3 Daily Fantasy NHL Stacks for Tuesday 4/26/22
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 are down the home stretch, and the playoffs are in sight. What teams should we stack on this massive 13-game slate?
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have become a team where the regular season is nearly irrelevant to the fans and to the players. They are only looking towards the playoffs, where they will look to win their first series since 2004. Tonight, they'll have a nice tune-up game to prepare them for the postseason.
The Leafs' first line will look a bit different with the absence of Michael Bunting. Alexander Kerfoot ($4,700) will jump up in his place, and he's had a decent season with 51 points. He'll now get the spot next to Auston Matthews ($10,300) and Mitchell Marner ($9,300) that saw Bunting be very productive.
Matthews and Marner have slowed down a bit, as Matthews hasn't scored a goal since April 9th, but he did miss time during that stretch. Marner's nine points in his last 10 games is way below his 1.37 points-per-game pace on the season. However, in tonight's matchup, they could easily get back on track.
Toronto will take on the Detroit Red Wings at home. The last time these teams met, it was a thrilling game that ended up 10-7 in favor of the Leafs. Marner, Matthews, and Bunting combined for 15 points in that game. This was one of two times the Red Wings allowed double-digit goals in a game this season as they continue to be one of the worst defensive teams in the league.
The oddsmakers are expecting Toronto to go off again tonight against the Wings. They have an implied team total of a massive 4.66 goals tonight, one of the highest on the season. If they are able to have a game similar to their last meeting with Detroit, they will be necessary to win tournaments tonight.
Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild have been a streaky team this season. They are currently on a good streak, winning their last five games and going 8-0-2 in their last 10. During those 10 games, they've averaged 4.5 goals per game. Tonight, they have the best possible matchup to continue their run.
The Wild had to make a change to their top line with Mats Zuccarello missing tonight's game. That made Minnesota move Nick Bjugstad ($3,100) up to the first line, and he's now a huge value in his new role.
He'll play with Kirill Kaprizov ($9,400) and Ryan Hartman ($6,300) at five-on-five, and those two link up on the first power play. Kaprizov recently surpassed the 100-point mark and has 16 points in his last 10 games. Hartman has been good, as well, with six goals in the last 10 games.
Minnesota has also gotten scoring from secondary lines. Kevin Fiala ($7,500) has been absolutely on fire with 23 points in his last 10 games. His linemates Matthew Boldy ($6,100) and Frederick Gaudreau ($5,400) have also been good of late and link on the second power play. Joel Eriksson Ek ($5,100) is an interesting piece, too, as he has been great with Fiala on the top power play.
The Wild will face the Arizona Coyotes tonight and have the best win odds we've seen this season. Arizona didn't seem to be trying to win for most of this season, and that's been especially true of late, as they've gone 0-8-2 in their last 10 games. They managed to hold the Washington Capitals to two goals on Friday but have allowed at least four every other game in their last 10.
Minnesota has been one of the most fun teams to stack this season, so doing it against the worst team in the league should be lots of fun.
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning haven't always been the dynamic offensive team this season that we've come to expect. That's changed recently, as they've scored 22 goals in their last three games, all against playoff teams. Tonight, they could go nuts against a non-playoff team.
We saw new lines for Tampa Bay in this offensive outburst. Steven Stamkos ($7,900) was named the number one star of the week by the NHL after four games with at least three points.
He's now centering Nikita Kucherov ($8,900) and Ondrej Palat ($4,300). Kucherov has been on a heater of late, with 10 goals in his last 10 games. Palat is a nice role player, with eight points in his last 10 games. However, if you want power play correlation and need a center instead of a stack with three wingers, you could add Brayden Point ($7,100) in Palat's place.
Tampa will be at home against the Columbus Blue Jackets tonight. Columbus is one of the best matchups a team can face, as they allow the second-most shots on goal and the fifth-most goals per game. They allowed seven goals to the Lightning in their only meeting of the season.
Tampa Bay has a high implied team total of 4.19 but may be less popular than Minnesota and Toronto. Especially if you get creative with Point, and maybe add in Victor Hedman ($7,300), you can get a high-powered, unique lineup.
Others to Consider: Ottawa Senators, Colorado Avalanche, San Jose Sharks
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.
