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.
There are eight games on this busy Monday slate, so let's look for the best stacks.
Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars continue to be one of the best teams in the west this season -- if not the entire NHL. They sit atop the Central Division and average 3.63 goals per game. That's the fourth most in the league, and they have a great matchup tonight.
He's no longer the league leader in goals, but Jason Robertson ($10,100) still has 5 goals and 11 points in his last 10 games. Roope Hintz ($8,600) has matched that production in the last 10 and, quietly, has an excellent 35 points in 31 games. Joe Pavelski ($7,600) is also a point-per-game player this year and comes at a slight discount to his linemates. These guys are still the most productive line in the NHL and play together on the power-play unit.
Dallas is on the road tonight to face the Columbus Blue Jackets. Columbus is one of our favorite teams to target since they've allowed 4.07 goals per game, the second-highest average in the league. They allow the second-most shots on goal per game, and that's a recipe for disaster when you have some of the worst goaltending in the NHL.
The Stars' top line is not easy to fit into lineups, but it's worth it if you can make it work. They have an implied team total of 3.88 goals tonight, which is the highest on the slate, and all of their best fantasy players play on this line.
Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals are making a push to make the people who wrote them off look bad. They've gone 7-2-1 in their last 10 games and are only one point out of the playoffs. The goals have been coming lately, too. They've scored 4.33 per game in their last six outings.
The best thing about stacking Washington is that you can access Alex Ovechkin ($9,600) with some correlated pieces for low salaries. The best option is Dylan Strome ($5,700), who will play with Ovechkin on the top line and power play. Conor Sheary ($5,200) is also on this line and has been solid with eight points and 26 shots on goal in his last 10 games. The one piece that might be hard to fit with Ovechkin is John Carlson ($7,500), who you may want to play at defense since he's a key piece of the power play.
Washington will face the Detroit Red Wings at home tonight. The Capitals shouldn't have many problems with Detroit's defense which ranks about average in most categories. They've played like a below-average team of late, losing their last three games -- and 8 of their last 10 overall.
The Capitals' implied team total ranks fourth on tonight's slate, and you can get some nice values on some of their first-line players.
St. Louis Blues
It's been an insanely up-and-down start to the season for the St. Louis Blues. Currently, they've won three games in a row and look to be putting things together offensively. They get a nice matchup to try to continue that tonight.
The Blues' first line is incredibly affordable. The trio of Ryan O'Reilly ($5,000), Brandon Saad ($3,900), and Josh Leivo ($4,400) only totals $13,300 in salary. Saad and O'Reilly will play together on the top power play, as well, so the correlation at just $8,900 makes a lot of things work in the rest of your lineup.
The second line isn't going to exactly break the bank, either. Brayden Schenn ($5,500) and Vladimir Tarasenko ($5,300) are also on the first power play, and they are both in the top five in scoring for the team. The team leader in points per game, Pavel Buchnevich ($6,300), is also on this line.
Targeting the Blues tonight makes sense; they will face the Vancouver Canucks. Vancouver has allowed the third-most goals per game this season and also has the second-worst penalty kill in the league. They might also be without Elias Pettersson again, which would not be good for their overall outlook tonight.
The Blues' top line allows you to fit in most other stacks -- and also has a lot of potential in its own right -- on this slate.
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.