3 Daily Fantasy NHL Stacks for Wednesday 4/27/22
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.
The playoffs are just around the corner, so let's see which teams we should stack in this last week of the regular season.
Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars still need to clinch a playoff spot, even after their win last night. They need just one point in their last two games to qualify. Luckily for them, they'll face the worst team in the league tonight.
Dallas is a fairly easy team to stack because one line does most of the work. Jason Robertson ($7,100) is having an outstanding sophomore season, reaching the 40-goal milestone with his two goals last night. Roope Hintz ($6,800) is not far behind him, getting 37 goals. Leading the team in points is the old guy on this line, 37-year-old Joe Pavelski ($6,700). This line has been dominant this season. They play together on the power play, and their salaries are pretty low considering the matchup they get today.
The Stars will play the lowly Arizona Coyotes. Arizona did get a win last night, but it was their first in 10 games. They still allowed 3.46 expected goals and 71 shot attempts. Dallas played at home last night and will stay at home tonight, while Arizona is on the road for both games. This gives the Stars another advantage over the worst team in the Western Conference.
Dallas' top line has been one of the best stacks all season long. Their three top players have combined for 104 of the team's 221 goals. When Dallas goes off, it's usually through this line, and they have a good chance of having a huge game tonight. Their implied team total is at 4.04 goals, the highest on this slate.
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers lost a chance to win their division last night but will still have home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. They also lost some players who will sit out as they gear up for the playoffs. They still have enough firepower to be useful in fantasy in tonight's matchup.
With Artemi Panarin and Andrew Copp missing this game, the second line is no longer an option for a stack. So we'll look to the top line -- which includes 52-goal scorer Chris Kreider ($8,200). He's played with Mika Zibanejad ($7,600) for years now, and the two have great chemistry. Zibanejad has points in each of his last five games and has a career-high 81 on the season. The newcomer on this line has been Frank Vatrano ($4,200), who has seven goals in 20 games as a Ranger. Vatrano is a candidate to take Panarin's spot on the first power play, which would give this line full correlation.
The Rangers are at home against the Montreal Canadiens. Montreal sits in dead last in the NHL and has lost nine games in a row. They've also allowed the most goals per game in the -- not only this season but since the 1995-96 campaign.
Even with some absences, the Rangers are significant favorites in this game. They have the second-highest implied team total, and the top line should be the ones to get the job done.
Chicago Blackhawks
If you want to go a bit off the board, the Chicago Blackhawks are a fun way to get unique. They have a line with three players who have been playing well and are fully correlated. They also get a matchup against a team that might be dealing with a lack of motivation.
The Blackhawks' top line has been great since it's been together. Patrick Kane ($8,000) is once again the team's top scorer with 92 points. He's played setup man for Alex DeBrincat ($7,000), who could be considered an elite goal scorer now with two 40-goal seasons over the last four years -- not to mention 32 goals in last year's abbreviated season. Dylan Strome ($5,400) has been stellar since getting the bump up to this line, totaling 40 points in 45 games since the calendar turned to 2022.
Chicago will face the Vegas Golden Knights. Vegas is essentially eliminated from the playoffs after deflating shootout losses in their last two games. It will be tough for them to be motivated in this one after last night basically ended their season. They also will have to play on a back-to-back, with Logan Thompson likely starting both games in net. The Golden Knights haven't been an elite defensive team this season anyway, as their defensive numbers sit mostly in the middle of the pack.
Chicago might be off the radar on this slate, but they do have one very effective line -- and the matchup may not be as bad as it initially looks. They make sense as a contrarian stack.
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.
