3 Daily Fantasy NHL Stacks for Thursday 10/13/22
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 first large slate of the season is here, so let's parse through and find three stacks we should deploy tonight.
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins were able to get all of their important free agents back this season, and they're trying to run things back to make a run at another Stanley Cup. Whether that will work remains to be seen, but they have a great chance of starting off the season well tonight.
The duo of Sidney Crosby ($8,800) and Jake Guentzel ($8,000) has clicked for years now. It has resulted in two 40-plus-goal seasons for Guentzel, including last year. Crosby averaged 1.22 points per game, so he has yet to show real signs of decline.
The third member of this line will now be Rickard Rakell ($4,600), who's a great value for his role and does have two 30-goal seasons under his belt. Guentzel and Crosby will play together on the top power-play unit, as well.
The Penguins are playing the Arizona Coyotes for their season opener. The Coyotes were the second-worst team in the league last year and still have one of the worst rosters in the NHL. They allowed the 3.25 expected goals per 60 minutes, which was the second highest in the league. They are projected to be one of the league's worst teams again this season, and it could be a rough start tonight.
Pittsburgh's implied team total is all the way up to 4.21 goals tonight. With this large total, it makes sense to add a fourth piece to this stack. It could be Kris Letang ($6,600) on the blueline or Evgeni Malkin ($7,000) for an unconventional power-play stack.
Ottawa Senators
If there was a Stanley Cup for best offseason, it might have gone to the Ottawa Senators. For the first time in a while, they added players who can help them win rather than having to sell off pieces. They now have two legitimate scoring lines that will be fun to roster in fantasy.
The Sens already had some promising young forwards who had good seasons last year. Their first line doesn't have any newcomers and instead has captain Brady Tkachuk ($8,300) playing with Tim Stutzle ($6,300) and Drake Batherson ($6,300).
Tkachuk hit the 30-goal mark and was the team's leading scorer last season. Stutzle had a great sophomore campaign and is certainly a breakout candidate in his third year. Batherson was limited to just 46 games last season but racked up 44 points. These three players will all play together on the top power play.
The second line sees 35-goal-scorer Josh Norris ($6,600) as the center between the two major additions. Alex DeBrincat ($7,700) joins the team after scoring over 40 goals twice with the Chicago Blackhawks. The big free agent signing was local boy Claude Giroux ($6,700), a move signaling that they intend to compete this season. Giroux and DeBrincat will link up on the second power-play unit.
Ottawa is on the road tonight against the Buffalo Sabres. Buffalo ended last season on a high note, but they allowed the league's eighth-most goals last season and huge questions over their goaltending remain. This isn't a matchup that we should be concerned about for Ottawa.
The first line offering that full correlation makes them a great stack, but the second line should not be slept on either. The Senators have a healthy 3.29 implied team total and are definitely in play for tournaments tonight.
Vegas Golden Knights
The Vegas Golden Knights got their season off to a good start with a 4-3 win. They dominated in that game despite what the score said, controlling 59% of the shots. Tonight, they get an even softer matchup.
The first line for Vegas clicked pretty well in the first game. Jack Eichel ($7,600) had a goal and seven shots on net. He also still has incredibly affordable wingers in Reilly Smith ($4,400) and Phil Kessel ($4,800). Smith had an assist and six shots on goal, while Kessel only had three but looked very lively.
Eichel and Smith are also on the first power play together. You can definitely add Shea Theodore ($6,000) for extra correlation on the power play.
Vegas will play their home opener against the Chicago Blackhawks tonight. Chicago was what we thought they were last night, getting speed-bagged by the Colorado Avalanche. Now, in the second game of a back-to-back, things could get really ugly for them.
Vegas' implied team total only trails Pittsburgh's tonight, and you can get very good value on this top line that will only use $16,800 of your salary. They are pairable with many other stacks that you might use tonight.
Others to Consider: Toronto Maple Leafs, New Jersey Devils, Los Angeles Kings
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.
