3 Daily Fantasy NHL Stacks for Friday 4/29/22
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've got a massive, 15-game slate to close out the season. We have to be aware of teams resting players as there's little left to play for, but let's look at some teams that might have good nights tonight.
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins are one of few teams with some motivation tonight. They need to win to stay in the third spot in the Metropolitan Division and avoid a potential matchup with the league-leading Florida Panthers. Tonight, they'll get a great matchup in which they can dominate.
The Penguins' top line has seen all three guys miss time this season but has been very effective when together. Sidney Crosby ($8,300) has had a wonderful season, with 84 points in 68 games. He helped Jake Guentzel ($8,300) to his second career 40-goal season. Bryan Rust ($7,100) has hit a rough period, but has still had a solid season and will correlate with these guys on the power play. Kris Letang ($6,400) is also a good play on the blueline for this stack, as he is third on the team in points with 67.
Pittsburgh will face the Columbus Blue Jackets in their season finale. The Penguins have dominated Columbus in the season series so far, winning all three meetings and scoring 13 goals. Columbus has been a weak defensive team all season and will be without top defenseman Zach Werenski for this game.
Pittsburgh has the second-highest implied team total on the slate, and they are unlikely to sit their players with something to gain if they win. This makes them clearly a great option to stack on this slate.
Nashville Predators
Like the Penguins, Nashville Predators is a team that is unlikely to rest players as they have something on the line. If they win, they can avoid the Colorado Avalanche in the first round. They get a perfect matchup to round out their season.
The Predators are a team where we usually know where the offense is coming from. Filip Forsberg ($8,900) has a career-high 42 goals in just 68 games played this season. It could be contract-year motivation fueling him, but whatever it is, he's been great. Matt Duchene ($7,600) has one-upped him with 43 goals, which was desperately needed after it looked like he was an expensive bust based on his first two years with the Preds. We could consider defenseman Roman Josi ($7,800) the third member of this stack, as he leads the team and all defensemen in points with 95. Mikael Granlund ($4,500), isn't a terrible fourth option, as he will be on the top power play with this line.
Nashville will play the Arizona Coyotes in their last game of the season. Arizona has been a laughing stock of the league all season, both on and off the ice. They'll finish last in the Western Conference, and have allowed the most shots on goal and the third-most goals.
The Predators' implied team total comes in just under the Penguins' for the third-highest on the slate. We know they can explode in a game against weak opponents.
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a team with nothing to play for, but since they won't be in the playoffs, they probably won't rest their players. They have a good matchup and are good values, making them intriguing tonight.
None of the Flyers are really having seasons to write home about. Travis Konecny ($5,100) leads the team in points with 52, and has 8 in his last 10 games. James van Riemsdyk ($4,900) is tied for the team lead in goals with 23, and has 24 shots on goal in his last five games. Kevin Hayes ($4,700) has had a brutal year personally, but his season hasn't been too bad on a per-game basis with 31 points in 47 games. Hayes and Konecny will link up on the first power play as well.
The Flyers will play at home against the Ottawa Senators, another team that has nothing to play for. Ottawa just played last night and got beat 4-0 by a Panthers team that rested a lot of their best players. They've now allowed four goals in three-straight games, and the previous two were against non-playoff teams, just like the Flyers.
Stacking Philadelphia allows you to fit in two stacks mentioned above, or some other stacks with high-salaried players. Their 3.25 implied team total is fine in its own right, and if they can combine on a few goals while another stack goes off, your lineup can really shoot up the tournament leaderboard.
Others to Consider: Buffalo Sabres, New Jersey Devils, Dallas Stars
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.
