3 Daily Fantasy NHL Stacks for Monday 11/28/22
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.
An interesting Monday slate awaits us, where a case can be made to stack many teams. Let's try to look at the best three.
Tampa Bay Lightning
It hasn't been the best start to the season for the Tampa Bay Lightning. They currently sit fourth in the Atlantic Division and are in a wild card spot. We know that Tampa's long-term goal is basically to get in the playoffs and flip the switch once they begin, but they still have the firepower to strike in a matchup like they have tonight.
The Lightning have been using the same lines for a while this season. They have the duo of Nikita Kucherov ($10,200) and Brayden Point ($7,700) playing together on the first line and top power play. Kucherov has been his usual brilliant self, with his 31 points ranking sixth in the NHL. Point has scored at above a point-per-game pace, as well, and is at a relatively affordable salary. The third member of this line is Brandon Hagel ($6,000), who has done a nice job contributing with 15 points in 20 games.
You could also stack the second line, as it has two components of the first power-play unit. Steven Stamkos ($9,500) is tied for the team lead with 10 goals and is second in points with 23. Alex Killorn ($5,200) has been very good with 17 points and has played on the top power play with this group for years. Nick Paul ($6,400) won't be on the first power play but has been great lately with seven points in his last six games.
The Bolts will face the Buffalo Sabres on Monday night. The Sabres started off the season well but have gone in the tank since then. They've won just 2 of their last 10 games and allow the eighth-most goals per game. They also have the sixth-worst penalty kill in the league.
Tampa Bay put five past the Sabres the last time they met, and they have an implied team total of 3.58 goals tonight. They shouldn't have many problems scoring in this game and make for a great team to stack tonight.
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have righted the ship after some fans went into slight panic mode with some of their early results. They've been much better lately, with just one regulation loss in their last 10 games. We know the kind of talent they have up front, so stacking them is an option on nearly every slate.
There was a slight change to the Leafs' lines recently. William Nylander ($7,800) got the bump up to the top line, and he has been excellent with seven goals in his last 10 games. Auston Matthews ($9,600) isn't on the same ridiculous goal pace as he was last year, but 24 points in 23 games is still great, and he has a fantastic shot that gives him a high ceiling in any game. These guys are playing with Michael Bunting ($4,300) at even strength, who is good enough to play in this stack as a form of salary relief.
Toronto will be up against the Detroit Red Wings tonight. Detroit's defensive numbers are much better than last year and reasonable overall, but they can definitely be scored on by elite offensive teams. They've allowed at least five goals five times this season and don't have defensemen that are really suited to slow down Matthews and company.
Toronto's implied team total is sitting at 3.21 goals, good enough to make the cut for teams we want to use tonight. You can also get some value at defense by playing Rasmus Sandin ($3,900), who has taken over first power-play duties with Toronto having many injuries on the blue line.
Vegas Golden Knights
The Vegas Golden Knights hit a small skid over the weekend. They lost back-to-back games to divisional opponents, and they were heavily favored in both. But they can easily get back on track in a soft matchup tonight.
Vegas' first line stack is fully correlated on the top power play and only has one player who has a high salary. Jack Eichel ($9,400) has lived up to this salary, as he has scored 26 points so far this season. Chandler Stephenson ($6,300) is on pace to beat last season's career year, averaging more points per game. Mark Stone ($6,700) sits just one point behind him and is definitely worth including in this stack.
The Golden Knights will get to play the Columbus Blue Jackets on the road tonight. The Jackets have been riddled with injuries all season, especially to their defense corps. This has resulted in them allowing 4.20 goals per game, the second-highest average in the league. This isn't just a goaltending issue, as they allow the second-most shots on goal per game, as well.
Vegas has a clear path to being the team you need to stack to win a tournament tonight. Their implied goal total is above four goals, by far the highest on the slate. We're fortunate to have the first line as a clean stack in terms of correlation, and it makes them arguably the best stack on the board.
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.
