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 -- if one player on a line is scoring goals, it's likely that his linemates are getting assists, as well.
Ideally, we want players who 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 nice six-game slate on Friday. It's not too big, but there are enough teams to stack to make it interesting.
Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche have already made some minor moves ahead of Monday's trade deadline, and they are expected to make at least a few more to bolster what is already the best team in the NHL. Right now, what they are putting on the ice is definitely good enough to stack in fantasy.
There was a point in the season where Nathan MacKinnon ($10,000) wasn't scoring enough goals. That's changed recently, as he has nine in his last 10 games. He also has a massive 63 shots on goal in those 10 games.
Mikko Rantanen ($8,600) was going through a small slump recently, but he has picked it up with a goal and an assist in three of his last four games. Valeri Nichushkin ($5,900) has filled in nicely on the top line, with a goal and assist on Tuesday. He'll also join his two linemates on the top power play unit, giving the trio full correlation across all strengths.
Colorado will face the San Jose Sharks on Friday. The Sharks lost 3-0 to a banged-up Los Angeles Kings team on Thursday. They also allow the second-most shot attempts per 60 in the league. That doesn't match up well against the Avalanche, who take the third-most shots per 60.
The Avalanche have an implied team total of exactly four goals currently. It wouldn't be a surprise if they were able to reach that given the good spot they are in tonight.
Calgary Flames
The Calgary Flames have become a well-oiled machine that is impossible to ignore in daily fantasy. We liked them on Wednesday, and they scored six goals and won. They are set up for similar success tonight.
It wasn't the first line doing most of the damage on Wednesday, though. Matthew Tkachuk ($8,000) was the best of the bunch, with a goal and an assist. Johnny Gaudreau ($8,900) chipped in with a goal and Elias Lindholm ($8,100) had an assist.
This wasn't the eruption that fantasy players were looking for, but it wasn't a complete air ball. This line has been the most productive in hockey, as they've scored 54 goals together at five-on-five alone.
A nice fourth piece of this stack would be Tyler Toffoli ($6,300). He skates with the top line on the power play and has 14 points in 15 games with Calgary. Rasmus Andersson ($6,100) has six assists in his last five games, so he can be used on the blueline as the fourth piece, too.
The Flames will play the Buffalo Sabres at home tonight. The Sabres lost 6-1 to the Edmonton Oilers just last night and now have to play this relentless Flames team on the second night of a back-to-back. Buffalo has now allowed the fifth-most goals per game and the third-most shots on goal per game.
Calgary's implied team total is even higher than Colorado's, currently sitting at 4.19. They can definitely be what you need to take down a tournament tonight.
Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators' rebuild is not over despite what their general manager said. This season has proven that they still have a lot of work to do before they even make the playoffs. But for fantasy purposes, they are certainly interesting on some nights, and tonight is one of them.
Some of the young players on Ottawa will give Senators fans hope for the future. One of them is the captain Brady Tkachuk ($7,200). Tkachuk leads the team with 44 points in 57 games. He is known for his high volume of shots, and that's been true of late with 16 in his past two games.
Josh Norris ($6,900) is back in the lineup and scoring goals with six in the seven games since his return. Colin White ($4,600) has missed most of the season and only has five points in 10 games. However, now he's sliding up to be a first line winger, so he should see more production.
This line is now all playing together on the top power play, as well.
Ottawa will face the Philadelphia Flyers in a huge letdown spot for Philly. They are coming off an emotional win on Thursday in what was likely captain Claude Giroux's final game as a Flyer. Giroux is being held out of this game because of a potential trade before the deadline. The Flyers aren't exactly a great team in the first place, allowing the fourth-most expected goals per 60 minutes this season.
The Sens seem to be in a great spot tonight, and the oddsmakers agree with that. They have an implied team total of 3.42 goals, the fourth-highest on tonight's slate. Erik Brannstrom ($3,700) is the defenseman who will play with the top power play with Thomas Chabot, and you could do worse than playing him for close to the minimum salary.
Others to Consider: Boston Bruins, Florida Panthers, Carolina Hurricanes
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.