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.
This is a light time period for the NHL with the All-Star break approaching, but today's three games are enough to find some stacks we can use in lineups tonight.
Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes have won four games in a row and look like the strongest team in the Metropolitan Division. Their current lines seem to be stable and are pretty fantasy-friendly stacks.
Carolina has reunited Sebastian Aho ($8,600) with Teuvo Teravainen ($5,400) on the top line and top power play. Aho has been on an absolute tear of late, with seven goals in his last four games. You also get Seth Jarvis ($5,100) in this stack, who is fifth on the team in scoring with 24 points.
The second line is dangerous, as well, and can be stacked on this small slate. Martin Necas ($8,000) still leads the team in points. He plays with Andrei Svechnikov ($7,500) on this second line, who is third in goals and points on the team. You also get Jesperi Kotkaniemi ($4,100) as a value center option, who also plays with Necas on the second power-play unit.
The Canes will face the Los Angeles Kings at home tonight. The Kings have allowed the 10th-most goals in the league this season as goaltending continues to be a problem. Carolina leads the league in shot attempts per game, and if they can get pucks on net in this matchup, they should be able to score.
Carolina is the biggest favorite on this slate and has the third-highest implied team total, making either of their top two lines worthy stacking options.
Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators are not the contenders some people thought they would be after their offseason moves. They have won three games in a row, however, and face one of the two Eastern Conference teams below them in the standings.
The reason some believed they could contend was because of their strength at forward. On the top line, we still have Brady Tkachuk ($8,500) leading the way. He's leading the team with 49 points in 49 games. Tim Stutzle ($8,200) is having a breakout third season, as he also is averaging exactly a point per game and leads the team with 20 goals. You can also play Mathieu Joseph ($4,200) in this stack as an affordable option with Ottawa's two best fantasy players.
We like the Senators tonight because they'll face the Montreal Canadiens for the second game in a row. Ottawa won 5-0 over Montreal on Saturday. The Canadiens' play has fallen off to the point where they are bottom five in the NHL in both shots on goal allowed and goals allowed per game.
The Senators have the second-highest implied team total on this slate, and this first line is a great way to get exposure to their offense tonight.
Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals have gone 4-6-0 in their last 10 games, but they still sit in the playoffs if the season ended today. That is surprising considering how their season started off and the number of injuries they've had. Now, they are close to full strength, which actually makes things tricky for stacking.
The Capitals' second line is the one that has full correlation on the power play. Nicklas Backstrom ($5,000) got his first goal of the season on Sunday and looks to be getting back to his best. T.J. Oshie ($5,200) and Marcus Johansson ($4,500) are the wings on this line. They haven't been having their best seasons but are still capable of scoring goals and come with affordable salaries.
The main problem with this stack would be that it doesn't include Alex Ovechkin ($9,100). OV doesn't have the most inspiring linemates, and none of them play with him on the power play. How you could get exposure to Washington's best player is by playing him, Erik Gustafsson ($5,100), and one or two of the guys from the second line for power-play upside. This may be a unique stack that also provides a ton of upside.
Washington is on the road tonight against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Columbus is one of the worst defensive teams in the NHL, allowing the second-most shots per game and third-most goals per game. They've already allowed six goals to the Capitals in a game this season, and it wouldn't be too surprising to see something similar happen again tonight.
Washington has the highest implied team total on the slate, and their offense should be able to thrive in this game environment.
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.