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.
Like Tuesday, we've got another huge slate with 12 games this time. Let's try to identify some stacks that can help us win tonight.
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning are not cruising into the playoffs like they would like to. They got shut out in their last game and are just 5-3-2 in their last 10. But they have won the last two Stanley Cups, so they shouldn't be counted out, and they have a great opportunity to get things on track tonight.
The Lightning made some moves at the trade deadline, but they were really for depth purposes. The top line has stayed mostly intact this season, when healthy.
Nikita Kucherov ($8,700) hasn't been reaching the heights we've seen from him a few years ago, but he still has 12 points in his last 10 games. Brayden Point ($7,500) has been cold of late, but he still leads the team in goals per game and has had some tough matchups of late. Ondrej Palat ($4,200) is the third wheel on this line, and he will chip in with points at an affordable salary.
Tampa will play host to the Anaheim Ducks tonight. The Ducks have been one of the worst teams in the NHL since the start of March. They allowed over five expected goals in their last two games and have allowed 3.76 goals per game over their last 20.
This is a great spot for Tampa to use as a launching pad to get right for the playoffs. They have an implied team total of 3.80 goals tonight. You can also consider adding Victor Hedman ($6,900) to this stack in defense, as the big Swede is second on the team in points with 68.
Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes have to be considered one of the best teams in the NHL. They sit first in the Metropolitan Division and third overall in the league. They hit a mini skid, but they have gotten back on track and get a great matchup tonight.
The Hurricanes have found success with the lines they've been using for the past week. Sebastian Aho ($7,900) had three points on Tuesday, bringing him to 12 in his last 10 games. Andrei Svechnikov ($7,400) has a goal and an assist in each of his last two games. Seth Jarvis ($4,300) has continued an impressive rookie season with five points in his last four games. Aho and Svechnikov will be on the top power play together, as well.
The second line also makes sense as a stack. Teuvo Teravainen ($6,300) and Vincent Trocheck ($5,100) link up on the first power play and are good values at this salary. You can throw Max Domi ($4,100) in there, as well, for a really cheap line stack. Tony DeAngelo ($5,900) also makes sense on defense, as he is the power play quarterback with 47 points in 56 games.
Carolina gets a great matchup at home against the Detroit Red Wings. Not only has Detroit allowed the most goals per game this season, but they've allowed the most goals per game in the salary cap era beginning in 2005. Things are trending in the wrong direction, and they've allowed a stunning 4.39 goals per 60 minutes since March 1st.
Carolina has the highest implied team total of the night at 4.17 goals. It wouldn't be too surprising if they were able to beat that total given the matchup they have tonight.
Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks still have a slim hope of making the playoffs. If they want to make it, they have to take advantage of matchups like the one they have on Thursday night.
It hasn't been the best year for Vancouver's stars, but they've started to play a lot better of late. Elias Pettersson ($6,800) and Bo Horvat ($7,700) each have eight goals in their last 10 games. They are joined at even strength by Conor Garland ($5,000), who has also been good with five points in his last three games.
The Canucks' best player this season has been J.T. Miller ($8,100), and he's down on the second line. He does have a linemate that correlates with him on the power play in Alex Chiasson ($4,800). This makes for a nice mini-stack, and you could add Quinn Hughes ($5,500) to it for extra power play correlation.
Vancouver will take on the Arizona Coyotes tonight. These teams met last Thursday, and Vancouver beat them 5-1 on the road. Now at home in essentially a must-win game, they will need to bring their best effort. Arizona has allowed at least five goals in their last four games as they play out the string of a horrible season.
Vancouver's implied team total is a healthy 3.70 goals tonight. If their top player can continue their recent form, they are a stack with a lot of upside in this game.
Others to Consider: Boston Bruins, Colorado Avalanche, Toronto Maple Leafs, St. Louis Blues
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.