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 updated line information.
We've got a huge slate with 11 games, so popularity among stacks will likely be spread out. Let's see if we can find three of the best.
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers did their thing on Saturday night, with five goals in a win. Their big players produced the goals too, which is obviously what we want in fantasy. They should have a great chance to do the same on Tuesday night.
Just like last season, Connor McDavid ($9,200) scored a hat trick in the second game of the season. He had eight shots and two goals on the power play, unleashing a new one-timer that he has been working on during the summer. Leon Draisaitl ($8,800) had three assists and five shots on goal in that game, making him necessary to pair with McDavid in lineups that had a shot to win tournaments on Saturday. Jesse Puljujarvi ($4,900) continues to be a strong value alongside these two superstars, as he picked a goal and two assists in that game.
The Oilers play at home against the Anaheim Ducks, who are coming off an overtime game in Calgary last night. The Ducks have won two of their first three games, but their underlying numbers are not good. They have the worst adjusted five-on-five expected goal rate in the league, sitting at just 31.8%. Anaheim also will likely rest star goaltender John Gibson and play journeyman backup Anthony Stolarz, giving another bump to the Oilers.
Edmonton's implied team total is 3.66, by far the highest on the slate. This makes it a good idea to mix and match other players around McDavid and Draisaitl. That includes power play quarterback Tyson Barrie ($5,700), who led all defensemen in points last season. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins ($6,200) and Zach Hyman ($5,800) play on the top power play, as well, so they are great options.
No matter who you do it with, McDavid and Draisaitl with some other Oilers are the highest upside stack on the slate.
Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche haven't had all of their weapons to start the season, and they still won't on Tuesday night. However, they're getting back their most important player to make his season debut tonight. He'll get a great spot to make up for lost time in the first two games of the season.
Colorado will welcome Nathan MacKinnon ($8,700) back to the lineup after he missed two games last week. MacKinnon was fourth in points per game and third in shots on goal in the league last season. His main running mate has been and continues to be Mikko Rantanen ($8,200), who has become one of the most productive wingers in the league on the back of playing with MacKinnon.
Their normal left winger, Gabriel Landeskog, is suspended for this game, but he is replaced by another talented Swede in Andre Burakovsky ($5,400). He's perfectly capable of filling in and also brings down the total salary of this line stack.
The Avalanche are away to the Washington Capitals, but they are favored with MacKinnon back in the lineup. The Capitals have three points in their first two games but lost the total expected goals battle in both games. Overall, they have the third-worst adjusted five-on-five expected goals rate in the league.
An important piece to the Avalanche's attack is defenseman Cale Makar ($6,700), as he was the only blueliner in the league to average a point per game last season. With the Avalanche having a 3.31 implied team total, a stack of their top line certainly makes sense.
New York Islanders
A trendy pick to win the Stanley Cup this season, the season has not gotten off to a great start for the New York Islanders. They've lost both of their opening games and allowed 11 goals total. This is a perfect get-right spot for them against one of the worst defensive teams in hockey.
The Islanders welcomed their captain, Anders Lee ($5,300), back to the lineup this season after he missed a lot of time last year. His salary is very low for a player on the first line and first power play unit and scored 40 goals in a season not that long ago. New York's best playmaker is Mathew Barzal ($6,500), who will center Lee at both even strength and on the power play. Kyle Palmieri ($4,400) was brought in as a replacement for Lee, but now they get to play together on the same line.
The Chicago Blackhawks tried to reload this season for another playoff run, and it hasn't worked out so far. They've allowed at least four goals in every game so far. Marc-Andre Fleury looked bad on Saturday, allowing four goals in the first period before getting pulled. It remains to be seen how he will perform with a much worse defensive team in front of him this season.
The Islanders easily could go overlooked on this slate with so many other teams on it. Their implied goal total is over three, and against this Chicago team, they could erupt for a handful of goals. The other thing that makes them appealing is the total salary of this first line stack, making it possible to fit in another stack with stars in the same lineup.
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.