3 Daily Fantasy NHL Stacks for Thursday 12/8/22
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.
It's unusual to have just five games on a Thursday night, but that's what we have tonight. We can still find three teams that are good for stacking, though.
Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars had a rough evening on Tuesday. Despite getting 44 shots on goal, they couldn't put one in the net. They are still one of the highest-scoring teams in the league and have a great chance of bouncing back tonight.
The loss on Tuesday ended Jason Robertson's ($10,600) 18-game point streak. He's still second in the league in goals with 23. There's nothing new about the Dallas top line, as it continues to be Robertson playing with Roope Hintz ($8,500) and Joe Pavelski ($8,100) at both even strength and on the power play. Hintz is the team's second-leading scorer with 30 points, and Pavelski is third with 28. This line is still the most productive in hockey and makes for a great stack every time they take the ice.
Dallas will play a home game against the Ottawa Senators tonight. Ottawa has been hugely disappointing this season, sitting dead last in the Atlantic Division. They also rank in the bottom 10 in expected goals against, shots against, and high-danger chances against.
The Stars' first line is one we always like to roster, especially in a matchup like this. They carry the second-highest implied team total on the slate and are easily the best stack tonight.
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs haven't been the same team as last season from a scoring perspective. They averaged 3.8 goals per game last season, and this season it's down to 3.07. They rank towards the middle of the NHL in team shooting percentage, which should improve given the talented shooters they have on the roster.
One of those players who should see improvement in his shooting percentage is Auston Matthews ($9,900). Although 11.3% is not a bad shooting percentage, it's well below his career average of 16.1%. He still has 13 goals in 27 games but could go nuclear once again if this percentage starts to normalize.
He's playing with the Leafs' leader in goals, William Nylander ($8,000), at both even strength and on the power play. Michael Bunting ($4,500) is also on this line and has a fairly affordable salary.
The hottest player on Toronto right now would be Mitchell Marner ($8,600). He has a 20-game point streak going, the longest in Leafs history. He's linking up with John Tavares ($8,700) on the second line and on the first power play. Nick Robertson ($4,400) is a talented, young player who can contribute to this line at a low salary.
Toronto is facing the Los Angeles Kings tonight at home. The Kings are not the same lockdown defense they have been in the past, as they have allowed the 10th-most goals per game. They also have the seventh-worst penalty kill and the league's lowest save percentage.
The Leafs are big favorites and have an implied team total of 3.37 goals tonight. Either of their top two lines is a good stacking option tonight.
St Louis Blues
We always need to be searching for value stacks, and the St. Louis Blues have lines that we can look to. They've started to score lately and can hopefully ride that momentum into tonight.
The Blues scored seven goals on Tuesday despite being without Pavel Buchnevich. It looks like they will be without him again tonight, so the top two lines will remain the same.
The fully-correlated second line is an exciting one, with Jordan Kyrou ($7,100) playing alongside Robert Thomas ($6,200) and Vladimir Tarasenko ($6,300). These are three of the top four scorers for St. Louis, with Buchnevich being the other.
If you want even more value, you can look at what's listed as the first line. It has Brayden Schenn ($5,300) playing as a winger with Ryan O'Reilly ($5,200) and Josh Leivo ($3,700). These guys combined for four points on Tuesday, which you would take at these low salaries. O'Reilly and Leivo connect on the second power play unit for some very affordable correlation.
St. Louis is at home tonight against the Winnipeg Jets. Winnipeg has been good at preventing goals this season, but their underlying numbers aren't as strong. They've allowed 3.21 expected goals per 60 minutes, and if the goaltending isn't on, they are vulnerable to giving up goals.
The Blues have a decent implied total of 2.89. It's nothing to get overly excited about, but the O'Reilly line should allow us to fit in other players we really want to roster on this slate.
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.
