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.
Just four games on Monday as most of the league news is about today's trade deadline. Let's see which teams we can stack today.
Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild have been active in the trades over the past few days. They have several reasons why they need to go for it this season. Their post-deadline push starts tonight, and they are in a good spot to kick it off with a win.
The Wild have been driven by Kirill Kaprizov ($9,300) all season long. He has eight goals in his last 10 games and is eighth in the league in points with 76. Mats Zuccarello ($7,200) has also been excellent, totaling 1.19 points per game this season. Ryan Hartman ($6,400) has continued his career year with 25 goals. Hartman has rejoined the top power-play unit with Kaprizov and Zuccarello to give this line full correlation with the man advantage.
The second line also has talented players and offers correlation on the power play, as well. Kevin Fiala ($6,800) has 11 points in his last 10 games and has 35 shots on goal in that stretch. Rookie Matthew Boldy ($5,800) has added secondary scoring to the lineup, getting 24 points in 29 games. Frederick Gaudreau ($5,200) isn't the most talented offensive player in the league, but playing with these young wingers has elevated his game to a new level.
Minnesota will host the Vegas Golden Knights. Vegas has not been the juggernaut we thought it would be. They just had a five-game road trip in which they lost all five, and they now have to hit the road again. Their defensive play has not been good, as they've allowed the most high-danger chances per 60 minutes in the league.
The Wild have an implied team total of 3.62 goals, the second-highest on the board. They can definitely do some damage in this matchup.
Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche continue to look like the best team in the NHL. They are 6-3-1 and have won each of their last three games. They're second in the league in goals per game with 3.84 and have a chance to explode tonight.
Colorado's new lines have essentially made it easy for us to decide which one to stack. The first line with Nathan MacKinnon ($9,800) is the one we'll want. MacKinnon had three assists on Friday, two of them to new linemate Valeri Nichushkin ($6,400). Nichushkin has been a great addition to the top line and power play and has played more than 20 minutes in each of the last three games. Mikko Rantanen ($8,600) has ended his slump with three straight two-point outings.
The Avalanche will face the Edmonton Oilers in a game between two of the most explosive offenses in the league. We've seen Colorado need to be pushed to get their full potential, and Edmonton certainly has the potential to do that. We also know that the Oilers can be leaky in goal and on defense, giving the Avs huge upside in this matchup.
Colorado's implied team total tops the slate. We can also consider Cale Makar ($7,400) on defense, as he leads all blueliners with 22 goals this season.
Nashville Predators
The Nashville Predators might have been expected to take a step back this season after some of their offseason moves. Luckily for them, they've had some players take a step forward to help put them in contention. They also have some players who have been on fire of late.
The Predators' top line has been excellent. They are fifth in five-on-five goals for a forward trio this season. Filip Forsberg ($8,400) ranks second in goals per 60 minutes, trailing only Auston Matthews. Matt Duchene ($7,300) looked like an aging player with an immovable contract this offseason and is suddenly having a renaissance campaign. He has nine goals and 17 points in his last 10 games and has already set a new career high in goals with 32. Mikael Granlund ($4,700) has also been good this year, chipping in with 37 assists and linking up with these guys on the power play, as well.
Not talking about Roman Josi ($8,200) immediately when discussing Nashville is burying the lede a bit. Josi has just been absolutely on fire, amassing 22 points in his last 10 games. Those numbers would be amazing for a forward -- for a defenseman, they are completely absurd and not something we've seen in recent times. He's been so good that it is a priority to get him into your Nashville stacks, even if it means sacrificing one of the forwards.
The Predators are out west to face the Anaheim Ducks. The Ducks have been sellers at the deadline and lost two of the best defensive defensemen in Hampus Lindholm and Josh Manson. Even before they made those moves, they won just four of 16 games since February 1st.
Nashville is in a great spot, and the masses may not adjust to how much the Ducks have fallen off in recent times. This is a team that may be one of the worst down the stretch, and the Preds certainly can hurt them in this game.
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.