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 nine games on Tuesday with some high-profile matchups and some teams in great spots.
Florida Panthers
The Florida Panthers are one of the best stories in the NHL over the past two seasons. They took a team that underachieved for years and turned them into a true contender. They lead the NHL in goals per game with 4.02 and have a chance to beat that average tonight.
The Panthers had won both of their games since the trade deadline until they had a tough test in Toronto on Sunday. It seems like Claude Giroux ($6,200) is fitting in nicely since joining the team, as he has four assists in three games. Aleksander Barkov ($9,300) plays with him at five on five and on the power play and was the recipient of two of his assists. Carter Verhaeghe ($5,300) is also on this line at even strength and has chipped in with 21 goals this season.
The second line includes the team's top scorer in Jonathan Huberdeau ($8,800), who's now tied for third in points in the NHL. He plays with the second- and third-leading goal scorers in Anthony Duclair ($6,000) and Sam Bennett ($6,100) and will link up with Duclair on the first power play. This line is nearly as dangerous as the first, so both are good options tonight.
Florida is back at home against the Montreal Canadiens tonight. These teams just played on Thursday, with Florida winning 4-3 and also producing 3.91 expected goals in that game. Montreal ranks as the team with the second-worst goals against average in the league and are without top defenseman Jeff Petry.
The Panthers have the highest implied team total on tonight's slate, as it sits at a massive 4.19 goals. They should be able to do damage at home, where their goals per game average increases to 4.63. They are pretty clearly the best stack on the board tonight.
Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild have definitely been a streaky team this season. They are currently in the midst of a good streak, having won 6 games in a row and 8 of their last 10. They are one of the NHL's highest-scoring teams, as well, and have some intriguing choices when stacking.
No one has scored more goals in the month of March than Kirill Kaprizov ($9,600). He's tied for ninth in goals and tied for eighth in points in the league, building on his rookie of the year campaign last season.
Mats Zuccarello ($7,100) and Kaprizov complement each other nicely, with Zuccarello now having a better points per game average than superstars like Alex Ovechkin and Nikita Kucherov. Ryan Hartman ($6,500) has continued his career year and is now up to 27 goals on the season. This line also plays together on the top power play unit.
If you want to save a bit of salary while still getting a fully-correlated line that can score, you can look to the second line. Kevin Fiala ($6,800) loves to shoot the puck and is third on the team with 59 points. Rookie Matt Boldy ($5,600) has impressed since his call up to the NHL, with 24 points in 33 games. Frederick Gaudreau ($5,100) centers this line at even strength and on the power play, so he can certainly be included in these stacks.
The Wild will take on the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday. The Flyers were sellers at the trade deadline, weakening an already weak squad. They've allowed at least five goals in three of the four games since the deadline. Minnesota should be able to score on them tonight as their four-goal implied team total suggests.
Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars might be a stack that goes under the radar tonight. They aren't one of the highest-scoring teams in the NHL, but they have a high-powered top line and a weak opponent who they should be able to score against.
The Stars' top line has been one of the most effective all season, producing the fourth-most five-on-five goals. Roope Hintz ($6,900) has been the best of the trio of late with 10 points in his last 10 games. Joe Pavelski ($7,500) leads the team in points with 66. Jason Robertson ($8,500) might have the best claim for being the best player on this line, as he heads the team in goals and points per game. This line all plays together on the top power play unit, as well.
Dallas will face the Anaheim Ducks tonight. Anaheim has been brutal of late, losing nine games in a row while allowing at least four goals in seven of those games. They are another team that sold off pieces of their roster at the deadline, and we should target teams like this before the market adjusts to how bad they are now.
The Stars have a modest implied team total of 3.06, which may keep their popularity down. They have a stack that has the upside to break a slate, especially given this matchup tonight.
Others to Consider: Nashville Predators, Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Islanders
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.