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.
Tuesday's NHL slate looks like a fun one with nine games on it, so let's see what stacks will be the best tonight.
Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres have had their hot start come crashing to a halt. They've lost five games in a row and look to be coming back to earth. They can change that tonight against a team that has struggled all season long.
Buffalo's star from last season is trying to prove that last season wasn't a fluke. So far, Tage Thompson ($10,100) has been doing a good job of that with 11 goals in 15 games. He has had some huge games already this season, including one with 75.4 FanDuel points. His salary has gotten up there, but he has affordable linemates in Jeff Skinner ($6,300) and Alex Tuch ($6,600). They all play together on the first power play, as well.
The Sabres are at home tonight to face the Vancouver Canucks. These teams played on October 22nd, and Buffalo won decisively 5-1. Vancouver has allowed the third-most goals per game this season and has a horrendous penalty kill. They are dead last in PK success rate, slotting in at 61.8%.
This top line has the potential to do damage on the power play in this matchup. They have an implied team total of 3.28 goals tonight, which is healthy enough to warrant stacking them on this slate.
New Jersey Devils
It appears the New Jersey Devils have finally taken the step towards being a contender that many had predicted in recent years. Their underlying metrics are fantastic, and it's translating to results, as they sit atop the Metropolitan Division. They are also fifth in goals per game and could be in store for some more tonight.
The Devils have great forward depth and minimal power play correlation, making them hard to stack. If you want to get the power-play correlation, you can do it through Jack Hughes ($8,000) and Jesper Bratt ($8,000). Bratt leads the team with 19 points in 15 games, and he looks to be heading to a big payday after the season. Hughes has also been good with 15 points despite having a shooting percentage that is about half of where it was last season. You can throw in Yegor Sharangovich ($4,800) as a low-salaried third piece to this stack.
The first line has the Devil who has perhaps been the best this year, Nico Hischier ($8,800). He leads the team with eight goals on the season. He doesn't have a linemate who he will play with on the power play, but Tomas Tatar ($5,300) and Fabian Zetterlund ($4,700) have been good enough to play with Hischier. If you want the power-play correlation with Nico, you can play Dougie Hamilton ($7,200) on defense, who is fourth on the team with 12 points.
New Jersey is on the road to face the Montreal Canadiens. Montreal has played better than expected but has still struggled defensively. They've allowed the third-most expected goals per 60 minutes and the third-most high-danger chances against per 60, as well.
The Devils' implied team total is the third highest on the slate, and we've seen them erupt in some games. Tonight is a perfect chance for them to do the same thing.
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings decided to try to move toward contention this summer after years of rebuilding. They signed some veterans to help them compete, and they are close to being in a wild card spot at this point. They have some intriguing offensive pieces and a fantastic matchup on Tuesday.
The Red Wings will welcome back one of their most dangerous forwards. Tyler Bertuzzi ($4,000) had 30 goals in 68 games last season, and he comes at a great salary. He's playing with Dylan Larkin ($8,200) at both even strength and on the power play. Lucas Raymond ($5,100) plays alongside these guys at even strength and was the third-leading scorer behind them last season.
Moritz Seider ($5,700) is an interesting buy-low candidate, as the defenseman has yet to hit the heights of last season's rookie campaign, but he certainly has the talent to do so.
Detroit will play the Anaheim Ducks tonight, and the matchup doesn't get much better in the NHL. The Ducks are in the bottom three in basically every commonly used defensive metric, including allowing the most goals per game.
Detroit's first line won't use a ton of salary but has the potential to be one of the best stacks on the board given their matchup. It's also possible to fit in other good stacks with them.
Others to consider: Vegas Golden Knights, Florida Panthers, Toronto Maple Leafs
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.