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.
Thursday nights are always fun in the NHL, and tonight's nine-game slate makes it look like that will continue.
Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche had a weird stretch earlier in the season that had people questioning if they would even make the playoffs. They've quickly silenced that with a six-game winning streak and now look like the force that we all expected.
They aren't at full strength quite yet, but the Avs have enough firepower on the first line for it to be a useful stack. Nathan MacKinnon ($10,400) has been excellent since returning to the lineup, with 16 points and 56 shots on goal in his last 10 games. Artturi Lehkonen ($6,900) is second on the team with 15 goals, including 6 in his last 10 games. Evan Rodrigues ($6,200) is also a solid contributor on this line and plays with both of these guys on the first power play.
Colorado will welcome the Anaheim Ducks to town tonight, and we know the matchup doesn't get any better. The Ducks continue to allow the most goals and shots per game. They also will be without Kevin Shattenkirk tonight, who has been one of their better defensemen this season.
The Avs have a monstrous 4.20 implied team total tonight, and it would not be a surprise to see some of these players in tournament-winning lineups tonight.
Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild got off to a bad start that made them look like they might regress this season. They've recently fallen out of a playoff spot, but at the very least, they're contenders that can take advantage of good matchups like tonight.
The Wild have experimented with different lineup combinations throughout the season, but this one has stuck for a while now. The first line has two elite wingers in Kirill Kaprizov ($9,700) and Mats Zuccarello ($8,000). They are both averaging more than a point per game, and Kaprizov's 27 goals are 12th in the NHL. Sam Steel ($4,200) has been the center for this line who can get some points for a very low salary. Calen Addison ($4,400) is also a cheap addition to this stack as the power-play defenseman.
Minnesota is at home against the Philadelphia Flyers tonight. The Flyers actually haven't been too bad lately but are still below average in goals against per game, and they don't have a ton of options to slow down this dangerous Wild top line.
Minnesota has the fourth-highest implied team total on the night and can definitely go off in this spot.
Winnipeg Jets
The Winnipeg Jets make it three Central Division teams to target for tonight's slate. Most people probably didn't think they would be 12th in goals per game under new coach Rick Bowness, especially with some forwards missing time. They have been able to score more than expected and have two great lines we can use tonight.
The first line sees the two leading scorers play together, Kyle Connor ($8,600) and Pierre-Luc Dubois ($7,900). They both play together on the top power play unit, as well. They have a value piece as the third member of this line, too, as Cole Perfetti ($5,000) remains low-salaried.
The second line also has two forwards from the first power play. Mark Scheifele ($7,400) has already matched his goal total from last season with a team-leading 29. He's now playing with Nikolaj Ehlers ($8,500), who has been excellent with 17 points in just 13 games played this season. Blake Wheeler ($6,400) is no longer on the first power play but still is a decent piece to add to this line.
Winnipeg will face the Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres are actually the highest-scoring team in the league despite not being in a playoff spot. That should speak volumes to how lackluster their defensive play has been this season.
The Jets' implied team total ranks third on this slate, and this team can certainly take advantage of their matchup tonight.
Others to Consider: Calgary Flames, Detroit Red Wings, St. Louis Blues
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.