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.
Some of these games towards the end of the season have had some wild scores, and these high-scoring games make for great fantasy environments.
Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals played in one of those wild games on Tuesday, losing 7-6 in overtime to one of the league's worst teams, the Columbus Blue Jackets. They'll face off against one of the league's worst teams again tonight.
We saw Alex Ovechkin ($8,600) score his 40th goal of the season on Tuesday, his third goal in his last two games. He broke the record for most 40-goal seasons as he continues to go after the all-time goals record. He's now playing with Dylan Strome ($5,800) as his center on both the first line and on the top power play. Strome is second on the team in points behind only Ovechkin. Tom Wilson ($5,000) has been reasonably productive when healthy this season, scoring 15 points in 23 games.
Washington is at home against the Chicago Blackhawks tonight. The Blackhawks have lost their last two games and have the third-worst goal differential in the NHL. They also allow the fifth-most shots on goal per game, which is dangerous for them against a shooting machine like Ovechkin.
John Carlson ($7,500) will return tonight, and he will be back on the top power-play unit. Carlson can be added to any stack.
The Capitals' implied team total is the second-highest on tonight's slate.
Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks have done a good job of making their fans unhappy all season long. They are not in the playoff race but have gone 7-3-0 in their last 10 games and hurt their chances of winning the draft lottery. They have scored 3.30 goals per game, more than playoff contenders like the Colorado Avalanche, Vegas Golden Knights, and Pittsburgh Penguins, making them a fun team for fantasy.
The Canucks have gotten a breakout season from Elias Pettersson ($9,700). He's set a career-high in goals and points, and he ranks eighth overall in scoring. Andrei Kuzmenko ($6,100) has been a revelation in his first NHL season, scoring 34 goals. He's on the first power play with Pettersson, which has been an effective unit all season. Anthony Beauvillier ($4,800) has been solid in his time with Vancouver, scoring 7 goals and 16 points in 21 games since being traded.
Vancouver is at home tonight against the San Jose Sharks. San Jose is doing a much better job of getting to the bottom of the standings, winning just once in their last 10 games. They've allowed the third-most goals per game in the league, including allowing at least four goals in six of their last seven games.
Vancouver's first line won't break the bank too much, but they do have enough upside in this matchup to be a great stack.
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins didn't really get the job done for us on Tuesday. They were only able to score two goals despite being in a good spot. Tonight's spot is even better, though, and we shouldn't expect another letdown.
The salaries have stayed relatively low for the Boston top line after Tuesday's game. Patrice Bergeron ($6,700) looked like he might not even come back to play this season, but it's a good thing for the Bruins that he did because he's their second-leading scorer. Brad Marchand ($7,000) has been playing well lately, with six assists in his last three games. Jake DeBrusk ($7,100) is second on the team in goals per game and plays on the top power play with these linemates.
The second line will also remain in play when stacking Boston. You'll get two members of the second power play for an affordable combined salary in David Krejci ($5,700) and Pavel Zacha ($4,900). Of course, the main attraction for this line would be David Pastrnak ($10,100), who is second in the league with 48 goals.
Boston will face their long-time rivals tonight, the Montreal Canadiens. Montreal has been decimated with injuries and is icing one of the worst lineups in the league currently. The Canadiens allowed a stunning 26 goals in four games last week before a surprise win on Tuesday, and they could be in trouble against the league's best team tonight.
The Bruins have the only implied team total over four tonight, and it wouldn't be too surprising if they broke the slate in this matchup.
Others to Consider: Winnipeg Jets, Florida Panthers, Seattle Kraken, Dallas Stars
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.