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.
Friday closes out the week with just three games, but there are still a few stacks that look good tonight.
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings made several changes in the offseason in an attempt to improve their roster right now. It's paid off so far, with the Red Wings starting off the season collecting five of six available points. On Friday, they have a matchup against a rival that should see them excel.
The Wings have already lost two top-six wingers this season and will have to rely on others to fill in. Dylan Larkin ($7,200) is now centering Dominik Kubalik ($4,600) and Lucas Raymond ($6,200). Kubalik is a talented player who scored 30 goals as a rookie a few years ago, and Raymond is looking to build off his solid rookie campaign from last season. Kubalik will join Larkin on the first power play, as well.
The second line has two of the new signings for the Wings. Andrew Copp ($5,000) and David Perron ($6,700) join forces at even strength, along with Filip Zadina ($3,300). Zadina is one of the best values on this slate, as he will also see power-play time with Copp on the second unit.
Detroit will face the Chicago Blackhawks tonight. We haven't seen the Hawks since Saturday, but we expect them to be one of the worst teams in the league. They allowed the seventh-most goals in the league last season and basically tore everything down to do a rebuild, so they should be even worse this year.
The top two lines for Detroit both come in at decent salaries and can be paired with some other high-salaried players. Their implied team total is 3.27 goals, and they can definitely exceed that if things break right tonight.
Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche have shown why they were able to win the Stanley Cup last season. They have been able to rack up shots in most games they've played, save for one in a tough spot on a back-to-back. Tonight, they'll face an opponent that they can overwhelm.
The top line has been great so far for Colorado. Nathan MacKinnon ($10,000) has eight points and 20 shots on goal in the first four games. Mikko Rantanen ($9,600) is tied for third in the league with six assists. Artturi Lehkonen ($5,500) hasn't done a ton since opening night, but he is still getting 19 minutes a game and plays on the top power play with two great playmakers. This line is still fully correlated and has huge upside with their talent level.
Colorado will be at home against the Seattle Kraken. The Kraken were hoping for a Year-2 improvement, and it hasn't happened yet. They are 1-2-2 and have allowed four goals per game. The hope was that the goaltending couldn't be as bad as it was last season, but they now have two goaltenders in the bottom 10 in goals saved above expected.
With an implied team total above four goals, Colorado is clearly the best stack of the night.
Florida Panthers
The Florida Panthers don't appear to be the same high-flying team they were last season. Some offseason changes and a new coach have altered the way we can use them for fantasy. They still have good enough players to consider stacking them in nice spots, though.
The first line of the Panthers is really the only stackable line. They have Aleksander Barkov ($9,100) playing with Carter Verhaeghe ($5,600) and Sam Reinhart ($6,500). Verhaeghe had two goals last game and might be popular on this slate. He doesn't play on the top power play with Barkov and Reinhart, so you could consider using Matthew Tkachuk ($8,100) as a way to get unique. If Florida's top power play can click on a few goals, Tkachuk might be the piece needed alongside the other Florida top-line players.
The Panthers will face their in-state rivals in a playoff rematch. The Tampa Bay Lightning have not been good to start the season, with just one win in four games. They have also allowed 34 shots per game, and questions have been asked if their depth is good enough on defense after losing some pieces to remain under the salary cap.
Florida is an interesting stack tonight in a game with a 7.0-goal total. They will be without Aaron Ekblad on the back end, but Brandon Montour ($4,300) is returning and will be on the top power-play unit, making him a great value play.
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.