3 Daily Fantasy NHL Stacks for Friday 12/9/22
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.
We've got a treat this week, with a 10-game Friday slate to close out the week. Let's check out three stacks for this large slate.
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins continue to roll along. Their .860 point percentage is the best in the league, and they also are second in goals per game. Tonight, they play a team that they are likely to dominate.
The Bruins were moving their lines around a bit to start the season as players were coming back into the lineup. Things have settled in now, and the first line is what we saw at the end of last season. Patrice Bergeron ($8,200) is playing with his normal left winger in Brad Marchand ($8,700) and with Jake DeBrusk ($7,400) on the right side. Marchand and Bergeron are each tied for second on the team with 21 points. DeBrusk will join these two on the first power play unit, giving this line full correlation.
This line doesn't include the team's leading scorer, David Pastrnak ($10,200), who plays on the second line and first power play. There are no clear correlation options with him, but you can play David Krejci ($6,500) and Pavel Zacha ($4,800) with him to get a bit different. You will get second-line, power-play correlation between Krejci and Zacha, and Pastrnak is capable of getting there on his own, so this line is still a viable one to use.
The Bruins will face the Arizona Coyotes on the road tonight. The Coyotes ended their 14-game road trip with an 8-2 loss, and come home to play in their 5,000-person stadium that won't offer much of a home advantage. Arizona allows the third-most expected goals per 60 minutes and the third-most high-danger chances per 60 minutes.
Boston has the second-highest implied team total on the slate tonight and definitely can put up a lot of goals in this matchup tonight.
Calgary Flames
The Calgary Flames are starting to get things on track this season. They've won three games in a row and are 6-3-1 in their last 10. They are heavy favorites tonight and really could rack up the goals in this spot.
The Flames first line stack sets up perfectly tonight. They have a full correlation between the first power play unit -- and affordable salaries. Elias Lindholm ($7,400) is the highest-salaried player on Calgary and is also the team's leading scorer with 22 points. Tyler Toffoli ($6,700) is tied for the team lead in goals with 10. Jonathan Huberdeau ($5,400) continues to be a good value and has three points in his last two games.
We want to target the Flames tonight because of their opponents. They'll face the Columbus Blue Jackets on the road tonight. Columbus was already one of the worst defensive teams in hockey and then allowed nine goals on Wednesday night. After that game, they now allow the most goals per game in the league.
Calgary has the highest implied team total on the slate. With their top line being easy to fit into lineups, they will likely be a popular stack tonight. To get different, you could add Nazem Kadri ($7,300) or Rasmus Andersson ($6,600) for an extra piece on the power play.
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins have won three games in a row -- and 8 of the last 10. They aren't looking like an old team that is going to fall off as some people might have feared for them. They are also eighth in goals per game and are in a high-total game tonight.
It feels as if Sidney Crosby ($8,500) is going a bit under the radar this season. He is in the top 10 in goals and points at age 35. This salary is a bargain, and the same can be said for Jake Guentzel ($6,600) and Rickard Rakell ($5,500) at their salaries. Guentzel has 12 goals and averages over a point per game. Rakell is third on the team with 10 goals and joins his even-strength linemates on the power play.
Pittsburgh is taking on the Buffalo Sabres in what could be a high-scoring game. The Sabres lit up the scoreboard on Wednesday but also allowed four goals. They are fifth in goals allowed per game and also have the sixth-worst penalty kill.
The Penguins are implied to score 3.77 goals tonight, which only trails the Flames and the Bruins on the slate. The first line is a very good value relative to some other stacks, so it should be easy enough to fit them into lineups tonight.
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.
