
The Jets will face the Vancouver Canucks on Monday night. Vancouver had a dead cat bounce after returning to the ice from their COVID outbreak, but are now 2-8 in their last 10 games. The Canucks allow the most expected goals per 60 minutes, according to Natural Stat Trick. The Jets have won four of six meetings with Vancouver this season but haven't played them since March 24th, so this could be a perfect opportunity to get their game going again before the playoffs start.
Florida Panthers
The Florida Panthers have quietly been one of the most fun teams to stack in daily fantasy hockey for a few seasons now. This year, it's a different kind of fun, as they are actually winning. They've qualified for the actual playoffs for the first time since 2016, not counting last season's play-in round. In their last game of the season, they have a chance to clinch home-ice advantage in the first round, and they'll face the team that will also be their opponents in that series.
The Panthers' line shifting hasn't mattered to their success this season. Aleksander Barkov ($8,100) has played with many different wingers but still produced 57 points in 49 games. He'll welcome back Carter Verhaeghe ($5,500) on his line after the winger missed a month with an upper body injury. Verhaeghe was having a breakout season, with 35 points in 42 games, and he will jump right back on the power play with Barkov. Anthony Duclair ($4,300) has also been solid with 31 points in 42 games, and he'll stick on this top line.
The second line takes a bit of a hit as Sam Bennett will miss this game. However, Jonathan Huberdeau ($7,500) has been a lot like Barkov in the sense that he's been able to excel with anyone who has been on his line. Lately, Owen Tippett ($3,400) has played with him and shown flashes of why he was a top-10 draft choice, with 6 points and 27 shots on goal in his last 10 games. Now, he'll get a chance on the top power play with Barkov, Huberdeau, and Verhaeghe. That is an interesting four-man power play stack that has a lot of upside.
You may look at the opponent and question why we would stack the Panthers against the defending Stanley Cup Champion Tampa Bay Lightning.
Well, this isn't the same old Lightning team. We know about the injuries to Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos at forward, but on Saturday, Tampa was missing two critical defensemen in Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh. Florida was able to win 5-1 over Tampa in that game on Saturday, taking advantage of the Lightning's absences.
They could do the same here tonight, and the oddsmakers are expecting them to do just that, as they have the third-highest implied team total on the slate. Florida has had a lot of big offensive performances this season, and they could end the year with another one.
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.