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 have a massive, 15-game slate to dig into tonight. So let's try to find the stacks that we can roster on such a large slate.
Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes have managed to stay afloat in the standings despite some goal-scoring issues. They rank 25th in goals per game, which is shocking considering their talent and the fact that they were 9th last season in the same statistic. Tonight, they should be able to improve on that ranking.
The good news about the underperformance of Carolina's guys is that it's kept their salaries low. Sebastian Aho ($7,900) has still been good -- maybe not as good as last season, but 22 points in 19 games including five in his last three aren't anything to dismiss. He'll continue to play on the first line with Martin Necas ($8,700), who leads the team with 23 points. Stefan Noesen ($4,700) isn't on the top power play anymore but will be on the top line with two leading scorers on the team.
The second line is also interesting for Carolina. Andrei Svechnikov ($8,500) leads the team with 13 goals. You'll have to spend to get him, but Seth Jarvis ($4,400) and Jesperi Kotkaniemi ($3,800) are very affordable. Jarvis and Svech will also play together on the top power-play unit and can be used with Brent Burns ($6,900) for PP correlation.
The Canes will face the Arizona Coyotes at home tonight. Arizona has lost four games in a row and continues to trend downward after they looked reasonable at one point during the season. They rank near the bottom in most defensive metrics, including allowing the fourth-most expected goals per 60 minutes.
Carolina has the highest implied team total on the slate, and they are also the biggest favorites, so they clearly are in a great spot tonight.
Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars were a playoff team last season but decided to make a coaching change anyway.
It looks to have paid off, as last season they scored 2.84 goals per game and had a points percentage of .598. This season, those numbers are up to 3.84 goals and .658.
Dallas has one of the most fun lines to stack in the NHL. It's time to start considering Jason Robertson ($10,100) one of the best wingers in hockey. He's third in the NHL in both points and goals and is coming off another two-goal performance on Monday. Roope Hintz ($8,700) and Joe Pavelski ($7,500) have been great as well, scoring more than a point per game each this season. This line has been the most productive in hockey this season and is fully correlated with the top power play.
The Stars will play a divisional matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks. Chicago was expected to be one of the worst teams in the league, and now with four consecutive losses and a 2-6-2 record in their last 10 games, that is coming to fruition. They allow the 4th-most shots on goal per game and are 10th in goals allowed per game, as well.
Dallas' top line is becoming one we should consider on every slate -- especially on a matchup as good as this.
Colorado Avalanche
There aren't many signs of a Stanley Cup hangover for the Colorado Avalanche, nor does it seem like their trip to Finland earlier this month is slowing them down. They're 7-3-0 in their last 10 games including three wins in a row and get a chance to win tonight in a soft home matchup.
Colorado's top line has two of the best offensive players in the league. Nathan MacKinnon ($10,400) and Mikko Rantanen ($10,000) each have 26 points in 17 games, and their 1.53 points-per-game average only trails Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. MacKinnon is only shooting 5.8%, which would be the lowest in his career, so we should see that regress toward his career average of 9.7%. Artturi Lehkonen ($6,100) plays with both of these stars at even strength and on the power play, making him a good third piece to add to the stack.
The Avalanche play against the Vancouver Canucks tonight. The Canucks continue to struggle and don't look likely to improve any time soon. They've allowed 3.95 goals per game, which is the third-highest average in the NHL.
Colorado's implied team total is 3.69 goals, which only trails two other teams on the slate. The top line always has a ton of upside, and this is a night when we'll want to target them.
Others to Consider
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.